The leaves haven't really turned yet, so it doesn't feel urgent. But the water sitting in your sprinkler lines and hose bibs right now doesn't care what the calendar says, it only cares what the ground does. And in DuPage County, the ground doesn't wait for you to feel ready.
Here’s what we’ve got for you today!
WINTERIZING YOUR SPRINKLER & OUTDOOR PLUMBING
Weather Watch
Quick Tips
Dad Joke
Old School Suds
Service Spotlight
DuPage Happenings
Time Machine
Reader Question
WINTERIZING YOUR SPRINKLER & OUTDOOR PLUMBING
In DuPage County, homeowners should schedule sprinkler blowouts for mid-to-late October, before the first sustained hard freeze. Waiting for a frost warning can mean competing with every other homeowner for a limited number of appointments.
A proper winterization involves more than shutting off the water. The system should be drained and each irrigation zone cleared with compressed air. The backflow preventer also needs special attention because it is often exposed and especially vulnerable to freezing.
A professional blowout typically costs far less than repairing freeze damage to irrigation lines, hose bibs, or home plumbing. Schedule yours before the cold arrives.
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A shutoff valve you can't find in October is a burst pipe you can't stop in December. |
➜ QUICK TIPS: 5 Minute Home Wins
Disconnect Your Hoses — Garden hoses left attached to an outdoor spigot trap water against the valve and are one of the most common causes of a cracked hose bib. Disconnect and drain them now.
Wrap Exposed Bibs — A $5 foam faucet cover on every outdoor spigot is cheap insurance against the first hard freeze, even if your irrigation system is already handled.
Walk the Yard for Zones — Before your blowout appointment, walk the yard and note which sprinkler heads belong to which zone. It speeds up the appointment and helps you spot a head that needs repair before spring.
● DAD JOKE OF THE WEEK
Why did the irrigation line breake up with water?
It needed space before the winter.
(Unfortunately, the water didn’t get the message.)
(This newsletter comes with a money-back guarantee—oh wait, it's free. Nevermind.)
● HOW THEY CLEANED BACK THEN
1870: Water Before Winterizing
In the 1870s, most DuPage County homes had no modern plumbing or automatic irrigation. Families relied on wells, hand pumps, springs, and roof-fed cisterns, carrying water by bucket for drinking, cooking, washing, and livestock.
There was no sprinkler system to winterize, but freezing weather could still stop a pump or cistern connection. Families protected exposed equipment with coverings and insulation such as straw, then thawed or repaired it when necessary.
Watering the garden ended with the growing season, but household and livestock needs continued all winter. A frozen pump could mean hauling water from a neighbor’s well.
Today, a sprinkler blowout may take one phone call. In 1870, keeping water available through a DuPage winter took planning, protection, and plenty of physical labor.
Aren’t you glad you live in 2026?
● FEATURED SERVICE SPOTLIGHT
This Week: Tom Bennett of DuPage Floor & Restore
This month, The Shiny Bubble sat down with Tom Bennett of Floor & Restore, a 25-year flooring contractor specializing in hardwood restoration and refinishing, flooring repairs, and new floor installations, to learn when a floor can be saved, when it should be replaced, and how homeowners can make their floors last longer.
Q: How often should homeowners realistically be maintaining their floors?
Tom: Routine cleaning should obviously happen all the time, but I tell homeowners to really inspect their floors at least once a year.
Look at the high-traffic areas, entrances, kitchen, areas around exterior doors, and anywhere water might be present.
Hardwood doesn't automatically need to be completely sanded and refinished every few years. Depending on the condition, a professional cleaning and maintenance coat may help extend the life of the existing finish.
The goal is to maintain the protective surface before you wear completely through it and start damaging the wood itself.
● DUPAGE COUNTY HAPPENINGS
September 17 — 23, 2026
🚂 Great Midwest Train Show — 1st Sunday of every month · DuPage County Fairgrounds, Wheaton. Over 300 tables of model trains, parts, and accessories; next show October 4.
⚔️ Civil War Collector Arms & Military Show — Sat, Sep 19, 9 AM–4 PM · DuPage County Fairgrounds, Building 1. Collectibles, militaria, and dealers from across the Midwest.
🌽 Naperville Farmers Market — Sat, Sep 20, 7 AM–Noon · 5th Ave Station, Naperville. Peak fall harvest — sweet corn, squash, and apples are in.
🥐 Wheaton French Market — Sat, Sep 20, 8 AM–2 PM · Pavilion at Liberty Dr & Main. Weekly through late November.
● DUPAGE COUNTY TIME MACHINE
From Wells to Lake Michigan: DuPage’s Water Story
For much of its history, DuPage County depended almost entirely on groundwater. In 1962, all of the county’s communities were reported to rely on wells, and by the late 1970s, heavy pumping from the shallow Silurian dolomite aquifer had pushed withdrawals above the aquifer’s estimated sustainable yield in many areas.Water levels in the deeper Cambrian–Ordovician aquifer had fallen as much as 635 feet since 1864 in some parts of the county.
The shift to Lake Michigan water took decades. In 1955, the Tree Towns Commission began planning a system for Elmhurst, Lombard, and Villa Park. After years of studies, negotiations, and regulatory delays, the DuPage Water Commission signed a 40-year agreement with Chicago in March 1984. Construction followed, and the regional system entered full operation on May 1, 1992.
The lesson still holds: water systems require advance planning, not last-minute fixes. Whether an entire county is changing water sources or a homeowner is scheduling a seasonal blowout, waiting until the need is urgent is often how manageable problems become expensive ones.
● READER QUESTION
Q: "My sprinklers already stopped running for the season. Do I still need a professional blowout, or is the system just 'off' at that point?"
Turning off the controller stops the system from running, it doesn't remove the water sitting inside the pipes, valves, and backflow preventer. That water is exactly what freezes and expands when the first hard freeze hits, regardless of whether the controller thinks the season is over.
A professional blowout uses compressed air to physically clear that remaining water out of every zone, not just shut off the flow going in. Skipping it because the system is "off" is one of the most common reasons we see cracked backflow devices and split PVC every spring.
Got a question? Reply to this email—you might see it featured next!
● FROM OUR CORNER
The rain this week is a preview, not the main event. The real deadline is the first hard freeze, and in DuPage County that's usually only a few weeks out. Get the sprinkler blowout scheduled now, while contractors still have room on the calendar, not after the first frost advisory fills it up.
📞 (630) 448-7069
🌐 www.rollingsudsdupage.com
📧 [email protected]
