The Central Coast has welcomed recent rain showers with open arms and we will continue to hope for a thirstier wet season throughout the winter. While we celebrate the much needed precipitation, it’s also the time to be consciously conserving. Water management is a phrase you’ll be hearing a lot as we collect our efforts as a community into every pipeline of saving water. One of the easiest ways you can do this is by adjusting and/or turning off your irrigation controllers this time of year.
A controller is the device, or electronical “clock” that operates an irrigation system with intended frequency, duration and start times. It plugs into a 120 volt outlet on the outside of your home or in your garage. Most systems typically have 12-14-gauge wires that run from the controller to each one of the valves. It sends a low amount of voltage, (between 12-14 volts), to operate a solenoid which then actuates and opens the electric valve. Water pressure is built up in the valve at all times, so once that signal is received, the solenoid opens and pressurizes the sprinkler or drip system. Once the electronic current stops, the solenoid closes which in turn closes your irrigation valve and stops the flow. This device is the key to saving water, if the controller is turned off your irrigation system will not run, if the clock is on the irrigation will run based on the pre-programmed run times and frequency.
It can be tricky during this part of the year when we have a big early rain and then the weather begins to warm back up; you may not be sure what to do with the programming of your controller. There are some great components available that will help you with this process and one is called a rain sensor. This unit will interrupt the scheduled program if it senses rain or moisture. It can help avoid the sprinklers coming on during or right after a rain. They are less than $100 in most cases and I recommend every landscape have one.
Many people ask me, “When is it time to completely turn my controller off for the season?”. The simple answer is after the first rain hits, its generally safe to turn your controller off for the winter. There are exceptions to this, but I always encourage folks to keep their controllers off. The obvious reason being to help save water and money, but typically your plant material is ready for more infrequent watering during the winter, (and they like the natural rain patterns). Many of us have transitioned to native planting, so it’s also the time to let native plants be native plants and to leave your controller off.
Now that we have received a few, decent rainstorms, it’s time to turn off your controller. It’s also the occasion to invest into a more efficient system for next season. Many property owners wait until it rains to deal with their drainage and they wait until it’s hot to work on their irrigation. They end up not being able to find contractor availability or deal with higher prices due to the demand on services. Buck the trend and build up your irrigation system this winter to save you water next year!