The Latest Irrigation Technology: Smart Systems

May 28, 2007

Dave Epstein

How many of you have driven by a house or a technology park on a rainy day and seen the automatic sprinklers going? If you're like me, it's frustrating to see water being wasted. Over the past several years, advances in irrigation technology have made it easier and easier for those of us with automatic watering systems to use them more efficiently.

"Smart technology systems", as they are called, work in conjunction with new or existing irrigation setups to use water more efficiently. The systems are great and are available for businesses and homeowners.
Rain Bird ® has one such system, called the ET Manager. Recently, I had one installed by the folks at Aquasave.  The "E" stands for evaporation, or the process by which moisture is lost from the soil. The "T" stands for transpiration, or the process by which moisture is lost from the plants themselves. When you measure these two types of moisture loss and combine these numbers with actual daily weather readings, rainfall amounts, and some pretty complicated math, you have a system that can actually monitor your irrigation needs far more economically than conventional systems.

Most irrigation systems are set to operate a certain number of days each week for a specified time. Smart irrigation systems actually turn the water on only when it is needed. You might see your lawn being watered every few days in a drought situation, or you might see several weeks go by before the system turns on, if you have a period of rain that lasts for days and days.

Ask your irrigation professional if they install "smart irrigation systems". And make sure they're a certified professional.