Improve Your Landscapes With New Irrigation Techniques
You dont have to be a control freak to appreciate new irrigation technologies like WiFi enabled systems. Here is how to put these innovations to work giving customers unprecedented control over their turf and helping your business grow.
December 7, 2022
New irrigation controller technologies are allowing administrators (homeowners contractors and maintenance personnel) unprecedented control over their systems. While an estimated 20 million+ US homes have irrigation systems installed many are out of date. For irrigation contractors this means the controller replacement market is quite large.
Wi-Fi-enabled controllers are relatively new to the market and in many ways are an extension of the smart home trend. Products available from Hunter Rain Bird Toro Hydro-Rain and Rachio offer an array of solutions for contractors where they can install homeowner-managed systems or manage these systems themselves as part of their service offering.
The benefits of replacing older controller models with new Wi-Fi-enabled models are clear:
Refined Programming:
Enhanced and remote programming options give users unprecedented control over their system which allows them to monitor and adjust their systems via their smart phone laptop or tablet.
Smart Water Application:
Smart technology saves water – up to 50% – and money by making predictive automatic watering adjustments. These adjustments can be based on local weather events and forecasts which may be automatically transmitted from local weather stations to individual controllers. Contractors and homeowners can also utilize on-site rain and moisture sensors that will further improve a systems efficiency.
Easy Troubleshooting:
For some models troubleshooting a system is much easier by providing flow monitoring that can alert the user to broken pipes and damaged sprinklers. It can also provide information on electrical currents to help detect broken or damaged wires and solenoids.
The opportunity and benefits are clear. Offering controller replacement services to your clients can be profitable in terms of installation revenue but also from a management and efficiency standpoint. So what do you need to know to get started?
When to Recommend an Upgrade to the System
Any system that doesn’t include the smart technology mentioned above is a good candidate for replacement. To gain Wi-Fi connectivity most controllers must be replaced entirely. Based on the water savings which may be achieved with proper installation and use most homeowners can recoup the cost of the controller in a relatively short period of time.
How to Sell the Benefits
For homeowners planning to manage their own systems the benefits are simple. A Wi-Fi-enabled controller allows them the manage their system from virtually anywhere and offers advanced automation features that allow them to save water and money with less effort. For homeowners with contractor-managed services it offers all the same savings while providing the opportunity for more accurate troubleshooting and fewer costly site visits from their landscape contractor.
Technical Knowledge
The good news is like all controllers Wi-Fi-enabled products come with detailed instructions for installation programming and management. Similar to other technological advances such as smart phones the systems are intuitive and relatively simple to install. But if you need help finding the right product or advice on comparing features SiteOne associates can always be of assistance.
Contact your local SiteOne representative to get more information about the business opportunities in irrigation controller replacement. You can find your local SiteOne store at SiteOne.com.