Remote Wireless Controlled Lawn Sprinkler Valves

[npalen]

In installed my underground lawn sprinkler system back in about '76 when finances were tight. As a result, the system consists of a manual valve next to each of 21 popup sprinklers. It was initially set up with seven zones with three heads each but over the years I've changed a number of locations due to landscaping. There were some extremely dry years where all the well could muster was a couple sprinkler heads running at one time. I would guess the normal or "wet" years produce about 15 GPM.

I would like to retain the option of running any sprinkler separately or selection of sprinklers based on wind conditions, newly seeder areas, available pump output etc. I envision an indoor control station where any one or group can be turned on with a timer to shut the pump off. I currently have an inside timer to start and stop the pump.

My basic question is whether I should be looking at remote wjreless controlled battery powered solenoid at each sprinkler, running wires to a 24 volt solenoid valve at each sprinkler or a complete new system of some sort.

The lawn covers an area of about 20,000 sq ft in NC Kansas.

Any suggestions and sources of components is appreciated.

Edit: Here is an example of a battery powered solenoid valve but not remote controlled:

Amazon.com : Orbit Battery Operated Sprinkler Timer with Valve (5786) : Automatic Lawn Irrigation Controllers : Garden & Outdoor

Edit again: Forgot to mention that I'm getting up in years and while I currently don't mind going out to switch valves there will be a time where that will need to be done from the indoors.

 

[s219]

A normal sprinkler system has valves grouped together at a manifold, and each valve feeds a zone. I assume by your description you have a single pipe feeding all the heads and can't zone them off easily?

 

[npalen]

The system is made up a seven zones which originally had three sprinklers each. But this has been modified over the years for various reasons and the end result is that I want to control each of 21 sprinklers separately or in groups of two to four sprinklers at a time.

Picture a bank of 21 on/off switches each going to its respective solenoid valve at the sprinkler head with the pump being controlled by the existing timer. This would involve trenching for wiring to each of the 21 valves.

The alternative, as mentioned, would be battery powered remote controlled valves at each sprinkler location.

 

[s219]

I can't say I have ever heard anyone use wireless remote valves in an irrigation system. Probably a reason for that. If you end up running wires, you might want to research into distance limits for sprinkler wiring. It's usually 24V AC and does have some distance limitations due to voltage drop (wire sizing can alleviate this of course, but there are limits). All the systems I put in or worked on always had the valves within 50-60' of the irrigation controller. That's sort of an assumption with these systems. The valves are usually never too far from a controller/transformer.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I witnessed a "pro" at a big expensive new house make irrigation connections under the sod with marrettes! Now, out of warranty, I wonder if there has already been a service call! lol

I used to get a bunch of various brands of irrigation timers at Habitat. What drove me crazy is figuring out the programming for them. Do we need yet another thing in our lives that we have to figure out, and won't possibly remember two months down the road?

 

[grsthegreat]

My system has 33 zones. I concentrated all valves into 4 separate locations inside underground access boxes and have 4 identical controllers. I have run control wires to each zone in conduit just incase i ever have issues in future. I put in a fairly simple controller...so the wife could operate it. I looked into getting a wifi controller when i last upgraded the timers, but the last thing i wanted is to mess with a complicated wifi setup when a simple controller does the job just fine. I have never seen a wireless valve... never even heard of such a thing. Last thing i would want to do is have to keep track of 33 batteries every year. Personally, every year when my stupid wifi junk quits communicating...like my printer did yesterday... i just want to pack them up and toss them.

 

[npalen]

How many sprinklers do you run with the 33 zones? What is the longest run of wire between a controller and valve? Wire size? 24 volts?

 

[grsthegreat]

I used the heaviest wire i found at sprinkler supply shop when i installed it. Unsure of gauge, but it was rated for direct bury. Longest run is 50 feet to controller. The most heads i have on a zone is 6 due to crappy pressure issues. Were on a community water system, but im the furthest member uphill. They have been trying to figure a way to supply us higher elevation customers with better pressure without blowing the lower elevation people out...and not spend a fortune. The controller is 24 volts. I also have alot of different watering requirements like a zone for hanging flower pots, a zone for buried flower pots (wife relocates plants for winter), zones for planter drips, 1 zone to fill water trough across the street, and such. Lost of different watering times. But auto timers keep everything green all summer, and saves me from wifes habit of leaving a hose run for 13 hours instead of 30 minutes she meant to. I also have 4 rain sensors to prevent watering for 3-4 days after a rain.

 

[Bearsixty7]

I have a rainbird system, 10 zones in use and it covers 1/2 an acre around the house including a garden zone and flower bed zone. Most zones are 5-6 sprinkler heads. One main supply pipe runs to them all and then there are in the ground valves at various locations for that zone, usually 2 valves next to each other in one location. Along with the main water line they ran multi conductor direct burial cable then they just use one color wire for each valve and in the controller is a terminal for each zone ( I could have 12 in my controller). I think the farthest zone from the controller is close to 100 feet so I don't think they are limited to 50'. Actually in my case I originally had 8 zones and the main cable could handle 7 and a common or ground, so they ran a second cable to zone 8 with several other conductors unused (Good for me, I tapped into one for zone 10 just recently) and then I had them add a 9th zone years ago.

