Has anyone installed and used a Baseline Watertec S100 soil moisture sensor. The vendor I have been dealing with says they are very popular in areas where water conservation is a high priority. I am very interested in getting these installed because my customers think they need to water every day twice a day to have a green lawn. I have gone as far as to lock them out of there own irrigation boxes. Any input would be greatly appreciated.
Baseline Soil Moisture Sensor
Ferris68
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Has anyone installed and used a Baseline Watertec S100 soil moisture sensor. The vendor I have been dealing with says they are very popular in areas where water conservation is a high priority. I am very interested in getting these installed because my customers think they need to water every day twice a day to have a green lawn. I have gone as far as to lock them out of there own irrigation boxes. Any input would be greatly appreciated.
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I tried it once and it started out okay but then I got an error message and never got that solved. It was one of the first releases so they may have taken care of some ******. Baseline seems to be a quality oriented company from what little I've been exposed to them.
How do you plan to use it? As a tool to limit chronic over irrigation or as a tool to help determine irrigation scheduling?
How do you plan to use it? As a tool to limit chronic over irrigation or as a tool to help determine irrigation scheduling?
Thanks for the quick response. I plan to use it both ways. My main concern is over-watering. I would say 95% of my customers who have irrigation over-water. Especially in the summer when temps have been over 90 degrees for 30 days plus. The excessive watering then leads to disease which leads to even more watering and so on. I would like to use the product to be able to show them how far a single watering will go. If nothing else show them how much they will save on the water bill.
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Well if you plan one sensor per customer your plan may be doable. We've had some spats here about using one sensor and not using a sensor on every hydrozone. Obviously every hydrozone is ideal but what will your customers will go for that leads to wiser water usage is the key to me. Youtube has some videos of the baseline being installed.
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Based on what factors do you think your customers are over-watering? Are they watering twice a day as part of a cycle/soak to let the water soak into the clay soils better. Also have you taken the ET rate into account when stating they overwater?
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Really! When?
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IMAO (In my arrogant opinion) any device that helps save one of our most precious resources, no matter how improperly used (if it does end up saving water), is better than no water saving device at all.
You can try to tear me a new one over this but that sucker is VERY calloused after all these years in this business.
You can try to tear me a new one over this but that sucker is VERY calloused after all these years in this business.
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"Seven point five"One sensor .... one hydrozone .... end of story. So damned tired of the amateur BS that is spewed forth on this so called "professional" forum.
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Install a single SMS for a single hydrozone of turf. The sensor only controls irrigation for that hydrozone. That might save water depending on how well the site was managed to begin with. It goes without saying if boots or pete were managing it, there would be MASSIVE savings.
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Moisture sensors (except in AG with on-line monitoring) are like the "Edsel" car that Ford put out.
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They talked about the destruction capabilities of the atomic bomb before it was ever successfully tested. We are discussing the potential of SMS before one has become widely accepted as a success. We clearly have two schools of thought. Those who think unless you put one in every hydro zone they should not be used and those who are brilliant explorers who see other potential for it and have the skill to turn it into a win win for them and the customer.
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I completely disagree. You have a Lincoln probe ... is that like the "Edsel".
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Ever heard of a tensiometer? Irrometer has been selling them since the early 50's.
Amateur hour continues.
And wrong again. One sensor .... one hydrozone. Please explain how that means a sensor in every hydrozone or none at all.
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Nope, a good hand will check each hydro zone with the Lincoln meter each time they stop-by and adjustments are made. Over the years, we developed a "historic" application map of all our sites and made minor adjustments to the run times using the percentage by zone or program method. There is no way one sensor can control even one zone, given soil/sun/shade/ plant requirement.The old ways still work, Sonny.
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Technically you are correct. Ideally you would want 2-3 sensors per sensing station. How many sensing stations in a hydrozone depends on the amount of variability in a particular generic hydrozone. That said, a single sensor properly installed in a turf hydrozone on a site that has historically over watered will most likely save money .... but then so will a smart controller or a water manager who actually knows what they doing. IMO, if a site that is managed by a "professional" sees significant (if any) water savings by installing any "smart" product shouldn't be selling their services as a water manager. These products should be used to help the manager, not remove them.
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Which takes a hell of a lot more knowledge than just throwing in a system.:clapping:
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Once again a single SMS in the driest zone could serve as a more accurate rain delay. It could also prevent overwatering which is what the op is hoping to accomplish. Like Sprinkus said a product used in such a way that it leads to more water conservation is always a good thing. A good example is using brass nozzles in hot corners to keep the customer from running the zone longer to green it up. Some would scream that I'm screwing up the du but the end result is that less water is being used.
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Based on going to the customers house and standing in 6in of water. Im not joking. One lady had 6in of water in her backyard. When I asked why she was watering so often she said it was because the lawn was looking a little brown. Every time it looked a little worse she would turn it up more. Instead of calling me of course. I dont think I need a sensor in every zone. Just something that will reinforce the idea of proper water management.
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Amateur hour continues. I have now asked you in at least two different threads, if not three, to demonstrate how to do this on a simple landscape, and yet you cannot. That alone speaks volumes.
I have a SMS buried at 6" and a soil with a WHC of 4.0 in/foot with an general infiltration rate of 0.33 in/hr. The current volumetric water content at 6" is 40%, and decreases by 5% for every inch to the surface (35% at 5", 30% at 4" .....etc.). A passing thunderstorm dumps 0.5 inches of water in a 1 hour period. Coincidently, an irrigation cycle with a runtime of 30 minutes is scheduled to go off 15 minutes after the storm passes.
How long will it take for the wetting front from the storm to reach the SMS (assuming no surface crusting)? How much water will run off from the rain event?
Given a SMS works by allowing irrigation once a specific soil moisture level is reached, lets say 55% volumetric, and suspends irrigation once soil moisture reaches field capacity, detail exactly how a SMS will suspend irrigation during the above rain event.
I have a SMS buried at 6" and a soil with a WHC of 4.0 in/foot with an general infiltration rate of 0.33 in/hr. The current volumetric water content at 6" is 40%, and decreases by 5% for every inch to the surface (35% at 5", 30% at 4" .....etc.). A passing thunderstorm dumps 0.5 inches of water in a 1 hour period. Coincidently, an irrigation cycle with a runtime of 30 minutes is scheduled to go off 15 minutes after the storm passes.
How long will it take for the wetting front from the storm to reach the SMS (assuming no surface crusting)? How much water will run off from the rain event?
Given a SMS works by allowing irrigation once a specific soil moisture level is reached, lets say 55% volumetric, and suspends irrigation once soil moisture reaches field capacity, detail exactly how a SMS will suspend irrigation during the above rain event.
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