Water Water Water

Posted on 11th March 2013 in Controllers, General, Installations, Turf

Any time lay lawn we will set your retic control box for you, but after that its up to you to make sure it is actually working.

Different controllers respond differently to power outages and occasionally controllers can ‘die’, leaving you with no water. A recent turf installation we did in Brighton came close to tragedy.

The house was uninhabited and the person responsible for it lived in the country. After laying the turf we set the control box and left, only to discover two weeks later that the control box had faulted and the lawn hadn’t been watered as needed. It was close to dead and was going to need some intense watering to bring it back to life.

At last inspection it seemed that the lawn had a chance of making it, which is very fortunate. A dead lawn doesn’t just cost money to replace. It costs to remove and tip, so in the end the exercise costs even more than double.

So please please please – check that your lawn is getting watered as it should be. And if its not then call us straight away so we can help you sort it out!

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Only One Station Comes on… What Have I Done?

Posted on 27th September 2012 in Controllers, What's Going on There?, wiring

I went to a job today where the client told me that they were on a shared bore and that only one of their stations would come on. The pump would come on when the rear lawn was running but not on the other 3 stations… strange…

What was going on?

When I got there I also discovered that he had installed a new control box and wired it up himself. I assumed all this was done correctly, but after half an hour of testing various things it dawned on me that what he had done was wire the master/pump wire incorrectly.

He had mistakenly put the pump wire in station 4 and station 4 wire in the pump terminal thus meaning only one station would work. Once we reversed the wires everything worked as it should have.

The learning here is:

- always get the wires back in the right place

- if in doubt make sure you get the pump/MV and common correct. The rest is easy.

And if you ever re-wire your own control box and have just one station come on then consider that you have got the MV/pump wire in the wrong terminal.

Its easy to do!

 

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How To Reset a Hunter X Core Controller

Posted on 14th September 2012 in Controllers, General, Installations, What's Going on There?

 

If you have an X Core controller that seems to be playing up then the most likely cause is that it needs resetting.

This can be done easily.

1. Press and hold the ‘PROG’  button.

 

2.  While holding the  ‘PROG’  button press the RESET button for 3 seconds, then release the RESET button while continuing to hold the ‘PROG’  button.

 

3.  Continue holding ‘PROG’ button until time is displayed (this takes about 8 seconds)

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Remote Control for Retic Controllers

Posted on 14th September 2012 in Controllers

If your control box is in an awkward spot or if you have a bigger property then testing the retic can be a real pain in the proverbial.

Running back and forward to the box to test, flush re-test takes time and the solution is a simple remote control that will save you that annoyance.

Finally, you don’t need to walk back to the controller to stop and start a manual watering cycle.

The ROAM Remote lets you do just that: Roam wire-free for simple remote operation. The mid-range solution for residential and commercial applications, the ROAM will operate up to a 300 metre range.

For use with Hunter controllers SRC, XC, X-CORE, PRO-C, ICC, I-CORE & ACC, the ROAM offers features other remotes cannot, at a price we all like. With a large LCD and simple push button operation, this remote is tough enough for anything with its sturdy ABS construction, but small enough to fit in your pocket.

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Can I Repair My Retic Control Box

Posted on 5th July 2012 in Controllers, What's Going on There?

The short answer is probably ‘yes’. You can repair anything if you want to, but it isn’t good economics.

The last time I checked the cost of repairing a control panel for a retic box it was around $150.00 at an electronics specialist. Then there is the removal and replacement – allow another $150.00 and you are already close to replacement cost, but with no warranty.

So in short – like most things these days a retic control box is a disposable item, so my advice is to get one with a decent warranty.

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Which Reticulation Control Box?

Posted on 9th March 2012 in Controllers

In one sense its fairly easy as they all do pretty much the same stuff these days. You can have multiple start times, various programs, and set it to do some very specific things.

There are 3 different boxes I’d recommend.

1. Rainbird – These are a top unit by a well known brand and do an excellent job. Easy to use and very reliable they also have a 24 mth warranty. $450-$500 supplied and fitted. These are probably the most expensive of the domestic range.

 

2. Hunter X Core – These come in a 4/6/8 station box and are very easy to use. There is a two year warranty on the X Core and they are a very reliable box. $320-360 supplied and fitted.

 

 

3. Rainmaster – made by Holman these boxes are easy to use and have a 5 year warranty which is very appealing. Lately I have had a few of these fail on me so I’m less keen to use them now. Holman do honour their warranties with no quibbles, but I’m just a little more cautious on using these now. $380-420 supplied and fitted

 

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Controller Manuals

Posted on 24th January 2012 in Controllers, Installations, Local Knowledge, Products

 

Not sure how to set your control box and lost the manual?

Then just check this page and you may well find your box listed and them manual that is required.

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The Sprinkler Police Will Get You

Posted on 24th January 2012 in Controllers, Local Knowledge

Seems the water authority have been sending out their inspectors pre dawn and in the evening so if you are watering when you shouldn’t be then you might want to think twice. Its a hefty fine…

If you aren’t sure how to set your control then just give me a call.

Here’s the story

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Control Box Problems

Posted on 1st December 2011 in General, Local Knowledge

Every now and then you hit puzzling jobs. Today was one of those.

Yesterday I tested the retic, set the control and box and left with everything working well. Then just as I had got home the phone rang and it was the person who I had just worked for.

Their retic no longer worked…

What had happened in the 2 hours in between?…

Well… a bobcat had come thu and made a mess of one solenoid, but now the station that did work no longer worked. Strange…

I got there today to test things. The most obvious check is to test for power at the solenoids. I did that and we had it, then we didn’t, then we did again… and so on.

I suspected a broken wire because the only solenoid that would work was the master. However it too stopped working… So we went to the control  box and tested each terminal for power. One registered voltage and the others were dead.

After looking everywhere for the obvious broken wire (a bobcat had been thru so anything could have happened) we ended up coming back to testing the control box and discovering that it was the issue. We replaced the control nox and everything worked.

Bizarre… nothing very logical about it, but by a process of deduction we got there. So if you have similar problems it may be your control box.

 

 

 

 

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How Much Does it Cost to Set a Reticulation Controller

Posted on 1st September 2011 in Controllers

 

Before I got into retic I used to get my wife to do this… so if you find it difficult then know you’re not alone!

These days I can set most controllers quickly and easily so its a case of having a minimum charge. For local suburbs (anywhere north of Hester Ave) I charge $35.00, but for other areas it is a minimum fee of $65 + GST.

 

 

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