While several areas throughout the country have to deal with naturally occurring fires during warm weather, house fires can occur during any time of the year, including the middle of winter. If you have a sprinkler system in your residential or commercial property, you have a better chance at making sure everyone in the building gets out unharmed in the event of a fire. Unfortunately, people often forget about their sprinkler systems in the winter, which means the water inside them can freeze. If you have a sprinkler system that is frozen, you might as well forget about it doing you any good if a fire breaks out. Take advantage of the following tips to make sure your sprinkler system is always ready to go when you need it most.
Making sure the most expensive part of your system is protected and working throughout the winter should be a top priority. This is your backflow prevention device, which ensures any water in your system won’t make its way into your home’s water supply. Because it is typically located outside of the property, it is one of the most likely parts of your system to freeze.
In order to prevent this, there are a few things you can do. First, turn the valve handle slightly, wrap a towel around the entire device, and place a plastic bag around it. Then secure the bag to the device with a piece of heavy duty tape. Afterwards, you will be able to drain the backflow, and then winterize the system.
When it comes time to winterize your system, you will most likely need professional help. So after taking these initial steps, give us a call if you need assistance!
