When to Winterize Your Sprinkler System in Memphis, and What It Costs

Ready to book? Schedule sprinkler winterization in Memphis or call (901) 521-9112.

If you run an in‑ground sprinkler system in Memphis, Germantown, Collierville, or anywhere in Shelby County, there’s one fall chore you can’t skip: getting the water out before it freezes.

Water expands about 9% when it turns to ice, and that’s more than enough to split a pipe, crack a valve, or blow the seals out of a backflow preventer, the most expensive part of your system. Here’s when to do it, what the work includes, what it costs, and why a quick DIY drain usually isn’t enough here.

Why Memphis winters threaten your system

People underestimate Memphis winters because they’re short, but they absolutely freeze. The first frost (36°F) and the first hard freeze (32°F) land on different dates every year, and a single cold front can bring them earlier than you expect.

Any water left in the system when temperatures drop into the 20s is at risk:

• Pipes: buried shallow, they can still freeze on a hard cold snap and crack.
• Valves and manifolds: trapped water splits valve bodies and ruins solenoids.
• Sprinkler heads: water in the riser freezes and cracks the head.
• The backflow preventer: above ground and the most vulnerable; a frozen backflow assembly is a costly repair and a compliance problem.

A blowout removes the water, so there’s nothing left to freeze.

When to winterize in Memphis

The rule: have it done before the first hard freeze, not after. The date changes every year, so book ahead instead of waiting for a freeze warning. A few reasons not to wait for the “last minute”:

• The first hard freeze doesn’t come on the same date every year. You can follow the National Weather Service Memphis forecast, but a cold front can bring a freeze sooner than expected.
• Irrigation companies book solid in the first cold week of the season. The homeowners who wait are the ones scrambling after a pipe already cracked.
• Your lawn doesn’t need irrigation once it goes dormant and the rain picks up, so there’s no downside to winterizing early.

If you’re reading this and it’s already cold, call now. A same‑week blowout beats a burst pipe.

What winterization includes

Winterization, often called a sprinkler blowout, connects an air compressor to your irrigation system and uses low‑pressure air to push the water out through the sprinkler heads, one zone at a time. The crew also drains and protects the backflow preventer and sets the controller for winter. Shutting off the water is not enough on its own, because gravity won’t clear the low spots, the heads, or the backflow assembly.

See how sprinkler winterization works, step by step.

Blowout vs. draining it yourself

Some homeowners try to skip the blowout by opening the drain valves or the boiler‑drain on the backflow. In a colder climate that’s rarely enough, and in Memphis it’s a gamble:

• Gravity draining misses the low spots. Any dip in the pipe run holds water, and that’s exactly where a freeze cracks the line.
• Heads and drip lines hold water that a drain valve won’t clear.
• The backflow assembly still needs to be relieved and protected properly.

Manual draining can reduce risk on a very simple system, but people search “winterize sprinkler system without blowout” hoping to avoid a service call, and then pay far more for a repair in spring. For most in‑ground systems, a professional blowout is cheap insurance.

Don’t forget the backflow preventer

Your backflow preventer sits above ground and is the single most freeze‑vulnerable, and most expensive, component to replace. Winterizing it means relieving the pressure, opening its test cocks to drain trapped water, and insulating or removing exposed parts. Because we’re certified to test and service backflow assemblies, we handle this as part of the blowout and make sure you’re set up for your next annual backflow test in the spring.

What sprinkler winterization costs in Memphis

That’s it, far less than repairing a single cracked pipe, valve, or backflow assembly, which can run several times that. For a typical Memphis‑area home, $140 protects the whole system for the winter. If you’re comparing quotes, be wary of anything suspiciously cheap. A rushed, high‑pressure “blowout” that damages heads or misses zones costs you next spring.

What affects the price

Standard residential systems are $140. Larger and commercial systems are quoted individually.

What happens if you skip it

The failures show up the following spring, right when you turn the system back on:

• A cracked pipe underground: a soggy spot, a geyser, or a zone that won’t pressurize.
• A split valve that won’t open or won’t shut off.
• Cracked heads spraying sideways or not popping up.
• A damaged backflow preventer. It’s the priciest fix, and it can’t legally stay in service until it’s repaired and re‑tested.

Every one of these costs more than the $140 blowout would have, often many times more.

Spring startup: the other half

Winterization and spring startup go together. In the spring we slowly re‑pressurize the system, check every zone for damage, reset the controller for the season, and get your backflow test filed. Many customers put both on a simple seasonal schedule so they never have to remember the dates. See our sprinkler winterization service.