Want to hook up all your customers to remote connectors but can't justify installing a 12 station pigtail on a 4 zone system?

Well we've tackled that problem in two ways. One is the 15 pin 12 station remote connector which requires the Rain Bird MC cable as an extension between the pigtail and your remote. Two versions of the MC cable allow you to just use one 15 pin cable for 12 zones or three 15 pin cables for 32 zones. 

If you need further explaining on these two products send an email to remotepigtails@gmail.com or even better call me at 406-366-9070.

Wireless irrigation management means rethinking the whole irrigation service methodology.

When I bought my first Rain Master remote 20 years ago it liberated me from the controller. From that moment on everything my company did was based on avoiding the controller to manage and service the irrigation system. It meant installing remote connectors not when it was convenient but rather as a company policy. Little did I realize then what the future held in wireless irrigation from the remotes to major central control systems. When irrigation controls allowed mobile phones to manage and service irrigation systems I figured the days of the universal remote were numbered. That has not been the case and several factors have caused that.

• Mobile phones don't handle water very well. Looking at an irrigation system and servicing an irrigation system are two very different tasks. Servicing requires a water resistant remote. Something that allows you to walk through a row of sprays or rotors to get close to explore a problem spot. That same remote needs to be able to survive wet clothes and muddy hands as well as the potential of being tossed into a wet tote.
  
• Not all controllers are set up for mobile phone access. Especially at the residential level.
• Avoiding giving an employee access to the programming is another advantage of universal remotes. Furthermore the employee isn't running up cell phone charges servicing the system.
• Irrigation remotes will work where cell phone service is lacking.

I'm sure plenty of other reasons exist for keeping the irrigation remote as the main method of maintenance and service. Irritrol, Rainbird, Hunter, and Toro all offer manufacturer specific remotes. That's fine if you only service irrigation systems with one brand of controller but that is rarely the case. One remote for all your controllers would be much more preferable. The manufacturer specific remotes are not as durable and water resistant as the Rain Master Promax and TRC irrigation remotes. The price of a quality remote is sometimes tough to swallow but its overall value as compared to relying on a mobile phone is still much better.

PVC pipe cutters is another product we sell.

Want to go straight to Pipe Cutters in the store?

We don't sell any PVC pipe cutter though. We sell the ratchet style pipe cutter from the company that had the original patent on this product MCC USA Inc. The new model is even better. It still has the same durable heat treated steel that makes for a long lasting cutting blade. The improvement has been geared towards you the user. The handles have a more ergonomic design which reduces fatigue and hand stress from cutting pipe all day. The cutters allow for one hand to both cut and open the cutter to cut the next piece of pipe. This eliminates the need to let go of the pipe being cut in order to open the cutter for the next cut. Really helpful on 2" pipe with the 2" ratchet cutter. The Japanese are to Asia what the Germans are to Europe. The focus is on quality engineering, design, and production. To compete with the cheap low grade junk coming out of China requires making products which professional contractors will buy who value quality durable tools. Let the homeowner doing a one time job use the cheap stuff. A professional needs to know his tools are going to make it through a full day of work day after day. Down time from a broken tool can way exceed the cost of buying better quality tools.

Rain Master Irritrol information. Promax UA repair form.

Rain Master

5825 Jasmine Street

Riverside, CA 92504

www.rainmaster.com

Repair form for Pro Max service.

