Before the first freeze
Air compressor rental for blowing out irrigation lines in Cowiche
Rent a compressor from the store on Thompson Road and clear your lines before the cold. Call ahead to check availability for your day.
Chapter 01
What a rented compressor is actually for
The job most people come in for is blowing out irrigation lines before the cold sets in. Water left sitting in a lateral, a riser or a valve body expands when it freezes, and PVC, brass and sprinkler bodies are the things that give way. Pushing the water out with compressed air before the first hard freeze is cheap insurance on a block or a lawn system you paid good money to put in.
A compressor earns its keep the rest of the year too. Air tools on a repair, cleaning dust and debris out of equipment, running a nailer or a tire chuck: it is a tool that is worth renting when you need it a few days a year and not worth owning, parking and maintaining the rest of the time.
The Foothills Irrigation building from the lot with a forklift and stacked pipe in the side yard
How renting one works at the counter
Call ahead to check availability at (509) 678-4951 before you make the drive, and say which day you want it. The weeks before a freeze are when everybody wants a compressor, and a rental is only any use if it is there when you are. The salesman on the phone can tell you whether it is available for your day.
Pickup is in Cowiche at 1811 Thompson Road, during store hours: Monday through Friday 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Saturday 8:00 AM to Noon, closed Sunday. The terms of the rental are worked out at the counter, not guessed at here, so ask when you call.
Chapter 03
Blowing out lines without breaking them
Open the drains and the valves at the low points first so the water has somewhere to go, then work zone by zone rather than trying to push the whole system at once. Keep the pressure modest. PVC is not a pressure vessel for air, and a fitting that lets go under compressed air can throw fragments. Never stand over an open riser or a sprinkler body while it is under air, and wear eye protection every time.
Plan the stop at the counter while you are there. A cracked coupling, a tired valve or a missing cap found during the blowout is easier to fix with the right part in hand: PVC and brass valves, fittings, IPS glue and primer, air vents and pressure reliefs are all on the shelf, along with the safety glasses and gloves for the job.
Foothills Irrigation, 1811 Thompson Road, Cowiche. Call (509) 678-4951.