New irrigation products with focus on saving water

As droughts and water usage restrictions look set to become more frequent, new ways of saving water and using it more efficiently are being seriously considered by property owners and contractors. Rain Bird continues to address the situation with their new product developments.

For example, Rain Bird’s new ESP-LXME 2 and ESPLXME 2 PRO traditionally wired modular irrigation controllers offer additional features with the focus on water conservation, flexibility and simplicity in use. They are compatible with Rain Bird's IQ4 Cloud irrigation management system.

second Master Valve or Pump Start output.

Thanks to the modularity of the controller, the ESP-LXME 2 can also be upgraded to the PRO version by installing the PRO Smart Module. With IQ4-Cloud compatibility through the Pro Smart IQ Connection Module, a full suite of remote irrigation management and reporting tools are available. These cover, for example, detailed analysis of irrigation times, total water usage and other performance data that can be created and shared. Automated alarms, e-mail alerts and text notifications will help to identify and manage quickly any operational issues on-site.

Rain Bird Flow Sensor technology is designed to monitor irrigation systems and identify any emerging problems. Leaks or line breaks, typically caused by root intrusion, groundworks or vehicles could go unnoticed without flow sensors and result in damage to property, flooded landscapes and higher water bills.

The new FG100 Flow Sensor is designed for residential or smaller commercial installations. It provides year round protection for the investment in an irrigation system by monitoring for high or low flow and instantly identifying when there is a leak or line break.

Designed for new and retrofit installations, the ESPLXME 2 controller allows the user to customise irrigation station capacity from 12 to 48 stations. 40 independent irrigation programs can be set with up to10 starts per programme, providing high flexibility for users in irrigation scheduling. A large backlit LCD screen with an easy navigation soft key user interface enables programming to be carried out simply and quickly.

ESP-LXME 2's water management features include FloManager, which manages demand to maximise use of water and shorten total watering times. The SimulStation capability allows up to five stations to be programmed to operate at the same time. For further conservation of water, Cycle + Soak by station and a rain delay feature are included as well as a weather sensor that can be programmed by station to prevent or pause watering. Program Day Cycles include customised days of the week, odd and even dates and repeat cycles. Seasonal adjustments to account for rainfall can also be programmed.

With the ESP-LXME 2 PRO model, additional flow sensing capability includes FloWatch which protects against high and low water flow conditions and LearnFlow which intuitively learns flow rates based on real time usage. It also supports an additional booster pump through a

Information is fed back to a linked Rain Bird ESP-ME3 controller that supports flow monitoring and remedial action can be undertaken immediately. When paired with Rain Bird’s Mobile App for iPhone or Android, which gives the user full control over flow settings, this can be conveniently carried out from any location.

The FG 100 is an up-front, low cost investment and as a simple add-on is fast and easy to install using standard irrigation wire. Its design includes a paddle wheel that sits in ceramic bearings and ensures durability. It is winter ready and does not need to be removed during the annual shutdown when using air to push water out of the system.