Question
Hi.  Hope you can help me.  I moved in to a house that has an irrigation system but no records or contacts for the installer.  I need to winterize it but have no idea 1) where to locate the right place(s) to pump in air and 2) how to go about the process of blowing the water out.  Can you help me?

Answer
Greg,
I would suggest that you just go to the phone book and call someone to do it for you. If you have a large air compressor you might want to try it. First you have to find where the shut off valve for the system is. There are 2 kinds of taps, inside and outside. If it is an inside tap then you should look around the basement for a valve that shut off a pipe that goes outside. Do not shut off the valve for the water to the house supply. Shut the sprinkler valve only. If it is an ouitside tap then the shut off is out in the yard some where, usually near your water meter. You may need a special water key to get to the valve as it may be deep in the ground. If you have gotten the water off then you have probably found the backflow preventer for the system. That is where you can connect your air hose. Then with air going just run the system zone by zone until the heads are done blowing water. If you have anything you are unsure about you probably should just call a contractor this year and watch what he does and take notes and you can be ready to do it next year. Jim