abigroot Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Trying to wrap my head around programming my sprinkler for even day watering. our community has just instituted a policy for watering on even or odd days depending on your house number and I can't seem to figure it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasBill Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Trying to wrap my head around programming my sprinkler for even day watering. our community has just instituted a policy for watering on even or odd days depending on your house number and I can't seem to figure it out.Under Schedule - If DAY = 2 or 4 or 6 or 8 or 10 or 12 or 14...Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFUG Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 ^Yeah, you could do that, huh. Simply toggle a variable at midnight, done. OP, you know there is an even easier way and it may save you a confrontation with your HO org.. Put your system back on the dollar/2.98 controller it was on. They work much better at this task than Control4 does. Think about what you need to do if your power goes down, controller freaks-out, etc.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasBill Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 ^Yeah, you could do that, huh. Simply toggle a variable at midnight, done. OP, you know there is an even easier way and it may save you a confrontation with your HO org.. Put your system back on the dollar/2.98 controller it was on. They work much better at this task than Control4 does. Think about what you need to do if your power goes down, controller freaks-out, etc..The toggle a variable at midnight won't work because of the 31 day months where two odd days back up against each other.I agree with Control Four User Guy - the controllers that come with this sprinkler systems have more capabilities (with almost no work) than trying to make this happen.I put mine back on the original controller.Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFUG Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 True, but the chance of hiccups within Control4 outweigh that manual adjustment you mention. I think we both agree though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanE Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 As opposed to enumerating the days, you could actually just toggle the boolean variable, and then on the 1st and second, set the variable to false and true.If you're paranoid and/or the penalty is *really* high, you could certainly go low-tech, as others have mentioned.RyanE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pstuart Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 I don't know about your area, but in mine, you pay a heavy fine for running your sprinklers when its raining... Go figure. But for me to get C4 to do my sprinkler control, I would need to wire up the rain sensor, humidity and ideally a camera integration package that can detect if a truck parked out side is from the city or not.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abigroot Posted July 12, 2012 Author Share Posted July 12, 2012 These are all good ideas, but first off, the specifics. My sprinkler controller previously was thru X10 whereas I was able to control the even days, the length per zone interfaced to online weather reporting and a rain\freeze\wind sensor. That means no controller to fall back on. I could purchase a controller from the Home Depot or Lowes, but I also have enough Card Access sensors and relays to make something work. Using the relays to control the valves and the sensor to handle the "shut-off" in the event of high winds, rain, or freezing temp. I used the idea of actually inquiring the system whether or not the day is 2,4,6,8,10,12,14,16,18,20,22,24,26,28,30 and then run the timer schedule. That timer schedule runs "start timer zone 1, Timer for zone one runs for 40 minutes, shuts off zone 1, start timer on zone 2.....and so on for 8 zones. There is also logic for each sprinkler zone that, in the event of a control4 hiccup, will only run for a predetermined amount of time that will also make sure that all other 7 zones will be turned off while the selected zone runs. It looks like this "When Zone 1 is on, Zone 2 off, Zone 3 off, Zone 4 off, Zone 5 off, Zone 6 off, Zone 7 off, Zone 8 off, Delay 40 Minutes, Zone 1 off" . This allows me to make custom buttons for watering the whole lawn or just the individual flower beds and still maintain a certain amount of time and then everything shuts off. This allows a schedule of even days at a certain time and waters for a predetermined amount of time with custom buttons for watering on command or watering just certain zones on command and having those certain zones only water for a predetermined amount of time and then shut the whole system down all the while only having one zone active at a time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasBill Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 These are all good ideas, but first off, the specifics. My sprinkler controller previously was thru X10 whereas I was able to control the even days, the length per zone interfaced to online weather reporting and a rain\freeze\wind sensor. That