Managing and draining your Holt Home’s irrigation system
If you’ve lived in the Pacific Northwest for a while, you’re probably aware that Mother Nature does a pretty good job sporadically watering your lawn about seven to eight months out of the year. And while her routine doesn’t always work in favor of your grass, it sure does create those bright green forests that we all know and love!
As a Holt homeowner, keeping your grass maintained even during the summer is easy with your highly efficient irrigation system. Knowing how and when to operate it will help you keep it operating smoothly for years to come!
Timing
You’ll find your irrigation system’s control box on a wall inside your garage. It’s, of course, best to turn on your sprinklers during the warm summer months to keep your lawn watered, but you’ll also want to remember to shut off and drain your systems right before the rainy season kicks in, usually around Halloween. This will help prevent overwatering your lawn and save your pipes from freezing in the wintertime.
If you’ve already missed the chance to drain your system, don’t panic! You can still drain it even during a rainy stretch. Just be prepared to get wet! If, however, temperatures have already reached below freezing, you’ll need to have your irrigation systems inspected immediately to ensure no pipes have burst. Setting yourself a yearly reminder to drain your system before wintertime will help prevent panic altogether.
Towards the end of spring or right when the weather becomes warm again, you can start preparing to turn your irrigation system back on.
Overall, checking the weather forecast for weather changes will help you know the best operation timelines for your irrigation system.
Shutting-Off and Draining
While irrigation controls and settings can vary depending on your model, most are pretty straightforward. To make it even easier, Holt includes the manual specific to your model inside your control box. It’s best to review standard procedures ahead of time, so you know how many zones you have to work with and exactly which settings and capabilities are what.
As mentioned, you’ll want to shut your system down towards the end of summer. To do this, turn your unit off. Most have a simple “off” switch or another setting that indicates watering is no longer being scheduled.
Next, you’ll want to drain all the water out of your pipes. Your irrigation drain is covered by a green and black rectangular box right near the street. Removing the cover will expose a well with a variety of pipes inside. The pipes with grey handles are your irrigation water shut-offs: go ahead and turn these off. The green handle controls your drainage. Turning it will drain your system - but be warned, there’s some pressure in these pipes, so you may get sprayed!
Depending on the amount of water in your yard, it could take anywhere from a few minutes to an hour to drain fully. Once it stops, you can shut your drain off and put your cover back on. Do not leave the cover off your drainage well unattended! This could cause injury. If you must leave while your system is draining, put the cover back on until you return.
Turning it Back On
Towards the end of spring, or when your grass starts getting thirsty, you can start to prepare your irrigation systems to run again. Remove your drainage cover and use the green handle to drain any excess rainwater. Once drained, turn the green handle back off. Then, turn the grey handles on and cover the drainage well. Head back to the control panel in your garage and switch your irrigation system back to your desired settings. Depending on how much sun your property gets, it’s recommended to start at the lowest setting and increase watering as the weather gets warmer.
in the know
Knowing when and how to operate your irrigation system will help maintain your yard and protect your pipes from freezing during the wintertime. Remembering to do this on a consistent annual basis will help keep your systems working for years to come.
Of course, if you ever have questions about your home or property, consult your 2-10 booklets or contact our customer care team at (360) 892-0514.
*All selections subject to change depending on availability
Posted: May 07. 2025