Retrofits Save Time and Money

Most users are surprised at how quickly retrofits with Baseline controllers break even just on water cost alone.  If you have high water rates, or are unhappy with the performance of your current system, you should consider a retrofit with Baseline.  It is easy, and you can start saving water immediately.  Click on a link below to enter your site information and create a custom estimate of your annual savings (MS Excel required).

• 3200 Retrofit Savings Calculator [MS Excel] - Find out how much it is costing you not to retrofit!
• S100 Add-on Savings Calculator [MS Excel] - Find out how much adding an S100 can save you.

Planning your retrofit is as easy as choosing your options.  See below for the basic steps in planning a retrofit with the BaseStation 3200 Family.

Click here for more information about adding a WaterTec S100 to your landscape.

Click here for more information about retrofitting with a BaseStation 6000.

Replace Your Existing Controller(s)

BaseStation 3200 controllers come in 0 (Two-wire only), 12, 24, 36, and 48 zone configurations, depending on the enclosure.  Additionally, you can add Retrofit biCoders for more conventional zones.  All BaseStation controllers have a two-wire expansion port and can be expanded to 200 zones, regardless of pre-installed conventional wiring terminals.  For example, if you have a 96 zone controller at a single location, you can easily purchase a 48 zone BaseStation 3200 and a 48 zone Retrofit biCoder to replace the existing controller, and still expand an additional 100 zones using two-wire!

Consolidate Multiple Controllers to Save Money and Simplify Management

Using Retrofit biCoders, you can chain together replacements for multiple existing controllers using two-wire - this saves money and simplifies management.  Every Retrofit biCoder also can support connection of moisture sensors over valve wires - reducing costly trenching while providing pinpoint irrigation control.  Each retrofit biCoder has two extra terminals to support master valves or pump starts, or just two additional zones!  Simply remove the existing controller, install the Retrofit biCoder, connect the power and valve wires, and connect to the two-wire path.  You can search for and find your Retrofit biCoders from your BaseStation 3200 controller - you are ready to start smart watering!

Expand Using Two-Wire

Have a new phase going in, but don't want to have to add expensive new controller(s) and central controls?  You can expand a single BaseStation 3200 to support up to 200 zones, with any combination of two-wire or conventional wires.  If you are going to use conventional wiring, you should choose a Retrofit biCoder for each wiring location you choose.  Retrofit biCoders come in 12, 24, 36, and 48 zone configurations, depending on the enclosure.  Retrofit biCoders require 110v AC power, and must also be connected to the two-wire path.

For maximum expandability and minimum cost in new construction phases, consider two-wire - with one, two and four valve biCoders, you can expand your site easily and cost effectively, and only purchase as many biCoders as you need.  You may find that replacing your existing controller with a 3200 and expanding into your new phases will cost less than you already had planned to spend on controllers for your new phase.

Choose a Smart Watering Approach

Every BaseStation 3200 controller has multiple smart watering features built-in.  The simplest approach is to use Historical ET.  While this feature is not as effective as true smart watering using soil moisture sensors, it can save significant water by varying the days between watering based on the historical ETo in your area.  Unlike competitor's products, Baseline's unique approach to Historical ET, sometimes also called the Day Interval Calendar, maintains a "water deeply and infrequently" behavior, promoting deeper root growth and healthier plants.

Baseline controllers also have an Intelligent Soak Cycling feature - use this feature to adjust water application rates to maxmize infiltration into the soil and minimize runoff or pooling.  This is especially important for areas with slopes, such as burms.  If you ever wondered why the top of the burm "burns" each July, while the bottom is too wet, this is why - most spray heads put water down faster than the soil can absorb it.  By using soak cycles, you can adjust your application rates.  Baseline controllers make this easy, and can recommend soak cycle settings for you.

For optimal watering, you should consider adding soil moisture sensors to your system.

Install Soil Moisture Sensors

Adding soil moisture sensors to your system is easy.  Since you already have valve wires buried in your landscape, there is no need to dig long trenches to the sensor locations.  Simply find locations within 50' of an existing valve box and connect the sensor directly to the valve.  You may need to swap wires at your controller or Retrofit biCoder to make sure the sensor is connected to a smart terminal, but this is easy.  There are two smart terminals for each 12 zones in each Retrofit biCoder.

