SPRINKLER TALK FORUM - You Got Questions, We've Got Answers

I have the Rainbird ESP-SMT and absolutely despise it. We recently landscaped our backyard, added two new valves to the Rainbird ESP-SMT, and this thing seems to have a mind of its own.

The first 1-2 days after the backyard was landscaped, everything ran fine (about 8 minutes for grass, 15 minutes for drip system). Then, randomly sprinklers ran for 270 minutes (4.5 hours), until I noticed they were flooding the backyard, and turned them off.

Has anyone had a good experience with this timer?

It would be ideal if there was a page or chart that laid out operation priorities for the SMT. Every now and then I discover how one controller operation takes priority over another, fortunately in a way that never causes the homeowner any problems.

Never, ever cheat at poker.

But politics and irrigation controllers are perfectly ok.
In two other industries I worked in call centers.
We had a definite difference in skill sets for consumers/commercial.

Quoted from "GatorGuy"

At this point I'd call Rain Bird at (626) 812-3400 or (520) 741-6100.

Called Rainbird. Talked to a guy that knows a lot less about this controller than I do. Waste of time. (Perhaps I should have cheated and pushed the button for "contractor" rather than "homeowner.")

Quoted from "GatorGuy"

I'm scanned the entire manual and can't find an answer.
I also can't confirm that if it does not finish watering in a particular water window it will finish in the next.
Too many factors. It might determine your soil needs more/less water, a "grow period' might be entered.
At this point I'd call Rain Bird at (626) 812-3400 or (520) 741-6100.

I also looked through their FAQ, figuring this problem might show up for others.
Nothing.

If you find a solution we'd appreciate if you tell us what it is.
Thanks.

Somehow I missed this last post...sorry. I will call Rainbird.

I'm scanned the entire manual and can't find an answer.
I also can't confirm that if it does not finish watering in a particular water window it will finish in the next.
Too many factors. It might determine your soil needs more/less water, a "grow period' might be entered.
At this point I'd call Rain Bird at (626) 812-3400 or (520) 741-6100.

I also looked through their FAQ, figuring this problem might show up for others.
Nothing.

If you find a solution we'd appreciate if you tell us what it is.
Thanks.

Quoted from "Wet_Boots"

I do not generally have the opportunity of employing a restricted watering window. Too many lawns have to be covered from a limited water supply, with watering sometimes being restricted to two or three days a week during drought conditions. There have not been any observations of lawn damage from watering over most or all of an overnight period.

Thank you very much for your thoughts. I'll likely increase the watering window by starting earlier in the morning (more like middle of the night!)

I do not generally have the opportunity of employing a restricted watering window. Too many lawns have to be covered from a limited water supply, with watering sometimes being restricted to two or three days a week during drought conditions. There have not been any observations of lawn damage from watering over most or all of an overnight period.

The real problem for pros, is that time is required to get the controller dialed in for best results, time that can be sold elsewhere.

Another aspect of these 'smart' controllers, is if you get everything exactly set up right, you'll still use more water than if you kept a close eye on the landscape, and only watered just before lack of water did harm to your lawn.

Quoted from "Wet_Boots"

the ESP-SMT is a tough controller to program - you have your homework cut out for you, and you get to do the heavy lifting

personally, I think controllers with 80-page instruction manuals are for professional use only, or for homeowners with vast amounts of persistence, and very good reading skills

Well, I think I have both persistence and good reading skills! I also have to say that at least as far as I could tell by interviewing about 5 well-regarded local professionals (one of whom I chose to install the ESP-SMT...I didn't want to take that on myself) that even the pros (at least the ones around here) don't really understand this controller. All of them said that they had been trained on the controller and that they had installed a number of them, and that folks were happy with the installs and the water savings, but in the end the installer I chose entered fairly "standard" entries rather than trying to fine tune for type of soil, etc.

Anyway, any thoughts about the watering window? In your experience do the benefits of a larger window outweigh whatever disadvantages come from watering at night and during the day?

the ESP-SMT is a tough controller to program - you have your homework cut out for you, and you get to do the heavy lifting

personally, I think controllers with 80-page instruction manuals are for professional use only, or for homeowners with vast amounts of persistence, and very good reading skills