Off-season blowdown
Definition
The end-of-season process of draining a splash pad's plumbing and blowing the lines clear with compressed air to prevent freeze damage during winter shutdown.
Blowdown is the make-or-break maintenance step for any splash pad in a freezing climate. Operators shut off the supply, drain the tank, and walk the pad with a compressor blowing every feature line until water no longer emerges. Missed lines crack pipes and shatter brass fittings during the first hard freeze.
Many northern cities schedule blowdown the week after Labor Day. Spring startup reverses the process — refill, prime, sanitize, chemistry-rebalance, then reopen.