Wow…I have been unable to turn my sprinkler off and ended up turning off all water at the curb. I think this video is an answer to my prayer (to not have to call a plumber). Thank you!
The good thing is you found it! Most people cannot. Now you know where to look moving forwards. Way to go. You can always send a picture to the office of your backflow and I can confirm everything.
This is still not always enough. Just buy an insulated cover in addition to doing this. If you don’t believe me, then do this and then shake the bonnet. You’ll hear water slosh around simply because it’s doesn’t ALL drain. I’ve had the brass split on mine doing ALL of this simply from small amounts of residual water.
LOL. I love how you said this. So you're not able to find the isolation valve? If you are in the Houston area....the next BEST step is to have a state licensed irrigator install one for you. If this is not an option. There are other approaches you can take but it is more easily explained by conversation. If you text the office I can give you a call and we can walk through some of those options.
Do you recommend running your sprinkler system after you do this to clear out water that may be sitting in the pipes near certain sprinkler heads so they don't pop during the freeze?
It certainly will not hurt to take this extra measure. Especially if you have risers in your flower beds. The components above ground are most subject to freeze damage. Although, side note, those things (risers, nozzles, sprays) are usually easy DIY repairs for homeowners if they do break.
I can tell you that at our house we are turning the water off at the meter and opening all faucets/ spigots and leaving them open. If this is not something you want to do I strongly recommend wrapping the outdoor spigots with towels and using a water-resistant vinyl tape (or plastic bag taped well around fabric) and completely wrap the spigot covering all fabric. The point of this is making it "watertight", you do not want the towels freezing as this can cause damage too. If you can text the office I will send you a picture of what I did at my sister's house. She sustained not damage during the big freeze in 2022.
Wow…I have been unable to turn my sprinkler off and ended up turning off all water at the curb. I think this video is an answer to my prayer (to not have to call a plumber). Thank you!
My valve froze last year and cost $330+. I did this and it took longer to find the valve than the rest of it.
Great video.
Thanks.
The good thing is you found it! Most people cannot. Now you know where to look moving forwards. Way to go. You can always send a picture to the office of your backflow and I can confirm everything.
This is still not always enough. Just buy an insulated cover in addition to doing this. If you don’t believe me, then do this and then shake the bonnet. You’ll hear water slosh around simply because it’s doesn’t ALL drain. I’ve had the brass split on mine doing ALL of this simply from small amounts of residual water.
Thank you
You are very welcome. Please let me know if you have questions and feel free to send a picture of your backflow if you want a winterization thumbs up.
Let's say the isolation valve apparently desires to remain totally isolated from the homeowner? What's the next best way to proceed?
LOL. I love how you said this. So you're not able to find the isolation valve? If you are in the Houston area....the next BEST step is to have a state licensed irrigator install one for you. If this is not an option. There are other approaches you can take but it is more easily explained by conversation. If you text the office I can give you a call and we can walk through some of those options.
Do you recommend running your sprinkler system after you do this to clear out water that may be sitting in the pipes near certain sprinkler heads so they don't pop during the freeze?
It certainly will not hurt to take this extra measure. Especially if you have risers in your flower beds. The components above ground are most subject to freeze damage. Although, side note, those things (risers, nozzles, sprays) are usually easy DIY repairs for homeowners if they do break.
i have several of those boxes in the yard, how do i know which is the isolation valve????
You will need to lift the lid and look. If you think you found it but are unsure text a picture to the office and someone will let you know
Is there anything you have to do for the outdoor faucets?
I can tell you that at our house we are turning the water off at the meter and opening all faucets/ spigots and leaving them open. If this is not something you want to do I strongly recommend wrapping the outdoor spigots with towels and using a water-resistant vinyl tape (or plastic bag taped well around fabric) and completely wrap the spigot covering all fabric. The point of this is making it "watertight", you do not want the towels freezing as this can cause damage too. If you can text the office I will send you a picture of what I did at my sister's house. She sustained not damage during the big freeze in 2022.
Why do we never touch those handles?
They are there for backflow testing purposes.
What's the name of the insolation tape on the pipe
Christy's you can find it at most irrigation parts stores. If they're sold out of it you can use electrical tape but you'll need a lot