A backflow preventer covered with a gray insulated pouch beside a brick house, with frost on the dormant grass and shrubs

Sprinkler Winterization and Freeze Protection

North Texas does not freeze often, but when it does, the backflow device and exposed pipes crack. A little work before the freeze saves a repair after it.

Call 469-902-9800

What freezes first

The backflow device and the short pipes going in and out of it sit above ground, so they freeze first. Buried pipe is usually safe in a normal Dallas freeze, but a long, hard freeze like February 2021 can damage shallow lines and valves too.

Before a hard freeze

Turn the controller off or set it to rain mode. Watering during a freeze makes ice on sidewalks and streets and can get you a citation in some cities.
Close the irrigation shut-off on the line feeding the backflow device.
Drain the backflow device by opening the test cocks, and set the handles on its small valves half-open. (We can show you once so you can do it yourself next time.)
Cover and insulate the backflow device with an insulated cover or wrap. Keep it on all winter.

A brass hose faucet on a brick wall with a copper line, a red-handled ball shut-off valve and a small brass backflow device in the bed below

What we do

Install insulated covers for backflow devices
Shut off and drain the system before a forecast hard freeze
Add or check a freeze sensor so the system will not run when it is freezing
Repair cracked backflow devices, valves and pipe after a freeze
Spring start-up: turn the water back on slowly, check for cracks, test every zone and set the spring schedule

After a freeze

Do not turn the system back on until it has thawed. When you do, open the shut-off slowly and look at the backflow device. If water sprays from it, close the shut-off and call 469-902-9800. Run each zone and walk the yard to look for new wet spots.

An ice-covered brass valve assembly with icicles hanging from it and a split crack in the body, in frosty grass

Questions people ask us

Do I need to winterize every year in Dallas?

Most years a full blow-out like in the northern states is not needed. What matters is protecting the backflow device and being ready to shut off and drain before a hard freeze.

Should I keep watering in winter?

Lawns need much less water in winter. During dry stretches an occasional watering can help, but never water when temperatures are near freezing.

My backflow device cracked. Can I still use the house water?

Yes, if you close the irrigation shut-off. That isolates the sprinkler system from the house.

Worth reading before you call

Getting Your Sprinkler System Ready for a Hard Freeze in DallasThe parts of a Park Cities sprinkler system that crack in a hard freeze, the four steps to take before one, and what to…
Backflow Preventers and Testing: What Texas Rules RequireWhat a sprinkler backflow preventer does, which types Texas allows, when state rules and University Park require a test, and how freezes damage them.

Sprinkler problem? Call and talk to a person.

Tell us what you are seeing: a wet spot, a dead zone, a geyser, a controller that will not turn on. We will tell you what it likely is and set a visit.