RAIN BIRD AZ 85706 User Manual

BBIRDIRD®RRAINAIN

RAIN BIRD NATIONAL SALES, Inc. Customer Support Center

6991 E. Southpoint Rd., Bldg. #1, Tucson, AZ 85706 1-800-RAIN-BIRD [phone] FAX

HOMEOWNER'S GUIDE TO

WINTERIZATION

In a freezing climate it is advisable to "winterize" the sprinkler system in order to avoid
damage. Special attention should be given to removing water from the pipes, valves,
and sprinkler heads, before freezing occurs. This may be accomplished using three
techniques; the manual drain valve method, the automatic drain valve system, or the
air blow-out practice. Caution! Please refer to the How to Winterize System

Components section to fully complete the winterization process for your system.
MANUAL DRAIN VALVE DESIGN AND PROCEDURE

Design: The manual drain valve should be installed on the sprinkler system mainline

at the lowest point of the system. Additional manual drain valves must be installed if
there are multiple low points along the run of pipe where water collection might occur.
A ball valve, gate valve, "Stop and Waste" valve, or a simple threaded pipe with a cap
may be used to provide drainage. Piping should be sloped properly to allow water to
drain out. If the valve is located outdoors, it should be installed over a "dry-well"
(underground pit filled with gravel to drain water away from the piping) to allow the
amount of water that is drained to percolate into the soil. If the valve is installed in-

doors, make sure the volume of water can be collected or drained without the risk of
overflow or flooding.

Service to
House

Meter In House

Compression
Tee

Water Meter

Shutoff Shutoff

A

Shutoff Valve

Drain Cap

Slope Downward
for Drainage

B

C

To Control
Valves

Sevice Line
from Street

Procedure: Wear proper eye protection. The manual drain valve or drain cap is
pressurized at this time and could cause physical injury if opened before the pressure
is first relieved. Please follow the steps below carefully .

1. Turn off the sprinkler system mainline shut off valve. ( A )

2. Open one of the sprinkler system control valves, either manually, or electrically from
the timer, to relieve pressure on the sprinkler system mainline.

3. Slowly open the manual drain valve. ( B )

4. Repeat this procedure for all manual drain valves on the sprinkler system mainline.

5. Caution! Please refer to the How to Winterize System Components section to
fully complete the winterization process for your system.

AUTOMATIC DRAIN VALVE DESIGN AND PROCEDURE
Description: Please refer to the Manual Drain Valve section for mainline

tion. Caution! Do not install automatic drain valves on the sprinkler system
mainline! The automatic drain valve, model 16A-FDV, is a spring loaded device which

is installed on the sprinkler pipes or heads. It is a convenient and efficient product for
removing water from the lateral pipe network running from the sprinkler system control
valves to the heads. Automatic drains should be installed after or downstream of the
sprinkler control valves. They are not designed or engineered for use on mainlines.
The drain valve will open every time the system is shut off. This will drain all the water
out of the pipe providing the valve is installed at the proper location, which is the low
point on the line. When the system is pressurized, the water shuts the valve off by
pressing against the sealing mechanism, allowing water to flow through the pipe and
on to the sprinklers in proper fashion.

16 A-FDV
Drain Valve

winteriza-

Clean Gravel

Design: Install automatic drain valves at the low points in the sprinkler lines. Gener­ally speaking, one or two drains per line are adequate to do the job. The drain valves
have either 1/2”or 3/4” male pipe threads. Use two or three wraps of PTFE tape around
the threads to ensure a proper seal. Simply screw the drain valve into a threaded fit­ting positioned downward. If you have a soil condition which drains poorly, we suggest
digging a small hole directly beneath the drain and filling it with clean gravel to assist
drainage.
Procedure: Automatic drain valves remove water from the system every time it is shut
off. No manual intervention should be required. Check for excessive puddling on the
soil surface should one of the drains become stuck open during sprinkler operation.

HOW TO BLOW WATER OUT OF THE LINES USING COMPRESSED AIR

CAUTION! WEAR PROPER EYE PROTECTION! Extreme care must be taken
when blowing out the system to avoid excessive pressure which can damage
valves or sprinkler pipe or cause physical injury due to flying debris. Do not
stand over any irrigation components (pipes, sprinklers, and valves) during air
blow out. Air pressure must not exceed 50 pounds per square inch (psi). Local

irrigation contractors usually offer this service for a reasonable fee which may also in­clude start-up in the Spring. Depending on how extensive your system is and what
type of equipment you have installed, you may want to choose a professional who is
fully equipped to provide this service.

Description: Compressed air is used to force water through all of the irrigation system
components including the mainline pipe, sprinkler control valves, lateral pipes, and out
through the sprinkler heads. To obtain proper air volume, you will need to rent or buy
a compressor capable of providing 10 to 25 cubic feet per minute (CFM) of air vol-

ume. Air pressure must not exceed 50 pounds per square inch (psi) during the
blow -out procedure. A pressure regulating valve must be used to avoid overpres-

surization of the system. Air volume should be high and air pressure low. This combi­nation of high volume and low pressure will minimize the damage that can occur dur­ing the winterization process. It is very important to select the right air compressor for
the job. Some small shop compressors (2 hp) may not be adequate to complete the
winterization procedure properly.

If the appropriate air compressor is not available, please call an irrigation contractor.
Do not try to use an air compressor with high pressure (120 psi) and low volume to
evacuate water from the system. It is not an acceptable practice to allow the compres-

sor to fill the holding tank of the compressor and the closed mainline with high pres­sure air, hoping the surge of excess pressure will compensate for the lack of compres­sor size and blow the line clean upon opening the sprinkler control valve. This is a

dangerous practice that places very severe stresses on all of the components of the
system. Do not run the compressor without at least one sprinkler control valve
open. This lessens the chance that the system could overpressurize. It is a common
misbelief that if the system can withstand 120 psi of water pressure, similar air pres­sure will not damage the system. This is not true! The viscosity of air is much lower
than water, generating much higher stresses that can cause severe damage to the
system.

Design: There should be a separate provision on the sprinkler system mainline for
booking up the air hose (see item C in the diagram on the next page). This could be a
quick connect fitting, a manual gate valve, a plugged "tee", or simply a capped pipe in
the line. This adapter should be located as close to the water source as possible.
Check with your air compressor manufacturer for the correct procedure and equipment
to hook up to the sprinkler system.