Remote Wireless Controlled Lawn Sprinkler Valves

npalen · Sep 24, 2020

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 · Sep 24, 2020

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 · Sep 24, 2020

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 · Sep 24, 2020

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 · Sep 25, 2020

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 · Sep 25, 2020

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 · Sep 25, 2020

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 · Sep 25, 2020

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 · Sep 25, 2020

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