If you live in snow country, you need to winterize your yard when it starts getting cold. We are still in fall here, but the cold is starting to set in. There are several things involved in this process.
For us winterizing starts with having the sprinkler system blown out. If you do not have your sprinkler system blown out, it might freeze during the colder periods. This can crack the underground pipes which will need to be repaired. That can be expensive. An ounce of prevention is worth the cure here. Sprinkler blowouts are a necessity.
All outdoor faucets have an anti-siphon valve built in to them. You should disconnect all your hoses. Then, run some water through the faucet and shut it off. The anti-siphon valve pushes the water back out of the outdoor portion of the faucet so it will not freeze. You put a protective cover on the faucets as well.
I usually run all the gas out of my riding mower and get it all shutdown. I attach a cover over it as well with spring clamps. The spring clamps are needed because it is windy here, and the cover will not stay on the mower if not clamped down.
There are a few other minor things you can do to winterize, but these are the main ones that need to be done every year. As in some milder parts of the country, you do not let winter happen, you have to prepare for it in snow country.
Doug