Rain Master Support Phone Number: (800) 777-1477 FAX (951) 785 3678

Information- RM.info@toro.com

Technical Support- RM.Techsupport@toro.com

iCentral Support- iCentral.Support@toro.com

In September of 2011 I traveled California to see the grandeur of the state as well as visit with customers. One of the treats was a tour of the TORO Riverside facility. The first things I noticed was how well kept the building was. This is a building that TORO has been using since 1961 after they purchased Moist-O-Matic. Originally a manufacturing facility it is now a research and development facility. After the purchase of Rain Master several years ago TORO moved them from Simi Valley, CA to the Riverside location. I met the people that make Rain Master the great product it is. On one bench was a young man who tests every circuit board that is installed. No batch testing with Rain Master. On another long table the controllers are assembled. One thing I've always liked about Rain Master products is the emphasis on metal face plates and enclosures. I was shown the new onsite sensor and was very impressed. It will be equipped with a tipping rain gauge. Another location was dedicated to building the Pro Max remotes. Once again every Pro Max is tested before it is sent to the distributors. Most important from my perspective was the strong commitment to servicing Pro Max remotes to limit the down time for contractors. When TORO purchased Rain Master they had a 6 week backlog of remotes in need of repair. Now that has been cut to 2-3 days. That was confirmed to me by a customer who had sent a couple in for repair. Rain Master will be introducing an enclosure for the remote connectors. I plan to stock them when they become available. They will require a male by female extension which we currently carry.

TRC irrigation remotes Commander and Sidekick analyzed.

TRC is another maker of universal remotes. They can be found at www.irrigationremotes.com. They have been making remotes since 1982. They carry two models. The Sidekick which comes in 12 and 24 models. The Commander which comes in a 32 station model.

The Sidekicks do not come with a master valve or pump start button. When a zone is activated the pump or master valve kicks on at the same time. I consider this to be a disadvantage for troubleshooting reasons. The Sidekicks are not receiver independent. Any Sidekick transmitter will work with any Sidekick receiver. This can have its advantages if two people are checking out the same system with two different transmitters. Cost wise at Sprinkler Warehouse the 12 station Sidekick is 685.00 and the 24 station is 960.00. The Sidekick receivers can be purchased for specific manufacturer controllers if the controller comes with a remote ready port. Rainbird, Irritrol, Weathermatic, Hunter, Superior, and Hit all have Sidekick specific receivers which can be purchased separately. If you were buying connectors from TRC they would be smart to get since TRC charges a lot for their connectors. Buy your connectors from us and you only need one receiver type.

The TRC Commander has a few features the Sidekick doesn't. It has an independent pump or master valve start. Goes up to 32 stations. Is receiver specific. Plus it allows the addition of communication cards inside controllers so access to hook up a receiver is unnecessary. Receiver cards are available for several of the RainBird Controllers, Irritrols, Superior, Hit, and Hunter. The Commanders are listed at 1,360.00 at Sprinkler Warehouse.

If you need some of the features TRC offers with their remotes then they may be your best choice for an irrigation remote. If you just plan to install pigtails and use a universal remote then in my opinion the Rain Master Promax UA gives you the best value and features for the money. One issue I had with the TRCs was the signal delay from the transmitter. Sometimes not being able to get off to activate immediately can be problem. The RM remote transmitter activates the receiver immediately. Thereby making quick on offs to flush a nozzle among other items a smoother function. Also the build of the RM is much more durable and water tight.

Regardless any remote is better than no remote at all.

Rain Master Promax UA universal irrigation remote.

The manufacturers of irrigation controllers have all caught on to the importance of a remote for irrigation service. Rainbird, Hunter, Irritrol, and Toro all sell remotes that are specific to their controllers. They provide a remote port and the need for a remote connector or pigtail is not required. If an irrigation service technician is servicing one brand of controllers only this might be a good way to go in your irrigation remote needs. I have not personally used any of these remotes so I cannot attest to their range, reliability, and sturdiness. The irrigation remotes I can discuss fall under the term of universal. With the connection of a remote pigtail on any 24 volt controller they can be used on all brands of controllers. This makes them ideal for the service technician that deals with multiple brands of controllers. The two companies that manufacture remotes for this purpose are Rain Master Irrigation and TRC Irrigation Remotes. The RainMaster Promax is now being marketed as the Irritrol Promax as well but I believe they are the same remote. This post will focus strictly on the RainMaster Promax.

Rain Master refers to their universal remote as the Promax UA. The receiver with the antennae can be plugged into any Rain Master controller with a 9 pin port using the 3' cable that is provided in the remote case. With other brands of controllers it uses a second receiver box that is connected to the main receiver with the 9 pin cable. The cable has locking screws which are very helpful to allow the receiver to be hung on the controller door when in use.

