Tired of manually setting your irrigation system? Existing irrigation system controllers have timers that must be manually pre-set for watering days and times. Therefore, the timer on these systems must have the number of days and the number of minutes to water each station changed to fit the weather and the outside temperature in order to obtain proper coverage. The result is a system that will turn on a sprinkler system on a pre-set day as scheduled, whether or not it is raining. If one of the strong Texas storms blow through the area, it's not prudent to run the sprinkler system just after it rains. While some cities require a rain/freeze sensor that causes the irrigation system to not water the lawn during a rain shower, it doesn't stop the system from irrigating the lawn if the rains have recently passed.

Wouldn't it be nice if the irrigation system controller was smarter than that? In fact, Harvest Landscape offers an irrigation controller system with three sensors. The system includes both a freeze sensor and a rain sensor that will shut down the irrigation system when it rains and/or during freeze conditions. The third sensor, called a Solar Sensor, connects to the controller and will automatically increase or decrease watering run times based on changes in weather. The result is a new water-efficient irrigation system that promotes water conservation and healthier plants. It eliminates the need to manually adjust your watering schedule.

The Solar Sensor is installed in an area that can receive rain as well as full sun, and is connected to the irrigation controller. The Solar Sensor measures solar radiation and temperature, and then calculates the daily evapotranspiration (ET) factor, which represents the amount of water lost by the plants due to local climate that needs to be replaced by additional water from the sprinkler system. Since the system includes the rain sensor, the system will automatically shut down during rain events. Now that's an eco-friendly way to water your lawn.