Weather- and Soil Moisture-Based Landscape Irrigation Scheduling Devices
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Weather- and Soil Moisture- Based Landscape Irrigation Scheduling Devices Technical Review Report—6th Edition U.S. DepartmentU.S. Department of the Interior of the Interior Bureau Bureauof Reclamation of Reclamation Lower ColoradoLower Colorado Region Regionand and TechnicalTechnical Service ServiceCenter Center August August2018 2018 Mission Statements The U.S. Department of the Interior protects and manages the Nation's natural resources and cultural heritage; provides scientific and other information about those resources; and honors its trust responsibilities or special commitments to American Indians, Alaska Natives, and affiliated island communities. The mission of the Bureau of Reclamation is to manage, develop, and protect water and related resources in an environmentally and economically sound manner in the interest of the American public. For copies of this report contact Reclamation’s Southern California Area Office in the Lower Colorado Region at 951-695-5310 or perform an internet search for “Reclamation Weather- and Soil Moisture-Based Landscape Irrigation Scheduling Devices” Weather- and Soil Moisture- Based Landscape Irrigation Scheduling Devices Technical Review Report—6th Edition prepared by Southern California Area Office Lower Colorado Region Temecula, California and Water Resources Engineering and Management Group Technical Service Center Denver, Colorado U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation Lower Colorado Region and Technical Service Center August 2018 Weather- and Soil Moisture-Based Landscape Irrigation Scheduling Devices Table of Contents page Introduction ....................................................................................................................................1 Smart Irrigation Technology Overview .......................................................................................3 Smart Water Application Technologies® (SWAT) Initiative ....................................................3 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency WaterSense® Program ................................................5 Texas A&M Smart Irrigation Controller Evaluation Program ..................................................6 Reported Water Conservation ....................................................................................................7 No Rating of Products ................................................................................................................7 Weather-Based Irrigation Control System Principles ................................................................9 Weather-Based Control Product Features and Comparison Criteria ....................................11 Installation................................................................................................................................11 Standalone Controller Versus Add-On Device ........................................................................11 Irrigation Schedules and Run Time Calculation and Adjustment ...........................................12 Application Rates and Distribution Uniformity .......................................................................12 Irrigation Run and Soak Cycles ...............................................................................................13 Landscape Establishment/Fertilizer and Syringe Programs ....................................................13 Crop Coefficients .....................................................................................................................13 Rain Sensors\Gauges and Rain Interrupt or Delay ..................................................................13 Other Sensors ...........................................................................................................................14 Power Supply and Surge and Lightning Protection .................................................................14 Station Circuit Rating, Wiring, and Terminal Wire Sizes .......................................................14 Clock Mode Operation .............................................................................................................15 Display and Data Review .........................................................................................................15 Batteries and Nonvolatile Memory ..........................................................................................15 Warranty and Reliability ..........................................................................................................16 Internet and Home Data Network Connectivity ......................................................................16 Weather-Based Product Descriptions ........................................................................................17 Aeon Matrix, Inc. .....................................................................................................................17 Calsense ...................................................................................................................................19 GreenIQ....................................................................................................................................27 Hunter Industries ......................................................................................................................30 Hydro-Rain ..............................................................................................................................34 Irritrol® .....................................................................................................................................36 MC Smart Controls ..................................................................................................................39 Netro, Inc. ................................................................................................................................41 NxEco ......................................................................................................................................44 Orbit .........................................................................................................................................46 Plaid Systems, LLC. ................................................................................................................50 Rain Bird ..................................................................................................................................53 Rain Master® ............................................................................................................................57 Scotts Miracle-Gro ...................................................................................................................62 Signature Control Systems .......................................................................................................64 Toro® ........................................................................................................................................69 i Weather- and Soil Moisture-Based Landscape Irrigation Scheduling Devices Tucor ........................................................................................................................................72 Weathermatic ...........................................................................................................................76 Soil Moisture-Based Irrigation Control System Principles .....................................................83 Soil Moisture-Based Control Product Features and Comparison Criteria ............................85 Soil Moisture Sensor Types .....................................................................................................85 Installation................................................................................................................................87 Standalone Versus Add-On Controller ....................................................................................87 Irrigation Schedules and Run Time Calculation and Adjustment ...........................................88 Single Versus Multiple Soil Moisture Sensors ........................................................................88 Soil Temperature and Conductivity Measurement and Display ..............................................88 Soil Moisture Sensor Accuracy and Calibration ......................................................................88 Power Supply and Surge, and Lightning Protection ................................................................89 Station Circuit Rating, Wiring, and Terminal Wire Sizes .......................................................89 Warranties and Reliability .......................................................................................................90 Soil Moisture-Based Product Descriptions ................................................................................91 Baseline ....................................................................................................................................91 Dynamax ..................................................................................................................................95 ET Water Systems....................................................................................................................99 Hunter Industries ....................................................................................................................106 IRROMETER 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