Novata, California-based ET Water Systems announced on June 20 that it has achieved national distribution for its smart irrigation controllers and cloud-based water management services.

Traditionally, commercial and individual property owners have managed sprinklers through a valve or a timer that is set to go off at the same time every day. This method is easy, but it’s not smart. When it’s raining, the sprinkler still reliably goes off – wasting millions of gallons of water every year, according to Connected World.

Smart irrigation systems can significantly reduce water usage by using moisture sensors in the ground to automatically adjust watering, based on weather conditions. In many cases, these technologically advanced systems also allow remote control via mobile devices.

The ET Water product family includes SmartBox Controllers, SmartWorks Replacement Panels for traditional irrigation controllers, and the new revolutionary SWAT-certified HermitCrab universal smart controller. HermitCrab is a small, self-contained weatherproof unit that easily plugs into a broad range of existing conventional irrigation controllers, immediately converting them into smart controllers that use the ET Water Web service to efficiently and remotely manage landscape irrigation systems.

The ET Water HermitCrab can be managed remotely from any Web-based system. It plugs into a conventional controller via its remote control access port. The customer then enters his or her landscape profile online. The ET water server combines this site information with current local weather data to generate a custom irrigation schedule. Via wireless modem, the weather-adjusted schedule is downloaded daily from the server to the HermitCrab, which signals the conventional controller to open and close irrigation valves. It’s that simple, taking about 10 minutes to install.

“Our partners represent the most progressive irrigation products distributors in the country,” said Pat McIntyre, CEO of ET Water Systems. “We've grown from regional distribution primarily in California to nationwide coverage in order to meet the local-level market demands of our growing commercial irrigation customer base across the United States. Our customers have come to rely on our smart irrigation products, remote management capabilities, service, and support to efficiently manage water use while conserving water. We are pleased to roll-out our national distribution in advance of irrigation season to help our customers purchase ET controllers in their local market.”

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Cheryl Kaften is an accomplished communicator who has written for consumer and corporate audiences. She has worked extensively for MasterCard (News - Alert) Worldwide, Philip Morris USA (Altria), and KPMG, and has consulted for Estee Lauder and the Philadelphia Inquirer Newspapers. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Jennifer Russell