Smart Irrigation Upgrades

Most commercial irrigation systems in Los Angeles County were installed with technology that is now decades old. Upgrading the right parts of the system cuts wasted water, reduces repair calls, and gives you control and visibility you did not have before. We install and program four kinds of upgrades, often in combination.

Smart Wi-Fi controllers

A smart controller adjusts watering to the weather instead of running the same schedule all year. It also lets you see and change the system from a phone or computer.

• Weather-based scheduling. Run times adjust automatically for heat, rain, and season.
• Remote access. Property managers can check, pause, or adjust watering without a site visit.
• Alerts. Notifications when a zone draws too much or too little water, a wire fails, or the controller goes offline.
• Flow monitoring. Paired with a flow meter, the controller can detect a broken line and shut the zone down instead of running all night.
• Monthly reports. For connected systems, we send monthly flow and system health reports as part of our water management service.

We install and support commercial controllers from Hunter and HydroPoint. At Totally Kids, a children’s clinic in Sun Valley, we converted the old brass sprinklers to drip tubing and installed a Hunter HCC controller with a flow meter, bringing an old system back to working order (read the case study).

Two-wire systems

A conventional system runs a separate wire from the controller to every valve. On a large property that means miles of wire, and every new zone means another wire run. A two-wire system replaces all of that with a single pair of wires that loops past every valve. A small decoder at each valve listens for its own address.

• Less wire. One cable path instead of a bundle, which matters most on HOAs, campuses, and large sites.
• Easier expansion. New zones connect to the existing cable instead of a new run back to the controller.
• Better diagnostics. Faults can be traced along one cable path.

Two-wire systems take specific tools and experience to install and troubleshoot correctly. We design the layout, install the decoders and cable, and program the controller.

Water-efficient retrofitting

Many savings come from the parts in the ground, not the controller.

• Drip conversion. Shrub and groundcover areas watered by spray heads are converted to drip, which puts water at the roots instead of on walls and walkways.
• High-efficiency nozzles. Rotary nozzles apply water more slowly and evenly than standard spray nozzles, which cuts runoff on slopes and heavy soil.
• Pressure-regulated heads. Spray bodies with built-in pressure regulation stop misting and drift.
• Check valves. These keep lines from draining through the lowest heads after each cycle, which stops puddles and wasted water.
• Matched zones. We keep head types and nozzles consistent within each zone so coverage stays even.

Wireless valve connections

Sometimes running wire to a valve is not practical: across a driveway, under a parking lot, through finished hardscape, or to a distant corner of the property. Wireless and battery-powered valve controllers connect those zones without trenching. They are also a fast way to bring an orphaned zone back under control when its wire has failed and the path cannot be dug up. Battery-powered units need periodic battery changes, which we include in our recommendations.

How we plan an upgrade

Every upgrade starts with how the system performs today. An irrigation audit shows which zones waste the most water, where the wiring is failing, and which improvements pay off first. In our experience, many irrigation upgrades pay for themselves within about a year through lower water and repair costs. From there we give you a phased plan you can budget, which is especially useful for HOA boards planning reserves and for schools that schedule work around breaks.

Rebates

For LADWP commercial customers, the SoCal Water$mart program, run with the Metropolitan Water District, lists rebates for weather-based irrigation controllers, rotating and large rotary nozzles, flow sensors, and master valves. Cities with their own water utilities, such as Burbank, Glendale, and Pasadena, set their own programs. Amounts and terms change without notice, so we check current eligibility for your property before you buy.

Common questions

Do smart controllers really save water?

They save water when the old schedule was wasting it, which is common. How much depends on how far off the old schedule was. A smart controller also has to be set up correctly for each zone's plants, soil, slope, and sun, which is part of every installation we do.

Can we keep our existing wiring?

Often, yes. A new controller can usually connect to the existing field wiring. A two-wire conversion makes sense when the old wiring is failing, when you need to add zones, or when wire runs are very long.

Can our property manager control the system from a phone?

Yes. Wi-Fi controllers can be managed from a phone or computer, and access can be shared with property managers and our team so alerts reach the right people.

Are there rebates?

Often. LADWP commercial customers can apply through the SoCal Water$mart program for rebates on weather-based controllers, rotating nozzles, flow sensors, and master valves. Amounts change without notice, so we check what your property qualifies for before you buy.