09/30/2026
There is an order to shutting a Denver house down for winter, and doing it out of order is how people end up with a repair instead of a chore.
1. Hose bibs: interior valve, then open the spigot and let the line drain.
2. Sprinklers: blow the system out, then drain the backflow device. Shutting the valve is not the same as emptying the pipe.
3. Swamp cooler: shut the water line, bleed it, drain the pan, then cover it. A cooler left wet is a burst line above your ceiling.
Do them in that order and you are done for the season. Do the cooler first and forget the bib, and February will remind you.
Full walkthrough goes on the blog in a couple of weeks. If you would rather someone just do it, we have openings this week.