This spring has been one of the wettest springs on Long Island in the last 10 years. If you are like me then you’re probably praying for sunshine every day! Until that happens, let’s hope you have a rain sensor connected to your sprinkler system and that it is working properly otherwise every time your sprinkler system operates you are wasting water.
Running your sprinkler system in the rain or the days following not only wastes a precious resource it also has negative consequences to your lawn and landscape. Too much water in the landscape leeches out valuable nutrients and washes away all your applications of fertilizer and bionutrients. Operating your sprinkler system unnecessarily increases your costs and in particular you’re cost for water.
Some of my clients tell me they will manage their watering by turning off and on the controller depending upon the weather. However, most admit they will forget to turn it off and more importantly turn it back on when they need it! Why burden yourself with this extra task when it can be done automatically and effectively with a rain sensor. The simple solution – install a rain sensor by Rain Rich Sprinklers.
In many communities having a rain sensor connected to your sprinkler system is not an option and must be installed and tested each year. Nassau County has required a rain sensor since the mid 80’s and they recently updated their water conservation ordinance which allow smart controllers to manage watering in place of a rain sensor.
Suffolk County and New York State will implement a rain sensor ordinance very soon and will also require annual testing. Our water on Long Island all comes from the same source – the Aquifer below us. With over 2 million people living in Nassau and Suffolk County all drawing water from the same source there is a tremendous strain on our water supply. It is our responsibility to protect this resource every way we can that future generations can enjoy living here.
Rain sensors are a small electrical switch that interrupts the electrical message between the controller and zone valves. The rain sensor is normally installed high on the house usually where the side of the house meets the roof. As expected, they are fully exposed to all the elements and unfortunately do not last a very long time. They may last 5 -10 years and once they are older than 10 years they may need to be replaced.
I recommend taking the next step and joining the 21st century! Do your part to conserve as much water as possible while maintaining a healthy landscape. I recommend installing a Smart Controller that will allow you to better manage your watering, automatically increase and decrease your watering based on weather parameters, and predict rainfall to prevent watering during a rain event. I happen to prefer the Hunter Hydrawise Smart Controller. It’s easy to operate and manage your system from your smart phone, iPad, tablet, and desktop. The programming is in the cloud and you can connect anywhere in the world as long as you have a good Wifi connection. You can lean more by clicking here.
If you have questions or need more information about rain sensors or smart controllers then please click here or call our office at 631-423-2211.
