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Irrigation Controller Manufacturer Links
A listing here is not an endorsement of the companies or products. The companies and/or products listed here have not been reviewed for quality or service. Use these products at your own risk. Investigate carefully before purchase. In order to maintain an unbiased website, the links on this page are provided at no cost to the product manufacturers, as a service to the public.
Product Reviews
IrrigationTutorials.com has reviewed a select number of products to assist you in making your purchase decisions. See http://www.irrigationtutorials.com/reviews/index.htm for a list of the products we have reviewed.
Terms Used in the Product Listings Below
"SMART" controllers. The controllers of the future have arrived! "SMART" controllers automatically make season adjustments of run times, usually based on historical water use records. Some also use various inputs, such as current temperature, rainfall, or soil moisture sensors, to adjust these times in relation to current weather conditions. This is an obvious time and labor saver, there no longer is a need to adjust your controller several times a year based on the season. Prediction: most controllers will be Smart-Technology based in the near future. Read our FAQ on Smart Controllers here.
Rain Sensor. A rain sensor turns off the power to automatic valves when rainfall is detected. When the sensor dries out in a day or two, it turns the power back on so the valves can operate again. I put a rain sensor on almost every irrigation system I design. A frost sensor does the same thing except that it turns off the power when the temperature drops below a preset level. A wind sensor turns off the valves when the wind reaches a preset speed (but you already guessed that by now, right?) With a little ingenuity you can probably make your own dog sensor to turn ON the sprinklers when the neighbor's dog drops by to do his thing on your lawn (tip; use a motion sensor). These sensors all turn off the power to the valves, not the controller, so the controller doesn't even know the valves didn't go on.
Two-wire controllers. 2-wire controllers use only two wires. A decoder is installed at each valve and receives a signal from the controller that tells it to open or close the valve. Standard controllers have one individual wire going to each valve, plus a single common wire that all the valves are connected to. A two-wire system saves a lot of wire and is easier to expand if more valves need to be added in the future. I use them for shopping centers where we often add new buildings over a period of years. That way I don't have to try to guess how many valve wires I will need to install for future valves.
Central Control System. Consist of a master controller (often a PC computer) which tells the valves at remote locations to open and close. In most cases the central controller is used to program separate satellite controllers that are closer to the valves. For example, a City Parks department might have a central control system where the central controller is located at park headquarters, and separate satellite controllers are located at each of the city parks. The park department irrigation supervisor could then turn on (or off) any valve at any of the parks using the central control at the headquarters. So say a little league game goes into overtime at one of the parks. The sprinklers come on and the players panic. The coach makes a call to the parks department's emergency number, and the person on duty can immediately turn off the sprinklers using the central control without driving out to the park! Most of these units do a lot more- they monitor water flows to detect leaks, can tell if a valve is broken, adjust watering times based on the current weather, turn on and off fountains and ball field lights, and have the coffee ready when the parks superintendent arrives at work in the morning!
Online Retail Sales. Means the manufacturer sells direct to the public.
Non-Sponsored Links:
Standard Controllers:
- Acclima, Inc.. Manufacturer of controllers that use digital moisture sensors to schedule irrigations. Also manufacture add-on moisture sensor controls for use with existing controllers. Meridian, ID.
- AccuRain, Inc. A very different concept for irrigation. AccuRain's sprinkler/controller combination uses a single stream of water which is directed by a computer to irrigate only the area you want watered, including irregular shapes. Multiple zones can be watered by a single sprinkler, the computer adjusts for different water needs for different areas of the sprinklers coverage. A single sprinkler can water everything within a 30 foot radius of the sprinkler. A very unique idea, but hard to explain! Take a look at their website.
- AccuWater, Inc.. AccuWater manufactures and sells ET controllers. They can communicate over wired or wireless networks and are managed using a web browser.
- Aqua Conserve, Inc. ET-based controllers. Online retail sales.
- Aquasave Irrigation Conservation. Irrigation Conservation using ET Based control. Weather Stations send hourly data to adjust irrigation watering schedule. Ipswich Ma.
- Baseline LLC. Manufacturer of a moisture sensor driven irrigation controller.
- Buckner Irrigation. Irrigation controllers. Central control systems.
- Calsense. Moisture sensor and ET-based controllers. Central control systems.
- Champion Irrigation Irrigation controllers.
- Dig Corporation Battery and solar operated controllers.
