Water only where it's needed, and only as fast as the system can deliver it.
Zones ask for water and take turns, run times follow the temperature and shade, and runoff stays within what the discharge permit allows.
A facility can have more zones than its water supply can run at once, and discharge rules can fine it for runoff that reaches a creek. The schedule has to handle both.
Set demand per zone. Run and wait times follow the sun reading.
Recent on and off events, with the temperature at the time, and the wait before each zone runs again.
Pins mark each controller and sprinkler on the yard. Running pins change color.
Online Running
What it is
Controllers, one for each group of zones, run the water on schedules set from the office. A weather station measures sun and shade, and the schedule adjusts to what it reads. Every run is logged, and the whole yard shows on one map.
Water on demand
Each controller has a button to demand water right now. If the yard is under its water limit, the zone starts at once. If it is already at the limit, the system turns off a zone running on another controller so this one can start, and that zone resumes as soon as there is room.
How it's set up
- Map the yard and group the zones by controller
- Set each zone's run time and base wait, and mark the zones under shadecloth
- Install one controller per group and connect its valves
- Place the sun and shade sensors and connect them to the weather station
- Run each zone by hand and check that the log matches
- Give the right staff access to the schedule and the yard map