Ask the Expert: New Irrigation Products and Training

The start of the season, it’s always a good idea to evaluate the products and resources in your tool kit. That’s why our focus is to guide and educate you on the newest technology trends across the industry, so that your jobs are more profitable. We’ve connected with Doug Armour, our Commercial Irrigation Manager, to share his recommendations on some of the most advanced and user-friendly products this season.

From Doug

Each year, manufactures release new products or make updates to existing ones. I spend a lot of time to learning about each of these new products and resources, so that I can help our customers make informed decisions on the products and tools that can help them be more efficient and grow their business. This year, I am very excited about the following products and resources.

Rain Bird IVM Controller

The Rain Bird IVM controller has been released and will be a powerful tool for the commercial irrigation market. The troubleshooting capabilities of the Integrated Valve Module controller will make it much easier for contractors to identify and fix any issues in the field. It has an IVM-solenoid all-in-one and needs half the number of splices.

The Integrated Valve Module that stays in constant communication with the controller to provide efficient irrigation and advanced diagnostics. The ESP-LXIVM supports up to 60 stations standard or 240 stations with LX-IVM Pro. Up to four 2-Wire paths can be connected, plus flow sensing and advanced flow management tools that set new industry standards for state-of-the art water management.

 

If you’re interested in training or have questions on this new product, please reach out to your local Central Rep and we can coordinate virtual training on this product.

 

Flomec QS-200

Central is now carrying Flomec QS-200 Ultrasonic flowmeters from 1 inch to 4 inches. These flowmeters are able to read extremely low flow and are perfect for commercial jobs that have low flow drip zones and high flow rotor zones. There 2-inch flow sensor can read under 1 gpm. Wow!

The QS200 Insertion Ultrasonic Flowmeter provides an accurate reading of liquid flow rate and accumulated flow. Designed to support commercial irrigation applications, the QS200 is available in five pipe sizes (1-to-4 inches).

The QS200 ultrasonic insert is available with a PVC tee or as an “insert retrofit” for replacement of existing paddlewheel flow sensors. Designed for above and below grade applications, such as irrigation, municipal and underground monitoring where the flow rates are between 0.1 to 15 fps (0.03 to 4.57 m/s) and temperatures are below 140° F (60° C).

Watch QS200 video here. Again, if you have questions on this product or would like training, please reach out to your local rep.

DAB e.syline Pumps

Although not new to the Central line up, they are getting great reviews from contractors for being reliable, easy to set up, can be installed horizontally or vertically, better yet—they are very quiet.

e.syline, offers a complete line of electronic booster pump solutions for residential, both single family homes and apartment complexes. With two models, e.sybox are a series of fully integrated pump systems and accessories which have been designed to create a modular and flexible solution that meets a wide range of applications: from a small residence to a large complex of apartments.

These systems offer constant pressure to all the water outlets serviced and is designed with sound absorbing hulls and anti-vibration components make the systems extra quiet. These compact units offer significant energy savings, up to 50% when compared to traditional solutions.

If you have questions on sizing, installation, or want training on these products, please feel free to reach out to your local Central rep.

Hunter University

Hunter has done an incredible job with the number of courses on irrigation and lighting that are available online through Hunter University. And, the best part is it’s FREE! FREE! FREE!

Hunter University offers online learning delivered via courses, videos/streaming content, tutorials and resources, testing, user Q&A and is available to anyone with access to a computer. Hunter offers a variety of training opportunities that can be completed anytime of day at your own pace, from installation and troubleshooting to water conservation, operations efficiency or selling tools.

I highly recommend during downtime that your team spends sometime on Hunter University!


Finally

Rely on Central to help, whether it’s questions about troubleshooting or installation, showing you how to use specific equipment, or sharing insight and recommendations on the newest technologies. We stay at the leading edge of the industry and we’re ready to help you grow!

About Doug Armour

Doug Armour is certified by the Irrigation Association as a Landscape Irrigation Water Manager, in addition he holds certifications with Hunter and Rain Bird, and has been factory trained with Tucor. He is an excellent resource for any technical questions about irrigation systems and for troubleshooting systems that are not working properly.