means no controller to fall back on. I could purchase a controller from the Home Depot or Lowes, but I also have enough Card Access sensors and relays to make something work. Using the relays to control the valves and the sensor to handle the "shut-off" in the event of high winds, rain, or freezing temp. I used the idea of actually inquiring the system whether or not the day is 2,4,6,8,10,12,14,16,18,20,22,24,26,28,30 and then run the timer schedule. That timer schedule runs "start timer zone 1, Timer for zone one runs for 40 minutes, shuts off zone 1, start timer on zone 2.....and so on for 8 zones. There is also logic for each sprinkler zone that, in the event of a control4 hiccup, will only run for a predetermined amount of time that will also make sure that all other 7 zones will be turned off while the selected zone runs. It looks like this "When Zone 1 is on, Zone 2 off, Zone 3 off, Zone 4 off, Zone 5 off, Zone 6 off, Zone 7 off, Zone 8 off, Delay 40 Minutes, Zone 1 off" . This allows me to make custom buttons for watering the whole lawn or just the individual flower beds and still maintain a certain amount of time and then everything shuts off. This allows a schedule of even days at a certain time and waters for a predetermined amount of time with custom buttons for watering on command or watering just certain zones on command and having those certain zones only water for a predetermined amount of time and then shut the whole system down all the while only having one zone active at a time.While there are not many times when I wish for my "STARGATE (x-10)" days - this would be one of them - unfortunately there appears to be NO INTERFACE possible (short of spending 5-7 thousand dollars) to a wind sensor or weather system and availing yourself of all things "weather".Sounds cool - I wish you well - it is not the way that I went and so will probably not be able to give any helpful advice. I only added this message to let you know that IF you find something that interfaces to weather or wind etc easily and inexpensively, to please remember me as I would dearly love to have that capability.(I do have an emergency weather radio that will announce through out the house should an advisory come over for our area.. But that is the best that I have right now.)Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFUG Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 ^^Lets look at this. High winds? At some point, the grass gets it's water doesn't it? No need for a wind sensor. Freezing temps.? Why water in off growing seasons? Besides, if it's freeing out, you want water flowing in pipes and heads, don't you? Rain, OK, that's directly related to water conservation. $50 will take care of that. You say you have the relays so (further) cost is zero there. Spend 1/2 hour each month and set your Control4 Scheduler to include only those days allowed. Done & done. No need to spend thousands and I challenge the need to tap the weather services for inputs anyways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abigroot Posted July 13, 2012 Author Share Posted July 13, 2012 let me say this as a reply...I live in illinois...northern most part of illinois...on a corner lot...surrounded by corn fields...wind can whip thru sometimes at 30-40 MPH within minutes. using geared rotor heads it would blow the water away before it even hits the grass and onto the street/driveway. Being as this is chicago, the spring and fall can be comfortable at 50 degrees and frost over at night....in MAY!! and why not use the weather services...if its there and can offer up some sort of programming variable...then I say why not?!? I have already taken care of the even days watering issue, that was easy. I can also take care of the scheduling task for the seasons. Just looking to utilize technology where available...after all the premise of home automation is just that...automate my home! I already have the hunter rain/freeze clik sensor hooked up to a card access sensor. It is, after all, just a two wire setup and either normally open or normally closed and runs $34.95 the hunter wind clik sensor is $89.00 and is the same setup on the second contacts of the card access module. I could also separate the rain sensor from the freeze sensor and use the thermistor from card access to hook up to the sensor as well....options people...they are there. heck, you can even simply hook the wind/freeze and wind sensors directly between the common wire and the transformer to accomplish the same thing. And why should I HAVE to spend the 1/2 hour a month setting things up...automate my home I say. Put the effort in on the front end and enjoy the benefits while everyone tweeks their setup every month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasBill Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 let me say this as a reply...I live in illinois...northern most part of illinois...on a corner lot...surrounded by corn fields...wind can whip thru sometimes at 30-40 MPH within minutes. using geared rotor heads it would blow the water away before it even hits the grass and onto the street/driveway. Being as this is chicago, the spring and fall can be comfortable at 50 degrees and frost over at night....in