Water freezing inside an expensive ag irrigation system can cause irreparable damage to its components and this can be easily avoided by spending a few hours going through a winterization process.
Recommended by manufacturers as part of the required maintenance to preserve their systems and by irrigation system services that end up repairing damaged systems, this bit of winter storage preparation can prolong the life of the system.
When performed at the right time in the season, winterization can reduce or eliminate the cost to repair damage after water has frozen within the system.
What Is Involved With Winterizing Ag Irrigation Systems?
Winterizing ag irrigation systems is the process of cleaning them out, lubricating them, and most importantly, draining them of any fluid in preparation to store them for the winter.
Because water expands when it freezes, water trapped within the feed lines or spans can expand to the point of cracking or rupturing them, causing substantial damage to the system.
Water and chemicals sitting for long periods in unused systems can also cause corrosion over time.
What Is The Goal of Winterizing Ag Irrigation Systems?
The goal of winterizing is to flush out all fertilizer and other chemicals, then blow out the irrigation system with air or allow it to drain out by parking the system on an incline so that no chemicals or water are left inside.
With the lines and spans left open so any remaining moisture can evaporate, the system can be stored dry and empty until the following season.
When Must The Winterizing of Ag Irrigation Systems Be Done?
What is critical is that the winterizing of irrigation systems be performed before the first overnight freeze.
It only takes dropping below freezing one time to cause damage to these systems if parts of the system still contain fluids from being in use even weeks earlier.
To avoid this possibility, irrigation system services stress the importance of farmers planning ahead to clean, flush, and winterize their irrigation systems well in advance of winter to avoid the damage that a surprise cold snap one night could cause.
This is also the recommended time to lubricate the system and perform any other due maintenance which will make putting it back into service in the spring easier.
Winterize Your Ag Irrigation Systems Early!
Cracks and leaks in ag irrigation systems are costly on many levels as it can cause wastage of water and fertilizer as well as reduce plant yield due to inaccuracies.
One way to prevent that from happening is to winterize the system early, before a sneaky first freeze can cause that damage!