Landscape and Irrigation is read by decision makers throughout the landscape and irrigation markets — including contractors, landscape architects, professional grounds managers, and irrigation and water mgmt companies and reaches the entire spetrum.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/96774
Irrigation and Water Management Irrigation Innovations he Irrigation Show's New Product Contest recognizes products in three irrigation categories (agriculture, golf, and turf/landscape), as well as a specialty category. Products submitted for acceptance in the agriculture, golf and turf/landscape irrigation categories must be an integral part of an irrigation system in order to deliver, disperse or manage water for irrigation. Products submitted for acceptance in the specialty category are ancillary products that are not used in an irrigation system. Products are evaluated by a panel of judges based on innovative and/or "changed for the better" qualities, increased water efficiency, ease of use, cost benefits, time savings and design quality. At the 2012 Irrigation Show in Orlando, Fla., 17 products were finalists in the turf/landscape category. Those products are as follows: T Toro Precision Soil Sensor WINNER 2012 IRRIGATION SHOW New Product Contest (Turf/Landscape category) The Toro Precision Soil Sensor continuously measures moisture levels in the soil, and determines when to allow the irrigation controller to water, maximizing the efficiency of your irrigation system. There are 2 "wireless" components to the system — a receiver that hooks up to the irrigation controller, and a sensor that installs in the ground. Once installed, the sensor calibrates itself automatically to determine the soil type. Any time the moisture level exceeds the user-defined optimum level for the plant material, the controller is prevented from running any irrigation programs. This prevents unneeded watering and provides the possibility for significant water savings. Communication between the sensor probe and the receiver is completely wireless, with an operating range of up to 500 feet. Installation doesn't require any digging so the soil is left undisturbed, allowing the sensor to take accurate moisture readings starting as soon as it's put in the ground. HONORABLE MENTION 2012 IRRIGATION SHOW New Product Contest (Turf/Landscape category) ETwater SmartWorks Replacement Panel for the Rain Bird 50-pin controller ET Water Systems, Inc., offers the SmartWorks Replacement Panel developed for the Rain Bird ESP-MC and ESP-SAT series controllers. This new product makes the ETwater retrofit solution available to a new and substantially larger segment of the irrigation market. It provides the remote monitoring and management that ETwater has pioneered, plus all the other water-saving, irrigation-scheduling, and labor-saving benefits of the ETwater system. To speed up installation, the existing Rain Bird output board remains in place, and the ETwater 50-pin retrofit panel quickly and easily installs into the existing enclosure to leverage the existing terminal boards, field wiring and power source. The SmartWorks Rain Bird 50-pin Replacement Panel replaces the front panel of the Rain Bird ESP-MC and ESP-SAT models and converts them to ETwater smart controllers. Antelco eZyvalve4 solenoid valve box Antelco Corporation introduced a new solenoid-operated valve box. It is easy to install as part of a complete micro irrigation system. It is ideal for landscape areas, home gardens, greenhouses and nurseries. The self-contained box is water and dust resistant and can be installed above or below ground. The eZyvalve4 can handle flow rates up to 8 gpm at 40 psi. Standard 3/4-inch, threaded male inlet and outlet connections make installation fast and easy. It connects to 24v AC controllers and includes wire connectors. DIG LEIT-1 Powered solely by ambient light (solar), DIG developed the world's first sustainable irrigation controller that doesn't use batteries or an AC power source. The LEIT-1 requires no direct sunlight and can obtain enough power from surrounding light to operate both day and night in any weather conditions. In addition, the LEIT-1 employs SimpleSmart programming which automatically adjusts irrigation schedules monthly to help eliminate over and under watering ensuring a healthy landscape while saving water. The LEIT-1 uses clean, sustainable solar power; saves water; and is easy to set. Galcon G.S.I. web-based irrigation controller Galcon introduced a new line of web-based irrigation control products known as Galcon Smart Irrigation (G.S.I.). G.S.I. brings low-cost battery-powered web-based control to the irrigation market. Electric power meters and the associated infrastructure are no longer necessary with the availability of G.S.I. With an expected 3-year battery life when using the available Lithium "D" cell batteries, G.S.I. offers a compelling option for a variety of landscape projects including traffic circles, street medians, pocket parks and many other areas where providing electricity is not an economic choice. G.S.I. pushes real-time alerts and alarms to the user's e-mail account, and provides live updates via the user interface to a variety of conditions that include unexpected flow, circuit fault detection, low battery warning and more. G.S.I. delivers advanced real-time flow monitoring and reaction. With the use of either a water meter or a flow sensor, G.S.I. identifies and reacts to the following conditions: high flow, low flow and no flow. Battery operated or solar power provides real-world cost reduction by avoiding the need of electricity. AC-powered models are also available where electricity is available. 20 Landscape and Irrigation November/December 2012 www.landscapeirrigation.com