You can add up to 25 moisture sensor, total, for each BaseStation 3200 controller.

Consider Improving Your Sprinkler Heads

If your system is older, you may be surprised at the improvements in sprinkler heads over the last 15 years.  Even with moisture sensors installed, any single zone must be watered to the driest point - so, if your equipment is older, you may be limiting your water savings if your distribution uniformity (du) of your zones is poor.  By repairing or replacing your sprinkler heads, you can more finely tune your water application.

Add Flow Monitoring

To account for your water use, and to protect your landscape from costly damage due to broken pipes or low-flow problems, you should consider adding flow monitoring to your system.  If you already have a flow sensor, you can connect it to your new Baseline controller using a flow biCoder.  When coupled with Central Controls, flow monitoring gives the added benefit of a 24x7 alarm in the event of flow problems.  Many pipe breaks go undiscovered until the damage is extreme.  With flow monitoring and central communications, you can rest easy - you will get a warning if there is a problem at your site.

Click here for more information on Baseline's Industry Leading Smart Flow Sensors and Flow Meters

Add Communications for Central Controls

Adding Central Controls opens a whole new networked or even Internet level of flexibility to your system.  Depending on your network configuration, and how you choose to configure it, you can access your controllers from home, or anywhere with an Internet connection.  Baseline provides more options for remote communications to your controllers, including Ethernet, WiFi, Cellular, RF Mesh Radios, Telephone or direct connections.  The BaseManager Central Control Software (or the BaseManager Web Internet service) will monitor your controllers 24x7, and alert you if there are any problems.

Click here for more information BaseManager and BaseManagerWeb Central Controls

Add Handheld Remote Controls

Adding a handheld RF Remote Control unit to your system can save time and effort during maintenance.  The most common irrigation maintenance problem is a broken or mis-adjusted sprinkler head.  In order to turn the system on, someone needs to be at the controller, even if it is thousands of feet away.  You can easily add a remote control to any BaseStation 3200 system, and can choose whether to install a permanent receiver unit with antenna, or purchase a mobile reciever unit that can be moved around between controllers.

If you have chosen to add Central Controls to your system, you may also be able to access your controllers from your web-enabled PDA or cellular phone.

Start Saving Water - And Money!

You will be surprised at how affordable a retrofit with Baseline can be.  Most retrofit projects break even on water savings alone within 2-3 seasons - this includes fully loaded installation labor costs plus all equipment.

Protection Against Future Problems

As most experienced irrigators know, wiring is often the weakest point of the system.  If you choose a Baseline controller, you also have deployed the tools you need to fix future wire problems.  If your wiring is on its last leg, you will have to pull new wire eventually - by choosing a Baseline two-wire capable controller, you can simply pull two wires when you need to - reducing labor costs, and increasing your expandability at your site.  By giving you more tools and more flexibility to solve issues at your site, Baseline puts you in the driver seat for making changes and improvements.

Residential Customers - Consider Adding the WaterTec S100

The WaterTec S100 is an extremely effective and inexpensive solution for smart watering at smaller properties.  A single S100 is generally not recommended for properties over 12 zones, unless the zones are all extremely similar, for example, for a large irrigated turf area.

Click here for more information on the WaterTec S100

Retrofits with BaseStation 6000

The BaseStation 6000 is the ideal solution for converting large sites to smart watering.  The 6000 supports up to 4000 zones, and supports wired or wireless Satellites.  The 6000 includes a Map Based User Interface, which makes controlling large projects easier, and has the most powerful irrigation control features currently available.  With even more smart watering options, including additional moisture sensor watering methods and additional ET options, the 6000 provides the best return on investment in the industry.

The BaseStation 6000 is also compatible with all two-wire and retrofit biCoder devices supported by the 3200 family.  For large projects, you can count on Baseline to walk you through each step of the design and implementation process.  Contact Baseline today to find out more!

Click here for more information on the BaseStation 6000