Brains when it rains

There are smart phones, smart TVs and smart cars. Now, many companies are bringing intelligent technology to the irrigation industry, too. Smart controllers analyze local weather data, soil conditions and many other specific environmental factors to accurately and automatically determine and adjust watering schedules. By upgrading existing sites to smart controller systems, contractors can minimize the time spent monitoring irrigation and still rest easy knowing that each site will receive optimal irrigation year round.
 

Rachio Smart Wi-Fi Sprinkler Controller.

The latest controllers, such as Rachio Smart Wi-Fi Sprinkler controller, are taking technology a step further with Wi-Fi or cellular connection.

Clay Kraus, director of professional programs for Rachio, remembers one contractor in southern California who had just set 10 to 15 controllers up for his clients right before new watering restrictions were imposed. Instead of having to drive his truck out to each one of those sites and change their schedules, the contractor was able to do it remotely with his phone, Kraus says.

Beyond convenient access, Internet-based controllers gather information from multiple servers and databases stored in the Cloud to calculate precise watering times. The smart controller can look at past data as well as the forecast to make irrigation decisions, versus depending on sensors and weather stations.

The setup process for Rachio collects detailed information about the property, including soil type, plant type, sunlight, elevation and even nozzle type for each zone. Rachio is also an evapotranspiration-based controller, which estimates the moisture loss in plants to determine how much water is needed from the irrigation system.

These property data, combined with real-time weather condition data, results in an adaptive system that requires little physical interaction with the device, Kraus says.

The latest software version for Rachio, which updates to Rachio devices with the Cloud, includes flex schedules, which uses the idea of Management Allowable Depletion (MAD) to determine a more dynamic watering schedule, says Ben Blackmer, Rachio’s director of product marketing.

“If you think about the dirt as a sponge, you actually start fully saturated and as that water begins evapotranspiration and the dirt gets to a certain level of dryness, that’s when we start to water,” Blackmer says.
 

ETwater HermitCrab.

ETwater offers a product that is also cloud-based manageable through a smartphone and, as its name suggests, evapotranspiration based. The device, known as the HermitCrab, can attach to any existing irrigation system and take over the scheduling, no replacements required.

ETwater also uses predictive analytics to determine whether or not to irrigate. For instance, in August in Tampa, Florida, ETwater’s sites required no irrigation at all due to wet conditions and continuing rainfall, says Pat McIntyre, ETwater chairman and CEO.

“We use science to establish the right initial schedule, we use ongoing weather to adjust every day, and we use predictive analytics to anticipate changes in weather to orient your schedule,” he says,

Installation time for smart controllers like ETwater can be completed in about 15 minutes. The most important part of the setup process is to establish strong cellular connectivity. But, if connectivity should go out for any reason, the system will alert the user and the sprinklers will still operate with what plans had been stored from the day before.

“Anyone who pays a water bill is going to get the value associated with water conservation. Anyone that is maintaining a landscape is going to get the value of an intensely-determined irrigation schedule for the plant material. And anyone that is servicing an account is going to get the value of easy access to the control system,” McIntyre says.

OnPoint EcoSystems Watersage. Smart controllers can help contractors automatically abide by locally mandated restrictions.

OnPoint Ecosystems’ Watersage helps contractors get the most out of designated watering days while saving significant amounts of water. Dan Palmer, OnPoint Ecosystems president, says water useage is reduced because of Watersage’s adjustments based on both macro conditions between seasons and micro daily observations.

“The typical customer sets their controller for what’s going to be watered in the summer to keep everything looking good,” Palmer said. “But plants have a lot of activity when there’s a lot of solar radiation and sunlight and a lot less activity as the seasons change. Plants can be over watered and still look good, but you can apply a lot less water and things would still look good.”

Another cloud-based system, Watersage also features a runtime calculator, which will recommend the cycle time and soak time based on absorption rates and landscape elevations to prevent water runoff. The controller does not adjust for forecast weather to ensure adequate watering in the event that a forecast is incorrect, since the opportunity for watering is already restricted.

“Every day is an understanding of what yesterday was – more humid, less wind, temperature was lower, etc., and so I can water less,” Palmer says.

Smart controllers garnered a good reputation in some areas, they also leave question marks in others because they only do what you tell them to do, Palmer says.

“We provide a two-week view into what the controller is planning to water,” he says. “The visibility gets people comfortable with the technology.”
 

Irritrol Climate Logic.

