08-01-04 | News

Fine Tuning Your Controller Program

By Rain Bird Corporation

 

Studies show that landscapes are over-watered by 30% to 50%. Hard to believe, but it’s true. How can we conserve water and maintain a healthy, green landscape? What tricks can you use to fine tune controller programs?

Try the Triple-A approach. Anticipate-Adjust-Achieve

ANTICIPATE.

Forecast seasonal weather changes. Obtain historical ET (evapotransporation) data for your area and mark your calendar. Almanacs, local agricultural resources, even tourist information can provide weather estimation on a weekly or monthly basis. This is your early warning system. Examine the data and set a scheduling interval. The greatest water savings occur from monthly programming adjustments.

ADJUST.

Modify the irrigation schedule, adding watering days or station run time prior to known peaks in temperature. Use “Water Budget” to make quick, global adjustments to your schedules. This is a fast, effective way to fine-tune the system, without the hassle of reprogramming every station. Water Budget increases or decreases the run times of all stations on a program by a selected percentage, say 0% to 200%. For example, the base schedule during summer may call for a 15 minute run time, twice a day, in July. Set the water budget to 80% on September 1st. The cumulative run time will decrease to 24 minutes total. The time spent to reprogram the controller takes about one minute. Let’s say the zone demands 15 gallons per minute. You save 90 gallons a day on just that zone, not to mention the other stations on that program.

Tip! Turfgrass under stress will have a flat, nonshiny appearance. It won’t rebound after stepping on it, and may appear a little bluish in color. Schedule similar turf zones (full to partial sun) on the same program. In this way, your water budget adjustment will have a positive effect on all turf areas without overwatering shrub and flower zones.

ACHIEVE.

The benefits of fine-tuning are wide-ranging, but water conservation is the most important advantage. Saving water has become a way of life for many Western states. Customers appreciate detailed scheduling. It shows competence and consideration on the part of the contractor or landscape architect. Overwatering can produce huge amounts of grass clippings. Ease off a little on the water and maintenance will become easier. Plants grow to be healthier too.

Water is our most precious resource. Fine tuning your controller helps to use this resource wisely.

Programming Adjustment Points

• Know when to “PEAK UP.” Don’t play catch-up with hot weather. Prevention of dry spots conserves more water than reacting too late, attempting to make up for turf stress.
• Know when to “DIP DOWN.” Likewise, anticipate cooler weather.
• Establish schedules. Create winter and summer schedules. Set start(s) and run times with future water budget (%) tuning in mind. Generate the schedule during the off-season. Keep notes from the previous season and revise the schedule as needed.
• Label each zone. Note the station, or zone information on a programming worksheet or card. Most manufacturers supply these with the controller.

ANLA Offers Operating Expenses Savings Program

Washington, D.C. – The American Nursery & Landscape Association (ANLA) has announced the ANLA Savings Solutions Program to help members lower operating expenses. The program offers a comprehensive utility audit program, including a review of natural gas, electricity and water vendors. ANLA reports over 60 member firms have explored this benefit with a combined projected savings of close to $90,000. Savings are obtained from analyzing alternate suppliers in deregulated states, group purchasing discounts, and overcharges and erroneous fees.

The Savings Solutions Program is managed by APPI, an independent utility consulting firm. As a benefit of membership, ANLA members pay no upfront fees or retainers for the service. APPI handles all paperwork, and manages the transition to the new suppliers.

The three major components of the program are energy, gas and general utilities. The Electricity Buyers Program offers ANLA members the opportunity to seek the best combination of price, terms and conditions, and reliability from competing electricity suppliers. This is offered in deregulated states (i.e., those states with a choice of electricity suppliers).

The states where opportunities exist are CA, CT, MA, ME, MD, MI, NJ, NY, OH, PA and TX.

The Natural Gas Management Program analyzes a firm’s natural gas accounts and existing supplier contracts. APPI solicits offers from qualified natural gas suppliers and works to obtain the best rate and contract terms and conditions.

The third component of the Savings Solutions Program includes a utility audit. APPI performs an analysis of the member’s utility services and expenses, including electricity, natural gas, water, recycling, waste removal, freight and telecommunications, to detect overcharges and erroneous fees within the current supplier network. In addition to receiving refunds, members are also able to reduce future costs. APPI’s utility audit analysis reveals the true costs of services used every month by the business, and provides solutions to reduce operating expenses.

For more information, please call ANLA headquarters at (202) 789-2900.