It’s that time of year again to complete your irrigation system’s yearly winter ritual: Winterization.

It’s a task that a lot of folks think, “Oh, I’ll get it taken care of next week.” However, with rapidly falling temperatures, holiday’s right around the corner, etc., this important task is often delayed and sometimes not performed.

So, do you really need to winterize your irrigation system? Yes, and here’s why…

• Internal Damage-When water hits the freezing point it expands. The expansion in volume may cause pumps, valves, pipes and other components in your irrigation system to burst or leak. Come springtime, that broken or leaky pipe may drastically reduce your irrigation systems performance, and can potential lead to lawn damage due to flooding.

• Irrigation Repairs and Lawn Damage-Repairing/replacing an irrigation system is tough on a landscape, as digging needs to occur in order to reach the damaged component. Depending on the extent of damage and amount digging necessary it may lead to an unhealthy lawn, damaged vegetation, etc.

• Environmental Damage-Flooding due to a leaky pipe can cause fertilizers, pesticides, animal droppings, among other unwanted chemicals to seep into local water supply.

• Protect your investment-Simply put, winterization saves you time, money and a headache from costly repairs.

Winterizing an irrigation system is a relatively inexpensive service. It’s definitely worth the small cost to protect you larger investment.