![]() ![]() Simplified, I like to call ET the measure of how much a plant “sweats” due to heat. Each vendor has their own set of specific ways that they implement weather adjustments, but they generally all revolve around the concept of EvapoTranspiration, or ET. How does a Smart Sprinkler Timer adjust for weather?Īpart from programming them with an app on your iPad or phone vs a dial and keypad on the old school timers, probably the biggest benefit to a smart sprinkler is automatic weather adjustments. More on the smart sprinkler choices a little later. Fortunately there are now several models from trusty reliable old vendors like Rainbird, Hunter and Orbit, and several newcomers like Rachio, Netro, Rain Machine have models that do most all of these smart features, each with their own approaches. In my humble opinion, what actually makes a device smart is if the designers anticipate ways to make it read your mind and do what you want done without having to constantly manage it.Ī truly ‘Smart’ sprinkler timer would do for us those things we would do ourselves, such as check the weather today (or this week) and adjust the watering accordingly, skip watering if its too windy, or if rain is forecasted or recently occurred, and it would adjust the whole schedule automatically as the seasons change. While this provides some convenience, such as not having to run to the garage to turn on a sprinkler zone to test it, if you have half an acre or more, you may not have Wi-Fi coverage out in your grove, so it’s not always that convenient. Sprinkler Timers are no different, so you may find a “Smart Irrigation Timer” that is really just controlled by an app, using your home Wi-Fi, to provide the same basic functions that sprinkler timers have been doing for decades – turning valves on and off via a schedule. Refrigerators, coffee makers, garage door openers, thermostats and all sort of lights, outlets and switches can all be turned on or off using an app on a “smart phone” or a PC. The word ‘smart’ is slapped on just about anything that is connected to the internet these days, whether it should be or not. ![]() As technology advances and the internet connects everything we own together, Smart Sprinkler Timers are now becoming the standard, offering functionality that finally does what technology should do, make our lives easier…. ![]() Interestingly, Rainbird asked people to find the oldest one in operation and in 1997, a “RainClox” timer from 1964 that had survived a tornado that destroyed the house it was in, made its way into the Rainbird Museum.Įventually more functional electronic timers were developed with more features, and today automatic irrigation is part of every new home and certainly every large garden and bigger farm operations. There is just something relaxing about watering the plants in your garden or your backyard fruit tree with a trusty old watering can or your garden hose. But when you get up to a certain size, watering by hand becomes impractical, so we turn to automatic sprinkler timers to make sure everything we grow gets watered on a schedule. Sprinkler timers have been around for many decades, the original ones were mechanical and they lasted 30 or more years. (This post was written by Dave Feinglass, who grows dozens of fruit trees on his property in Fallbrook, San Diego County. ![]()
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