Irrigation Sprinkler System Rain Shutoff Devices

If you have an irrigation system on a timer, you should be aware that you should adjust the watering schedule to take current weather conditions into account.  You don’t want to over-water by letting the system water the yard during periods of wet, rainy weather.  If you are at home every day, you can simply change the watering schedule as needed, but about when you are out of town for a few days or weeks?  Your sprinkler system will water the yard and landscaping whether it’s raining or not.  What a waste of water and money!

One way to address this issue is to install a smart controller that automatically adjusts the watering schedule based on local weather conditions.  However, a smart controller can be expensive to install.  Another less expensive option that can get the job done is a rain shutoff device or rain sensor.

A rain shutoff device will sense when it’s raining and turn off the irrigation system.  They can usually be adjusted to turn the system off after a certain amount of rain has fallen.  After the sensor dries out, the system will be reactivated and resume normal operation.

A rain sensor does not replace properly programing your watering schedule.  You still need to monitor the weather conditions and program your irrigation system properly.  Once your system is set up, the rain monitor will minimize the management work and help avoid over-watering if it rains while you are at work or away from home for a few days.