- ET Water. ET Water produces irrigation control systems that combine state-of-the-art horticultural science and proprietary web-based technology to automate the scheduling of sprinkler and drip irrigation. Mill Valley, California.
- Griswold Controls Irrigation controllers.
- Gwytech PC Timer Irrigation controller that is programed using your PC computer. See our IrrigationTutorials.com review of the Gwytech PC Timer.
- Hit Products. Irrigation controllers including two-wire systems.
- Hunter Industries, Inc. Irrigation controllers. Central control systems. Rain switches, wind switches, and frost switches.
- HydroPoint Data Systems, Inc. WeatherTRAK weather controlled Smart irrigation management solution. Calculates a customized irrigation schedule for specific landscape needs. Takes into account soil type, slope and more, then adjusts the irrigation schedule automatically as local weather changes. Monitors the irrigation system automatically for broken valves, broken sprinklers, and broken pipes. Petaluma, California.
- Irrigation Direct. Controller Manufacturer, specializes in bulk sales on-line direct to the contractor.
- Irri-Gator Products. Manufacturers of irrigation controllers, wireless (telemetry) irrigation switching equipment and hydraulic control valves. Brackenfell, Western Cape Province, South Africa.
- Irrisoft. Irrigation controllers, weather stations, and software for scheduling irrigation based on ET or current weather conditions.
- IrriTrol. Irrigation controllers.
- Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd. Irrigation controllers.
- Leco Industries. Long range radio remote control of irrigation over hills and through trees- high power vhf.
- L.R. Nelson Corporation. Irrigation controllers.
- Maxray Irrigation. Solar powered, moisture sensing irrigation controllers.
- Netafim Irrigation, Inc. AC and DC controllers, moisture sensing control equipment.
- Orbit Irrigation. Irrigation controllers.
- Rain Bird International, Inc. Irrigation controllers including two-wire systems. Central control systems.
- Rain Master. Irrigation controllers, including standard controllers. ET-based controllers, Central control systems, and Internet accessible controllers.
- Signature Control Systems, Inc. . Signature manufactures central control systems for large irrigation systems, such as parks and golf courses as well as the Thompson line of brass valves and rotors.
- Superior Controls Co., Inc. Irrigation Controllers. Also mist controllers for green houses.
- Toft Technologies. Irrigation Controller which is integrated with the home Computer.
- Tonick Watering Ltd. Two-wire irrigation controllers. Wire joining and fault-finding kits.
- The Toro Company. Irrigation controllers. Central control systems.
- Toro Ag. Agricultural irrigation controllers.
- Tucor. A two-wire control system. Stand alone controllers or when used with software and modems provides an inexpensive PC based system.
- Water Conservation Systems, Inc. Moisture sensor and ET operated controllers, rain switches, freeze switches.
- Weather-Matic. Irrigation controllers.
- WGL & Associates. Manufacturer of irrigation controllers that are programed with a PC or over the Internet. Online retail sales.
- WiSA Irrigation Solutions. Manufacturer of PC based irrigation controllers that use sensors, via radio or hardwire or both, for input.
Controller Accessories:
- AIDL. Tensiometers (measures the moisture content of soil).
- Alpine Automation, Inc.. Soil moisture monitors and sensors offering independent control of multiple zones. Aurora, CO, USA.
- Campbell Scientific, Inc. Weather Stations.
- Control Tech USA. Lightning protection boards for irrigation controllers. These boards provide additional protection for controllers in areas that get a lot of lightning strikes. Online retail sales.
- Duwa Productions Irrigander The Irrigander allows you to control 2 or more solenoid valves using only the existing wire for a single valve. Use it when you need to add a new valve (or valves) to an existing irrigation system without installing new valve wires back to the controller.
- Dynamax. Automatic ET weather stations.
- Irrometer Company, Inc. Manufacturer of soil moisture sensor systems. Tensiometers, solid state electronic moisture sensors, and sensor control panels.
- R & D Engineering, Inc. Manufacture a wireless rain sensor.
- Remconix. Wireless irrigation system. Uses a transmitter installed at the controller to signal the valves to open or close. No wires are needed between the controller and the valves.
- Remote Control Technology. Hand held remote units to operate irrigation systems.
- V.I.T. Strong Box. Controller enclosures.
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Text and Images by Jess Stryker unless noted. Copyright © Jess Stryker, 1997-2009. All rights reserved.
