Preparing your sprinklers for winter is an essential thing to do when readying your home for the colder season. There are several steps involved in sprinkler system winterization and they should be carried out dutifully with appropriate measures. If for any reason you are unable to winterize your sprinklers properly, the aftermath could be property-damaging, time-wasting, and cost-implicated. Due to the freezing temperature of winter, there are several damages that can occur to your sprinklers. What happens if you don’t winterize sprinklers? Find out below. 

Pipes cracking 

A part of the preparation of your sprinklers for winter is to drain your pipes. When you don’t winterize the irrigation system, chances are your pipes will freeze up due to the intense cold, and that ultimately leads to them cracking. The worst part of this is that your pipes may crack without visible signs and you won’t know until winter is over and you begin to use them again. This may lead to more damage and more cost for repairs. 

Leakage 

There are several damages that may lead to leakage in your pipes and house structure, as a result of not winterizing your sprinklers. As explained above, your pipes can crack if your irrigation system is not properly winterized and once that happens, your pipes may leak after the winter season is over. This leakage may be as a result of frozen pipes or some other damage to the irrigation system. To avoid this, ensure that you winterize sprinklers to prevent damage to the system and appliances. 

Broken valves

Another step in the winterizing process is covering your valves with protective and insulation materials like bags, tubes, and foams. When you don’t winterize your irrigation system, the valves are also at risk of being broken due to the freezing temperature. Broken valves will prevent you from re-activating your manual irrigation system and that is an expensive problem to solve. Just make sure you winterize your sprinklers to avoid damage and additional expenses.

Structural damage   

One of the things that happen when you don’t winterize your sprinklers is damage to your irrigation system, including the pipes. When these damages occur, it also causes structural damage to your house. Underground pipes may burst, pipes may break, and air vents may be overheated. These could lead to severe damage through leaks and cracks. 

Zero insurance claims  

The most important thing to note, as an aftermath of not winterizing your sprinkles, is that your insurance will not pay for damages incurred as a result of personal oversight. You are expected to winterize your irrigation system and failure to do so means that you will bear the costs for repairs and replacements alone. 

Now that you know the consequences of not winterizing your sprinklers, pay extra care to make sure your irrigation system is all set for the season!