"Blowing Out" the Irrigation System

             

Air Compressor attached to the irrigation system 

           As anyone with an irrigation system at home knows, "blowing" the water out of irrigation lines before winter is of the utmost importance. Usually this is achieved by hooking an air compressor up to the irrigation system at its source and using compressed air to pressurize the irrigation lines and  force the water

in the lines out through the sprinklers or any other open valve.  The same concept applies on the golf course but on a much larger scale. Obviously, as water freezes it also expands. If enough water is left inside of an irrigation line, sprinkler, valve, or any other sensitive component, when it freezes it will expand and cause serious damage to the irrigation system in the form of shattered pipes, broken valves, and cracked sprinklers.

Sprinklers "blowing" compressed air

                I'm sure you can imagine that it takes a rather large air-compressor to "blow out" the irrigation system here at CCNB. The entire process takes roughly 8 hours and involves turning on each and every one of the 650 plus sprinkler heads on the golf course in small groups until all of the water is blown out of the system and only compressed air is coming out of the sprinklers.

Air Compressor