This is zone 10 on the left I just added this year, you can see the control cable going from one to the other

 

[npalen]

Amazon.com: LinkTap G1 Wireless Water Timer & Gateway, Cloud Controlled Smart Hose Faucet Timer, Greater Wireless Coverage Than Wi-Fi, 2 Yrs Battery Life, Quick 2 Mins Installation, Rain Skip, Improved Flow Rate: Home & Kitchen

They do make a wireless battery powered valve but have not seen anything for underground.

Edit: Another example:
Amazon.com : Orbit 214 B-hyve Smart Hose Faucet Timer with Wi-Fi Hub, Compatible with Alexa : Garden & Outdoor

 

[Mat4644]

Get outdoor speakers and a high watt music system. Play ELO loud and time the sprinklers to the music. You'll be the envy of the neighborhood.

 

[npalen]

I really don't want to be the envy of the neighborhood. Just want to be able to water the d**n lawn when I'm 90 years old.

 

[robstaples]

I have a 24 zone wifi controller by Bluespray connected to a hard wire mesh of rain bird valves on traditional system. My longest run is approaching 200 ft with 18 ga solid direct bury cable. In Bluespray, you set up programs of what valves and how long and then calendarize when programs run. I love that I can set up a fall blow out program of 2 minutes each zone and then time between zones at 3 minutes for my compressors to recharge tank. I hard plumbed in a quick connect air valve and the hose jumper to my air system.
I run the fall program a couple of times and walk around the yard to see that only sir is coming out. It supports a pump relay which I used to double up cable zones. Relay off, zone 9,10,11,12. Relay on, zone 13-16 . On same wire
Here is a picture of yard set up ( from google maps) . With a zone I started for this example. Just touch a valve and a window opens where you set time to run.

 

[robstaples]

I should add, the picture shows a zone as a sprinkler head going off. You can’t map the actual heads, only a representation of the zone.

 

[grsthegreat]

I placed an air hose adapter in underground control box near my shop, with a gate valve just before hose adapter. I run out 50’ air hose from shop compressor, dial back compressor to 40psi, and manually run thru valves for winter blow out. Dies not take very long. I simply blow each zone until I see air at each head. Compressor keeps up fine. Been doing it this way for nearly 15 years and i have never had sny frozen breaks.

 

[npalen]

I placed an air hose adapter in underground control box near my shop, with a gate valve just before hose adapter. I run out 50’ air hose from shop compressor, dial back compressor to 40psi, and manually run thru valves for winter blow out. Dies not take very long. I simply blow each zone until I see air at each head. Compressor keeps up fine. Been doing it this way for nearly 15 years and i have never had sny frozen breaks.

I do the same except leave the compressor at its normal 150 PSI. Sure gets the cobs out of the gear drive heads!

 

[s219]

I don't have irrigation at our current house, but at the last place I had a 20 zone system that was so insanely complicated only a rocket scientist like me would do it. I hooked up an air blowout and used to run my 60 gal compressor (no higher than 50psi) to clear out the system each fall. One year I was real late doing this, December I think, and due to the weather conditions, the wet bulb temperature was such that I blew snow out of the sprinkler heads. They would start off as water then once it got to be an air-water mix, went over to snow. I had a small fan of frost and snow around each rotor head, and a skinny streak around the fixed head. Probably couldn't do that on purpose if I tried.

 

[grsthegreat]

I do the same except leave the compressor at its normal 150 PSI. Sure gets the cobs out of the gear drive heads!

I only turn it down cause im afraid ill blow the pop up riser out of the ground

 

[Maxify55]

We run 12 zones equi-distant from B-Hyve wi-fi controller.
The 12 zones span 650' in either direction.
Each valve off the main supply line controls 4 (360 degree heads) 80' apart spraying back to one another.
There are two other zones on another B-Hyve controller for the homes.
I set several programs for each of the zone for different days and all from my iPhone through an app.
My wife indulges me with tech but as we age it just gets harder to do all these things manually.

 

[npalen]

We run 12 zones equi-distant from B-Hyve wi-fi controller.
The 12 zones span 650' in either direction.
Each valve off the main supply line controls 4 (360 degree heads) 80' apart spraying back to one another.
There are two other zones on another B-Hyve controller for the homes.
I set several programs for each of the zone for different days and all from my iPhone through an app.
My wife indulges me with tech but as we age it just gets harder to do all these things manually.

That's interesting! Would you happen to know max distance between smart phone and the hub shown below? I'm assuming that the distance between the hub and timers is much further than the 150' or so that I would need?

Smart Hose Watering Timer from B-hyve (with Wi-Fi Hub) | Orbit Irrigation