We all
have a shared responsibility to use our potable water intelligently when it
comes to irrigation. The need to
conserve water has never been greater and more of us are looking at ways to
maximize our irrigation systems and conserve water. The only way to combat ET is with accurate,
up to date weather information that is communicated to your irrigation
controller. ET, evapotranspiration, is
water lost to the atmosphere as a combined result of plant transpiration and evaporation
from the soil. ET is affected by solar
radiation, wind speed, air temperature and relative humidity.
Imbalance
of moisture occurs when there is a disparity between water lost (ET) and water
gained (rainfall / irrigation) and since the majority of irrigation controllers
are time based, this leads to over-watering and wasteful use of our precious
resource, water. “Smart” controllers
rely on the data you provide for each watering zone, including geographical
positioning (North, East, South, and West), the type of vegetation (trees,
shrubs, groundcovers, annuals) along maturation of vegetation, and soil
type. Once this data has been
downloaded, the ET controller manages when and how much / often water needs to
be applied. This formula promotes healthy
plants and eliminating over-watering; no more watering when it is raining,
below freezing, and forgetting to seasonally adjust your timed controller.
There
are a wide variety of smart controllers including ET Manager Series, a powerful
management solution that works with virtually any existing controller,
converting a conventional irrigation system into a weather-smart, accurate,
real-time weather, water conserving system.
ET
Manager Systems operate differently than the ET Smart Controller as it receives
weather updates hourly from a weather signal provider. As the weather changes, your
ET Manager driven controller will apply water only when needed, maintaining the
optimum moisture balance in your soil, deeper root systems and a healthier
landscape.
There
are many regions that contain by-laws and tax credits that all new landscape
irrigation must by ET controller based, making this the new standard in
weather-smart irrigation. ET controllers
and ET Managers are smart and responsible in water conservation and provide
peace of mind in knowing you can irrigate correctly as the water scarcity
continues to deepen.
Now is
the time to water intelligently.
