During this time, a vital part of your maintenance check should include flushing the irrigation system. If you don’t flush your system, you may run into costly problems when it’s time to irrigate. From plugged emission devices, filter stations with pressure differential problems, to sand media filters that may need a media replacement, your time and money will be focused on unexpected repairs. Your water won’t flow efficiently and will negatively impact distribution uniformity (DU). Instead, if you do the following right before shutting down your system, you can start off on the right foot when it’s time to irrigate: *

  • Flush above ground tubing
  • Flush below ground piping
  • Flush fertilizer injection pump(s)
  • Send your filter stations through a complete flush cycle

*If you run into issues while attempting to flush your system, the GAR Bennett team is here to offer professional support when needed.

Another major component to getting your system ready for shut down is winterization. This includes draining down above ground pipelines to ensure no water freezes in the lines. If you notice any plugging issues while your flushing and winterizing, be sure to fix these problems now instead of waiting until spring. Our water treatment team offers a Shockwave service to remove scale and biologicals out of irrigation systems, resulting in clean lines, enhanced DU and an optimized system. You can rest assured that your system will be clean when it’s put to bed, giving you a fresh start for the next growing season.

Performing a thorough maintenance check and preparing to winterize will ensure your system is running at peak capacity when crunch time hits. Be sure to apply the steps above before shutting down your system. If you run into problems while prepping your irrigation system, give GAR Bennett a call for expert service and support.