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Say goodbye to the long, wet winter: Summer is here as the forecast is for record heat early this week and there is no rain in sight for the for the foreseeable future. All irrigation is on now and we are moving to the full summer watering schedule. As with all beginnings of irrigation seasons, we will be tested to keep up with the irrigation need. All systems have received their spring start-up service but unexpected issues always arise when we get the first stretch of hot weather.
Although there is no rain in sight, we will likely see some rain in June as it is very common to get a stretch of hot
weather followed by a cool down before the real summer dry stretch that normally starts around July 5th.
The variable weather we get during the spring and fall is what makes Weather Based Irrigation so valuable. This variability is difficult to predict and manually adjust irrigation controllers for. The result is over and under irrigation.
Weather based irrigation makes adjustment daily based on the actual weather, saving on average 20-30% over traditional manually programmed irrigation control. With the rapidly rising cost of water, it has outstanding return on investment. We have been providing Weather Based Irrigation for over a decade and are constantly evaluating the developing technology to ensure we are capable and promoting the best for our customers.
WATER RATES ARE RISING
WEATHER BASED IRRIGATION SAVES YOU MONEY
What a great justification in the investment in irrigation efficiency. We have been working on improving irrigation system efficiency since we began so the dedication and effort is not new. What is new is the technology. The advent of weather based irrigation control, improved sprinkler technology, improved drip irrigation technology, and pressure compensating valves and nozzles has given us new tools to help you save water and money.
ET MANAGER BEING PHASED OUT
As with all technology, when the new version comes along, the older versions become obsolete and eventually Phased Out. That is apparently what is happening with the
Rainbird ET Manager
. Since Their new technology, IQ was released several years ago, we stopped promoting and selling ET Manager as
Rainbird IQ
is a much better technology. We had heard that the possibility of the technology being phased out might occur and we are beginning to see that.
Beginning in 2017, this previously free service will no longer be complimentary through Rainbird but instead be provided through a third party,
Weather Reach.
The annual charge will be $88 per controller.
The cellular communication for IQ has always included an annual charge. This has been part of the resistance of some converting and been part of the problem encouraging users to convert as there is a hardware cost to convert followed by an annual communication fee compared to free.
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