What Size Air Compressor To Blow Out Sprinklers

Winterizing Sprinklers and Ridgid Compressor tool review is sponsored by The Home Depot. I have been compensated for my fourth dimension and provided with product. All ideas and opinions are my own. This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

If you have sprinklers in your yard for your lawn and live where it freezes, then one job that needs to be done each year before wintertime is winterizing sprinklers. If the water is left in the sprinkler lines, you could take chances the water freezing and cracking your pipes in the backyard. No bueno. Winterizing your sprinklers, or blowing them out, is a simple chore but you lot'll demand a few tools.

Tools Needed

Air Compressor – we usually set ours to most 80 psi.
Air Hose with QD couplers if non already on the hose
Hose Adapter

Compressor

We have used a variety of compressor sizes to winterize our sprinklers over the years. You need a compressor that has either plenty book or big enough motor to fill your system with pressurized air. A compressor size of 4-6 gallons should exist enough. I've been reviewing this Ridgid 4.5 gallon tranquility compressor, and information technology did the job in a breeze. Even though the tank size is only 4.5 gallons, the motor is strong and it fills the tank very speedily compared to other habitation/job site compressors I've used. It is too quite a bit quieter than any other compressor I've used, it doesn't scare the kids when boot on :-). It is a scrap on the heavier side though, for a portable compressor. Overall slap-up pick.

Hose Adapter

We originally bought this water spigot adapter at the sprinkler store, or y'all tin get 1 with a quick disconnect here, or make your own.

Our adapter uses our tire air chuck zipper, so we have to hold the hose onto the adapter while filling the lines with air. A quick disconnect would be and then much easier.

How to Winterize Sprinklers

Footstep 1 – Isolate from the H2o Source

Isolate your system from the water source – turn off the main valve (righty tighty).

Step two – Blow out your main line

Open all of your water spigots. On one of the h2o spigots attach your adapter.

And then attach your compressor and kickoff filling up your lines with air, y'all should see or hear water coming out of all of your spigots (h2o taps attached to your sprinkler line). Once the water finishes spraying out of the open up spigots (taps), close all of the spigots except the ane that you are using to fill up the system with air.

Step 3 – Accident out each Zone

With all of the principal line spigots closed, except the one you are using, it'southward fourth dimension to run through each zone and blow out those lines.

You can plough your zones on manually with the valves in the valve box.

Or apply your controller and manually turn a zone on.

Plow on the zones ane at a fourth dimension and add together air until the water stops spraying out of the sprinklers.

This is our 'lowest' and longest zone, so it has the most water in information technology.

Some of the zones will barely spray any water. If yous have the large rotary sprinklers, effort not to run them very long without h2o, information technology isn't great for the motor.

While you're at it, make sure to disconnect whatever hoses connected to hose bibbs on your house (h2o taps on your house). If a hose is connected to the bibb and it traps water, it tin scissure the pipe.

Run through all of the zones.

Turn off the controller.

And yous're done!

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