Rain BirdSMRT-Y Soil Moisture Sensor Kit

UPDATE Jan 2019: I've been using this now for 2 years: 2 moderate/dry winters and 2 torid summers (Phoenix.) So far this has worked flawlessly. I haven't touched it in over a year-and-a-half. All I do is check my yard occasionally and watch my water usage cycle up and down as the seasons change. Very pleased!I've had this in the ground now for about 4 months. Working very well and as advertised. I live in the greater Phoenix area, so my conditions are different than most, but probably on the far extreme, so if it works for me, it will probably work for about anybody.As I don't have a lawn, I'm using it for shrubs and will install a second one for my tree line. For shrubs I buried it about 15" deep, because that's about in the center of the root zone. I chose a representative shrub as far as size, demand and evaporation rate. Since I knew that I needed to water about every 5 days at that time of year (late Summer) I calibrated it such that it would turn on at about that interval (12%). Amazingly, as the temperature cooled the interval started to increase. We have had some winter rains, so it hasn't watered in about 2 months (winter). Looks like it will water in about another week unless we get more rain. Plants look just fine...so that's pretty much the acid test. I'm going to install another sensor on my tree line. Will bury it at about 24 inches, since that is about mid-root zone. I have it connected to an Irratrol Rain Dial.My only concern is longevity. I have a concern that eventually roots my grow into the loop and break the device, but can't know that until it happens.

I am on my 2nd SMRT-Y sensor - having to replace the original 5-year old sensor that failed a few months ago.For reference, my SMRT-Y sensor controls a 2-station irrigation controller connected to drip irrigation for my residential desert / xeriscape landscape in the Mojave Desert of Las Vegas. I have no idea how it will perform in an irrigated lawn environment. However, in a drip irrigation setting for my conditions, it has performed flawlessly.On the Plus Side: This sensor does exactly what it's supposed to do. For my desert plantings, I have it set for 13.0% and the sensor was buried 8" directly underneath a series of drip emitters. I have the controller set to water every day at 7:00am, and if the soil moisture is above 13.0%, then SMRT-Y will suspend the irrigation cycle. In the summer when daytime high temperatures are normally >105 deg, it will usually allow an irrigation cycle once every 2-3 days - which is perfect. In the cooler winter months, this sensor may only allow an irrigation cycle one every 2-3 weeks - also just about perfect!On the negative side: This sensor only seems to last about 4-7 years. When I dug up the old sensor, it looked brand new - there was zero corrosion or other visible reason for it to fail - it just did for some reason. The stainless steel rods on the old unit looked good as new. The only reason I can come up with for why it failed is the internal electronics. The buried electronics are totally sealed in epoxy resin, so there was no reason for a contamination-related failure. Basically, the electronics of the buried unit just gave out.As a DIY tip: Make sure you use top of line, good water-proof wire connectors when wiring this sensor up - don't skimp on that part. The SMRT-Y is not the easiest thing to get wired-up and going, but once it's working and your settings are dialed in? It's goldenWould I recommend it? Yes, Absolutely - it does save a lot of water. Just realize you'll probably be replacing the buried sensor every 4-7 years. If you're good with that going into the project, then buy it. This sensor beats any weather station setup by far. It truly is a water "thermostat" in your yard.

It does what it is intended to do and does it well.Installation was simple and straightforward with good instructions.

Two months ago if you asked me about this product I would have given it a glowing endorsement, but now I have serious concerns about reliability. It wouldn’t be so bad if warranty service was easy and you didn’t have to dig up your yard to replace the sensor.I had one of these in the ground for 2 years and it worked flawlessly. One day recently, I noticed my grass looked pretty crispy. All the valves but the one the sensor was connected to were working. The moisture sensor read “0.0”.After systematic troubleshooting (wiring, selonoids, connections, timer, etc) I confirmed the problem was the smrt-y. I couldn’t find anything about the warranty in the docs of online and, of course, Rainbird support is closed on the weekends, when homeowners need them.I needed to get it fixed that weekend so I ordered a new one. The kit was the same so I first tested the controller. Same issue. As soon as I swapped out the sensor, it worked great again.....for two weeks.My Hunter X-Core read “err” when the zone connected to the sensor ran. As soon as I took the smrt-y out of the circuit, the zone works fine.Hoping the Rachio3 gives me less headaches.

Works great!I just wish it could plug into the rain sensor port and control all of my irrigation valves, and not just one.I like that it works with any brand 24v irrigation timer.solid constructionprice is very high