Irrigation Controllers & Automation Flashcards

A flow sensor wired to an irrigation controller can be used to:

Answer: Detect abnormal flows indicating leaks or broken heads and send alerts or shut down the system

Flow sensors monitor zone flow rates; if actual flow deviates significantly from the expected range, the controller can alert the user or shut off the master valve.

Central control irrigation software used on golf courses and large commercial properties allows managers to:

Answer: Monitor and adjust all controllers on a property from a single computer or mobile device

Central control systems provide remote monitoring, scheduling, and diagnostics for multiple controllers across large properties from one interface.

What is a 'station delay' (also called 'soak time') setting on an irrigation controller?

Answer: A pause between station run times to allow water to soak into the soil before the next zone runs

Station delay inserts a pause between zones, allowing previously irrigated areas to begin infiltrating before adjacent areas are watered, which can reduce runoff.

In an ET-based smart controller, what is a 'reference ET station'?

Answer: A weather station or network that provides ET data the controller uses to adjust run times

A reference ET station (on-site or remote) measures or calculates ETo data that the smart controller uses to compute and adjust daily irrigation run times.

A 'rain delay' on an irrigation controller is different from a rain sensor because:

Answer: Rain delay is a manually or remotely entered number of days to suspend irrigation; a rain sensor automatically interrupts irrigation when rain occurs

Rain delay suspends all irrigation for a user-specified number of days (e.g., after a rain event), while a hardwired rain sensor physically interrupts the circuit during or after rain.

Which controller program type allows different zones to run on different days of the week?

Answer: Day-of-week program

A day-of-week program lets the user assign specific days (e.g., Mon/Wed/Fri) to each zone, providing flexible scheduling aligned with local watering restrictions.