Tips to Winterize Your Sprayers

Posted by Christina Herrick|November 18, 2017

TWhile the growing season is over and there’s still plenty to do on the farm, Erdal Ozkan, an agricultural engineering professor who also has appointments with Ohio State University Extension and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC), says now is a critical time to winterize your sprayer before temperatures fall below freezing.

In a recent posting in the college’s VegNet newsletter, Ozkan says taking this extra step will help avoid costly problems in the spring, when you may need to spray quickly.

“You don’t want a pump that is cracked and/or not working at its full capacity because you did not properly winterize it before the temperature falls below freezing,” he says.

Ozkan suggests you rinse the entire system, clean the system to remove residues, remove liquids from the system before freezing temperatures strike, and properly store are all equipment. All are essential steps to take before putting your sprayer away for the winter