Rain sensor and HS

[Dafunktyfunk]

Found this really inexpensive rain sensor and was thinking of using this to be able to control an X10 dry contact module. The goal would be to disable to the common lead to the sprinkler box(s) when it rains.

Anyone else got a better plan for this?

http://wintrol.com/rainsensor.htm

BTW, not really looking to get into automating sprinklers past simple on and off but, if I was, what would you recommend?

[jon00]

FYI, you can get a similar product which is far cheaper: http://www.hobby-boards.com/catalog/...oducts_id=1544

When a raindrop straddles the tracks, it relies on the impurities in the rain to lower the resistance across it's output. Obviously more drops means lower resistance. Unfortunately the resistance is still far to high to operate anything directly. Therefore both need some sort of DC amplifier circuit to work effectively.

That said, I believe people have had success using X10 universal modules and DS10's which do have amplification built in.

If you want a more professional rain sensor, you need something like this. The advantage is that the sensor plate is heated (to evaporate the rain) and has dry contacts.

[Michael McSharry]

The most common thing used to cut the voltage to the irrigation valves is the sponge-like sensors that are readily available in you local hardware store. Rainbird, Toro, etc have these as standard items. The advantage is that they limit irrigation based upon how much water soaks into the sponge. If it was heavy rain then it will take longer for the sensor to dry out again.

SteveA has a script package available for irrigation control that does time-based control. mcsSprinklers does time as well as irrigation control based upon environmental conditions so hot-dry periods will irrigate more often and cool-damp periods will have irrigation less often.

For automated control you need hardware that can be remotely controlled. You cannot do things like this with a standard timed controller that comes as the default for irrigation installs.

If you live in areas where weather conditions vary then the weather-based control has a very fast ROI if you have to pay for water. If you live in the desert then the timed control is really just as good and simplier.

[rmasonjr]

The hobby-boards sensors that Jon00 mentioned work very well for detecting moisture with a DS10a.

[wpiman]

I used weather plug to do the same thing. There is a weather station several hundred yards away that reports this data. I simply use their data rather than my own.

[Dafunktyfunk]

which weather plug do you use?

[Michael McSharry]

Dale did the first plugin to capture the AWS/Weatherbug network data. mcsSprinklers does it as well as the WeatherUnderground network. WeatherUnderground is a larger network so more likely to find a nearby site. There are also WeatherUnderground scripts and may be other plugins as well. UltraJones recently introduced another one for AWS/Weatherbug.