It is beneficial to use a long male pigtail that can be plugged directly into the receiver. If shorter female pigtails are used then a male x male 37 pin extension will be needed. If a TRC permanent housing unit has been installed on the controller then a female x male 37 pin extension will be needed. I will not cover wiring in a pigtail except to say that the pigtails when properly wired can be used on both the TRC remote and RainMaster Promax. The RainMaster is limited to 32 zones so if a controller with more than 32 zones is encountered then multiple pigtails will be necessary. The transmitter is a very sturdy piece of equipment intended for the abuse of a service technician. Though I would not consider it waterproof it is very water resistant. I would read my blog on Prolonging the life of your receiver. It uses a CR-P2 lithium battery that can last from 3-6 months depending on usage. It can be a difficult battery to find so a spare kept in the remote case is wise.

The feature of a Rain Master Promax UA

• The range is a mile depending on obstacles. It goes through building walls very well. Pointing the transmitter in the direction of the receiver is rarely necessary.

• It has an independent master valve and pump start.

• It can operate multiple zones at once making it ideal for winter blowouts of irrigation systems.

• The communication between the transmitter and receiver is very quick making short flush cycles very easy to perform.

• It has many features that can be used with the Rain Master controllers including installing a communication card eliminating the need for controller access to install the receiver.

• The price can range from 1400.00-1100.00 depending on your supplier.

Rain Master service gets overwhelmed with service work during peak irrigation season. My own approach was to have a back up remote to avoid lowering the quality of my service when my remote was being repaired. For the abuse it received from my service technicians I found it to be an excellent piece of equipment and service issues with Rain Master would not prevent me from purchasing it. I would recommend you go straight to Rain Master for service rather than through your distributor. The Rain Master repair or service form can be found at this link. Rain Master Service Form

Ever been in a position with a sprinkler system that had a cut wire under a driveway or didn't have enough wires to add additional zones?

Want to go straight to the Quick Link in the store?

Well the Quick Link was designed and built to solve those type of irrigation problems. With one good zone wire plus the common wire you can control 2 zones or 4 zones. Not only that but unlike the Doubler the valves can be programmed differently since they will not constantly change zones. The two parts to it look similar but one is the transmitter and the other is the receiver. Using the transmitter at the controller the functioning zone wire is wired into its lead and the 2 or 4 spare wires from the transmitter are used on the empty terminals or to replace no longer usable wires. The receiver is placed in the field and the same procedure is followed there. Now you have bypassed a pesky broken wire or added zones for a new bed in the landscape. Its a big money saver for the customer and a big time saver for you.    

Experiencing a lost irrigation valve or can't determine which valve is which in a group of valves inside a valve box?

Want to go straight to the Buzz-Bee in the store?

Only option left is to rent a valve locator or dig up some landscape?

The Buzz-Bee valve locator. can definitely help you out. It works by causing the solenoid of the valve to chatter thereby creating a very discernible click-click-click sound. It installs at the controller with one clip on the common terminal and the other clip on the disconnected common wire. The zone or zones in question are activated at the controller and the Buzz Bee makes and breaks the power to the solenoid causing a rapid movement up and down of the solenoid which creates the clicking sound. For 35.00 it's a tool well worth having to try and find a valve before the last resort of digging up the landscape or renting a locator. Like any tool it needs to be used properly.

Here is a Buzz Bee valve locator instruction sheet.

Several points I will emphasize as well as make some suggestions as to the process for successful location.

• The valve or solenoid must be working from the controller for the Buzz Bee to locate the valve.
• The water must be turned off completely. Draining the mainline will help some as well.
• REMEMBER to disconnect any master valves or pumps. This prevents the chance of them breaking down as a result of no water flow.
• Guess the area for the likely location of the valve using known valves and the layout of the irrigation system.
• Dry ground will allow it to be easier to hear the solenoid chattering. If you've narrowed down the area then wet the ground some to allow it to be easier to probe the area.
• Use a 4' 1" or larger pipe and with your ear in one end and the other end on the ground may help hear and pinpoint the area of its location.

You need to be within the area of the valve for the Buzz Bee to be effective. If the location of the valve is completely unknown then slowly walk the entire area barefoot or with thin soled shoes to hopefully feel the vibration as well as the sound of the solenoid chattering.