Bruuuuuuur, the Arctic Express is Here!!!!!

The Arctic cold front arrived during the night.  It is mostly winds at the moment but a hard freeze is predicted tonight.  I plugged in the strip heater on the water well, it winds around the PVC pipes coming out of the ground and works its way to where the pips go back into the ground.  I also hand some old pieces of area carpet over the pipes to protect them from UV rays and add a bit of cold protection.

When I installed the strip heater, I then cover it with standard outdoor pipe insulation.  Trying to hold the heat in as close as I can to the pipes to retard any freezing.  The PVC is schedule 40 and is supposed to handle up to 200 PSI pressure, but one does not want to press the issue.  No leak is far better than any leak.

I have said before and say again, irrigation systems are constant maintenance.  One has to keep up with them, change sprinkler heads, clean sprinkler heads and sprinkler vales (though I took care of the sprinkler valves by going to "dirty water" valves that are self cleaning), occasional electrical opens (the valves are toggled open and closed by a solenoid, a simple on and off system but does require power from the sprinkler control box to do the job.  It is a low voltage system, not dangerous, just sometimes cantankerous).  That is my reasons for saying irrigation systems are constant maintenance.

The water well provides water that is down about 200 feet.  It comes out of the Pawluxy aquifer and is said to be "sandy."  It is hard water to be sure and does have microscopic grit or sand in it.  We used a sand separator until I got the dirty control valves all installed.  We got rid of the sand separator, it developed a leak, corroded hole in the side of the separator.  Welded it up once but it appeared again and it was a losing battle.  So I took it off and discarded it.  The pump is submerged down at the bottom of the well.  The on/off and regulation system is on top along with a pressure tank.

We have simple spray heads in the front yard.  Out in the back were have turbo heads that move the nozzle around.  It uses water pressure inside to generate mechanical power to move the head around.  The sand eats those up.  A slow process but one can count on the turbo heads to wear out, thus have to be replaced.  The simple spray heads get clogged up, they have a crude filter to prevent large chunks from getting in to things but little snails like the water and ensconce themselves in the top of the sprinkler disrupting, or distorting the spray.  So one has to clean those out too.

I have found tree roots that seek out the sprinkler heads, that is where the water is.  I have had to cut roots out to restore the pop up feature of the sprinklers.  And soil moves about ever so slowly and one finds sprinkler heads buried deep in the soil.  Yes, they pop up, but in time their height is not sufficient.  I have a stock of "risers" that I can cut to length.  I have to periodically raise sprinkler heads.  Another maintenance task.

Well I be on the watch of cold related irrigation problems.  There will be some and I will fix them during warm spells.

The beat goes on.