Smart Irrigation Controller

Information Provided by Dr. Curtis Swift, Colorado State Univesity Extension, Tri River Area

A 'Smart' or weather-based Irrigation Controller is effective in reducing outdoor water use. Unlike a standard sprinkler controller that turns on the sprinklers at set intervals, a 'Smart' Controller uses weather data and on-site information to adjust run times and waering frequency. Installation and initial set-up generally requires a knowledge of soils, precipitation rates, rooting depth, slope and the type of plants in each irrigation zone. A smart controller will not make-up for irrigation design or installation problems. These systems will most likely highlight inefficiencies in your system. These problems need to be corrected prior to realizing any water savings.

RainBird ET Manager™ units require a page from a Weather Reach Signal Provider in your area in order to receive ET data.

Two different units are available:

1. The stand alone unit connects to your existing controller regardless of the model or manufacturer. This unit opens the common wire when watering is needed. This unit is best used on controllers that water plant materials of the same type, i.e. turf areas.
2. The cartridge unit is designed to be inserted into the ESP-LX Modular RainBird controller. In addition to turf, this unit allows for the watering of different types of plant materials using ET data.

Hunter ET System™
This ET unit connects to a Hunter irrigation controller such as the Pro-C or ACC. Several of these units have been installed in the Grand Valley. We have one at the Mesa County Arboretum at the Mesa County Fairgrounds.

If you currently have a Rainbird or other brand of controller, you will need to purchase a compatible Hunter controller in addition to the Hunter ET system. This on-site weather system updates ET data on a daily basis

Weathermatic SL1600 and SLW10 on-site weather monitor
We've installed several of these for local businesses in the City of Grand Junction pilot upgrade project.. The controller and weather unit replace your existing irrigation controller. The ET data is updated on a daily basis.

The Bureau of Reclamation published a report in 2004 on 'Smart' controllers. While slightly outdated this is a good starting place to learn more about the various irrigation controllers and their attributes. Weather Based Technology for Residential Irrigation Scheduling is an 815 KB PDF file.

Placed on the Internet September 4, 2007
Updated June 30, 2010