What kind of AIR COMPRESSOR do i need to flush water from my underground sprinklers for Winter?
Question:When winter arrives i always get some gardening company to come by to use some kind of air pressure system to flush out all the water in my sprinkler system (there are about 4-5 sprinklers per zone with 6 zones on my lawn)...i pay him $40 each year...i am thinking there is a cheaper way to do this and was wondering what kind of contraption i needed and how much they usually cost to do my own flushing each winter. Does anyone have direct links to products that will do the flushing specifically for my underground (pop-up) sprinklers...
In case anyone wants to know my entire lawn is made up of these sprinkers (between 26-30 sprinkler heads):
o Orbit Voyager II Popup
o Hunter G-Type
o Nelson 6000
o Rainbird5000-Rotary
Answers:
$40 is a good price. To do it yourself, you will need at least 20CFM. For the price of the compressor, it is not worth it unless you will use it for other things. I have seen someone try to winterize a sprinkler with a 5CFM compressor. I repaired quite a bit of freeze damage at his house.
Really no mystery to this. Go to Walmart and but an airtank and a pneumatic fitting allowing you to openly vent the air. Fill the tank at a local gas station and return home. Turn the sprinklers on an shut off the water supply as they are still running to bleed as much as much water as possible. Find the tubing port leading from the water when the water is shut off and remove a connection. Use the pneumatic fitting and insulate the sides of the pipe to create a tight fit so air wont vent against resistance. Use a little creativity with this as almost anything from a wet rag to a firm grip with your hand will do. Pressurize the line and bleed excess through the sprinklers. The cost for the tank and connection should be less than 100 dollars and now you have a air tank for all of your needs... Good Luck
I use a pump, The type used for inflatables, They supply various adapters in the box, You only need to expel most of the water, Exsercise helps me too.
A campbell hausfeld electric air compressor, get a compressor that puts out about 5 cfm. You'll find a lot of uses for it around the house, kids toys, basketballs, car tires, even sweeping the floor in the garage. You'll pay for the compressor in about 6 years.
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