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Save on Water Bills with a Rain Sensor |
Do your lawn sprinklers continue to operate during or shortly after a rain shower? If so, you can save money on your water bill by installing a rain sensor. Hunter Industries offers the Mini-Clik line of rain sensors which provide the ability to interrupt a scheduled watering cycle based on the saturation level detected by the sensor. This break in the normal watering cycle will continue until the rain sensor dries out, which may take several days depending on the amount of rainfall experienced. An installed Mini-Clik rain sensor is shown below.
The Mini-Clik rain sensor typically mounts to a facia board on the side of your home with the top of the sensor unobstructed to normal rainfall. The sensor can be adjusted to trigger in increments from 1/8 inch to 1.5 inches of rainfall. The sensor also has an adjustable vent to temper the effect wind has on the drying process. The blue wires shown in the picture are extended by 25 feet of cable for attachment to your sprinker control system. The Mini-Clik is the only device you will need to realize savings in water consumption, but only visual inspection of your sprinkler operation will tell you when the rain sensor engages.
The rain sensor can be monitored and controlled from your PC and through the Internet by home automation software. The JCL Automation Demo House uses the Homeseer software package. We suggest you view the demo house to better understand the type of functionality available with Homeseer, since it is the software providing the "integrated system view" of all the automation devices in our demo house.
If you have the requirement to remotely monitor the operation of the rain sensor and/or override an engaged sensor, then three additional X10 devices pictured at right will be needed. The rain sensor shown above is connected to the RainBird sprinkler control panel shown at right. The sensor operates as a normally closed relay which opens when the configured saturation level is achieved, thus disabling solenoid activation during the watering cycle. To monitor the operation of the rain sensor a Low Voltage ProbeLinc connected to an I/O Linc and wired in parallel with the sensor can be used. Both of these devices are shown sitting on the small shelf on the top right of the photo. A Leviton Universal X10 module is shown in the bottom right of the above photo and acts as an override switch when wired in parallel with the rain sensor. The combination of these three X10 devices allows you to generate a notification event when the rain sensor changes state and bypass an engaged sensor if so desired.
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Our services:
On-site Consultation
A Home Automation Consultant will visit your home to discuss your automation needs. Our home automation requirements checklist will be reviewed with you to ensure our solution covers all your interest areas. If a potential solution can be identified, the consultant will note all site preparation requirements and collect all other information required to produce a formal project quote.
Site Preparation Report
In the event site preparation actions are required before a home automation solution can be installed at your home, our Consultant will prepare a detailed description of the actions needed. This report can then be used by you to review the actions with a licensed Electrician or Electrical Contractor.
Solution Installation
Per our project quotation, our Consultant will install all components comprising your solution. This includes all hardware devices, the wiring or cabling associated with those devices, and the PC software for computer-based solutions. The complete system will be tested to ensure all functions are working. The system operation will be reviewed with you, and important sections of the user manuals highlighted.
Solution Support
All solutions installed by JCL Automation will be supported by us on a time and material basis. A support visit will include trouble shooting and problem isolation. Any software installed by JCL Automation will be updated, if an update is available. If necessary, replacement hardware devices will be ordered and installed on a subsequent visit. Most hardware devices carry a 1 year warranty.
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