For contractors with skeptical customers, they can encourage a smart controller upgrade by pointing out the potential cost savings not only in their water bill but also in the form of rebates. Many water municipalities will provide such rebates for devices with EPA certifications, such as Irritrol’s Climate Logic system.

Climate Logic uses three components: a wireless sensor, a receiver module that attaches to an Irritrol controller and an SD card with 10 years of weather information for the site’s zip code loaded onto it. Climate Logic combines the average historical weather data in the SD card with the real-time weather data detected by the sensor to calculate a watering percentage that meets both EPA Watersense requirements as well as Smart Water Application Technology (SWAT) testing by the Irrigation Association.

“It’s like having someone watching the weather in your yard each day and resetting your controller each evening,” says Keith Shepersky, product marketing manager. “You set your controller for the hottest time of year, which becomes 100 percent for the sensor, and it goes up and down from there.”
 

Rain Bird ESP-STMe.

Similar to Irritrol and Hunter Industries’ controllers, Rain Bird’s ESP-SMTe smart controller is a standalone, on-site unit consisting of a weather sensor and a controller box.

What makes Rain Bird different is how its sensor functions. While traditional sensors estimate rainfall by the amount of moisture in the air, the SMTe controller uses a tipping gauge to measure rain to the 100th of an inch, says Jeff Westphal, Rain Bird product manager.

“Rainfall is not estimated, it is not taken from historical value, it’s taken from what actually happened on that customers site,” Westphal says.

The SMTe controller uses this rainfall data, as well as temperature readings, to calculate ET every evening for each zone. SMTe can be built out to 22 independently monitored zones, suitable for contractors with large commercial clients. Each zone is calibrated based on its unique landscape characteristics. During the setup process, the user selects a timed window in which the controller can operate, and the controller then picks and chooses which zones need irrigation and for how long based on the daily calculated ET rate.

“Customers may be accustomed to a very fixed, rigid schedule,” Westphal says. “The SMTe doesn’t require that. Very few smart controllers adjust frequency, most will adjust the duration but won’t cancel irrigation for a day or move it to one day out.”

The author is a freelance writer based in Louisville, Kentucky.

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Smart controller chart

Buyer’s Guide

Remember this information when controller shopping.

ETwater

• What it is: Hermit Crab device connects to any existing controller. Managed with app or desktop site.
• How it works: Cloud-based, cellular connection, evapotranspiration, predictive weather used to automatically adjust irrigation.
• Cost: $35/month subscription plan, with cost of retrofit controller device $0 for a 3-year agreement, $99 start-up for 2-years, and $249 start-up on a 1-year agreement.
• Features: Accessible through a phone app, adaptive to custom watering times and zones, EPA and SWAT certified, cycle and soak option.
• Web: Etwater.com

Irritrol Climate Logic

• What it is: A wireless sensor, an SD card with 10-years of weather data, and a receiver, which attaches to a controller and is compatible with several models of existing controllers.
• How it works: Converts historical and today’s data to a percent of the hottest month’s watering time to automatically adjust irrigation. The sensor includes a temperature monitor, rain sensor and solar monitor that shuts off irrigation during rainfall and cold weather.
• Cost: $229
• Features: wireless, EPA and SWAT certified
• Web: Irritrol.com

Rain Bird ESP-SMTe

• What it is: A controller box and weather sensor that can be retrofitted to existing traditional controllers.
• How it works: The user chooses a time window for irrigation, and the controller decides which zones to irrigate and for how long based on data from the rain sensor, temperature, and calculated ET.
• Cost: $200- $250
• Features: Tipping rain gauge, adjusts frequency and duration, 22-zone capable, automatically uses cycle and soak, EPA certified.
• Web: Rainbird.com

OnPoint EcoSystems Watersage

• What it is: Small device replaces existing controller, must be housed in a controller box (not water resistant).
• How it works: Cloud-based, Wi-Fi connection, evapotranspiration used to automatically adjust irrigation. Must pair with rain sensor to shut off during rainfall.
• Cost: 8-zone $549, 16-zone $799
• Features: Runtime calculator with cycle and soak option, can be manually adjusted at front panel, EPA certified.
• Web: Home.onpointeco.com

Rachio

• What it is: Device replaces controller. Managed with an app or desktop site.
• How it works: Cloud-based, cellular connection, evapotranspiration, predictive weather used to automatically adjust irrigation.
• Cost: 8-zone $249, 16-zone $299
• Features: Accessible through a phone app, cycle and soak option, Flex Schedules option using MAD theory, integrates with other connected smart devices (i.e. Nest thermostat), EPA and SWAT certified.
• Web: Rachio.com