MAY!! and why not use the weather services...if its there and can offer up some sort of programming variable...then I say why not?!? I have already taken care of the even days watering issue, that was easy. I can also take care of the scheduling task for the seasons. Just looking to utilize technology where available...after all the premise of home automation is just that...automate my home! I already have the hunter rain/freeze clik sensor hooked up to a card access sensor. It is, after all, just a two wire setup and either normally open or normally closed and runs $34.95 the hunter wind clik sensor is $89.00 and is the same setup on the second contacts of the card access module. I could also separate the rain sensor from the freeze sensor and use the thermistor from card access to hook up to the sensor as well....options people...they are there. heck, you can even simply hook the wind/freeze and wind sensors directly between the common wire and the transformer to accomplish the same thing. And why should I HAVE to spend the 1/2 hour a month setting things up...automate my home I say. Put the effort in on the front end and enjoy the benefits while everyone tweeks their setup every month.All for it - I LOVE automation. Now - have you found anything that gives you weather or wind speed yet? I live on the lake and would really like to get this information automated.Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abigroot Posted July 13, 2012 Author Share Posted July 13, 2012 TexasBill, I go thru Sprinklerwarehouse.com and they have the wind clik by hunter at @$89.00 and that is just simply a normally open OR normally closed contact and a two wire hook up. This can be incorporated into the card access sensor as a normally closed contact and adjusted to "open" the contact when the wind reaches a certain speed. I have the wind sensor the rain/freeze sensor and the thermistor all hooked up to one of the card access sensors and variables and conditionals depending on the status of each of them...too windy - do not sprinkle; rain sensor tripped (raining or recently rained) do not water; temp too cold outside do not water. Simply and effective. This can also be accomplished by putting the sensors "inline" with the common wire that leads to all the valves and using the sensors as "normally closed" that way when either of the sensors are tripped they become an "open" contact and do not allow the common wire to complete the circuit and not allowing the valves to operate. short of weatherhawk ($$$$$) I cannot find any weather system to incorporate. I would like to use the information gleaned from future forecasts to adjust what will happen. Not a must have, but it would be great to adjust for humidity, cloud cover, impending weather (this would be good to predict an impending wind change and adjust the order in which the sprinklers go off or adjust the start time so the sprinklers finish before the wind picks up) the possibilities could be endless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turls Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 I never thought about wind before. Great thread. You add this with the driver discussed in another recent thread and you'd really have something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFUG Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 Not against automation but there is a limit to what works and what works well. This discussion needs to include evaluation of how robust Control4 is in relation to how much concern you guys have for watering a lawn. Robustness does not come from hanging a $129 Card Access Relay from a $30 disc rain/thermistor sensor. As far as wind goes, I lived in Tornado alley for a long time and my grass never suffered. I'm not going to comment any further and I'll let you guys be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abigroot Posted July 13, 2012 Author Share Posted July 13, 2012 As far as robustness goes and not including the card access....absolutely robust as a system. As I mentioned, you could place the $30.00 rain sensor in line with the common on an off the shelf controller as well, so the card access sensor should be a non issue. It also should be said about flexibility of the system. the stock controllers would not allow most of the flexibility that control4 offers which in itself can be somewhat daunting to most. As far as I have seen, the control4 system (with or without the card access items) is extremely robust and reliable and if I can incorporate even the most simple controller that can use a serial driver which would save me the arduous (being facetious here) task of having to go to multiple places to handle the tasks that can be automated from one place...then heck yeah, I will try to exhaust every opportunity to automate even the most mundane tasks to allow myself to enjoy an extra round of golf, or just relax on my patio knowing that there is one less task I have to "worry" about. With the wind? it's more a question of conserving water rather then the grass getting the water eventually. I can even go a far as installing motion sensors or a driveway sensor to avoid the sprinklers from watering my car or motorcycle if it is out on the driveway. Some may relate to all this as lazy, but they can tell me that when I'm sitting in my Adirondack sipping a corona while my neighbor moves his sprinkler for the fourth time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasBill Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 I never thought about wind before. Great thread. You add this with the driver discussed in another recent thread and you'd really have something.Too late for the OP - but we put in drip system throughout the property for the wind reason - on a lake it is always an issue.Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdigrego Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 Perhaps not all would agree this is necessary, but in my case I would love to incorporate a small weather station into my watering program, for conservations sake and for cost reduction.I have been able to reduce my monthly water usage by various methods, low pressure drip systems on some flower beds, planters and hanging baskets, and isolating a zone program for my garden and drip system. I had water runoff in areas due to high clay content and sloped terrain so I created a cycle that runs 10 to 20 minutes per zone and then restarts again with another 10 to 20 minutes after a delay, which allows the water to soak into the soil more without the runoff getting deeper water penetration for healthier root structure.Weather station variable inputs would help me save water and money as well. Frequently I am not home when it rains and cannot select the rain delay which would save $$, I know a rain sensor helps, but a more effective method would be to have an input which factors the daily rainfall amounts more accurately than a simple Home Depot sensor so that I can supplement rainfall based on desired water amounts. If I get 2/10 of an inch of rain, reduce the cycle time to accomplish the same water volume, I I get 1/4 inch, bypass the cycle, etc. Also, when weekly temperature averages 100F+, I increase my zones to 20 minutes each cycle to compensate for increased evaporation and stress, when the average weekly temperature drops into the 80’s I drop the cycle to 15 minutes. As dormancy approaches I drop it further until it is shut off for the winter. Changing my zone start times based on cooler times of the day also helps as well as avoiding watering at times that will leave the lawn wet during the night which helps avoid lawn disease and fungus. If I could factor daylight hours (eg. Start cycle 3 hours prior to sunset, or at sunrise) I would be able to further improve the irrigation efficiency and health of my lawn and gardens.Overkill? Perhaps, but that is why we love automation, right? And why not, it’s for Improving efficiency, simplifying our lives. I would do all this for the same reason I switched to LED lighting in my house. Yes, LED will cost more up front but in high use rooms with lots of cans, I break even after 2.5 years. Like I said on another thread about this, if I were to reduce watering cycles and times, I could break even very quickly on my water bill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdigrego Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 Trying to wrap my head around programming my sprinkler for even day watering. our community has just instituted a policy for watering on even or odd days depending on your house number and I can't seem to figure it out.Under Schedule - If DAY = 2 or 4 or 6 or 8 or 10 or 12 or 14...BillAlong Bills line of thought' date=' how about this, it's about 10 minutes of programming; (even better add a 'neighbors dog on my lawn' trigger activated by a motion sensor)[img'] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abigroot Posted July 16, 2012 Author Share Posted July 16, 2012 Thanks Sdigrego, That is exactly what I was after. You bring up some very good points about diminishing water times as the end of the watering season approaches and increasing to accommodate for evaporation loss. Exactly where I would like to see my program go. Your program looks similar to what I have done by using everyone's suggestions on here...well almost everyone's, but you get the picture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasBill Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 If I could factor daylight hours (eg. Start cycle 3 hours prior to sunset, or at sunrise) I would be able to further improve the irrigation efficiency and health of my lawn and gardens.You know that you CAN do that right? You probably already know that - but you sounded "wistful" in your message <grin>.Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdigrego Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 If I could factor daylight hours (eg. Start cycle 3 hours prior to sunset' date=' or at sunrise) I would be able to further improve the irrigation efficiency and health of my lawn and gardens.[/quote']You know that you CAN do that right? You probably already know that - but you sounded "wistful" in your message <grin>.BillThanks Bill, I did phrase that rather poorly. I know that can be done, I just haven't added that to my programming yet, I guess I should get on that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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