Which Rain Bird controller is right for you?  Dwayne Smith your Sprinkler Warehouse Pro covers the options for Rain Bird Wall-Mounted controllers in order for you to make an informed choice.

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Rain Bird Residential & Light Commercial Controllers

Which Rain Bird controller is right for you?  Today I’m going to cover your options for Rain Bird Wall-Mounted controllers to help you make that choice.

I’m Dwayne Smith your sprinkler Warehouse Product specialist. Let’s talk about choosing the right Rain Bird Controller for your irrigation system.

The ESP-TM2 is the residential or light commercial controller.  It’s an indoor-outdoor controller.  It comes in 4, 6, 8, and 12 station models.  It’s wifi ready.  You can add wifi to the ESP-TM2 with the Link Wifi module.  

In adding the LNK Wifi you’re turning this controller into a smart controller.  The LNK system allows you to operate your system from your smartphone, tablet, or the internet.  Utilizing the Rain Bird app you can set your system to automatically do seasonal adjustments based on your local weather, receive notifications about what’s going on with your system, start or delay watering, and much more.

On this and also on all the following controllers you can add a rain sensor, or a rain and freeze sensor.

The ESP-ME and ME3 series of controllers are residential or light commercial controllers.  And these are modular controllers. The base model has 4 stations and you can have up to 22 stations by adding modules.  There is a 3j    station module, the ESPSM3.  And there is a 6 station module, the ESPSM6.

The Benefits Of A Modular Irrigation Controller

The benefit of having a modular controller is that it is quick and simple to add additional zones to your configuration.  It also benefits contractors.  Rather than having to lug around various controllers with different numbers of stations, they can just carry the base model and a number of modules to configure for each customer’s needs.

The ESP-me and me3 have Indoor and outdoor models available, and this series can be upgraded to wifi with the LNK-WIFI module.

Flow Sensors For Sprinkler Controllers

The ESP-ME3 also will accept a flow sensor.  Flow sensors monitor your water usage and alert you if there’s a problem, like say a pipe break or a broken valve.  Flow sensors have the potential to save you a lot of money or even save your yard. 

The commercial-grade controllers are upgradable with the IQ communication cartridge.  IQ turns these systems into smart controllers that can be managed remotely and can be set to automatically adjust watering based on weather conditions.

The ESP-LXME and the ESPLXMEF are modular controllers.  The base model has either 8 or 12 stations and with the use of modules can be made to power up to 48 stations.  There are 8 station modules and 12 station modules that can be added to these controllers. 

The ESPLXMEF is ready to work with a flow sensor.  And the ESP-LXME can be upgraded to work with a flow sensor by adding a flow sensor module.

This line of controllers is capable of running up to 5 stations at the same time.   These controllers also have metal and stainless steel pedestal enclosure options.

The ESP-LXD is a Decoder Controller

Decoder controllers use a two-wire system.  Instead of running a wire from each and every valve back to the controller, decoder controllers run two wires in a daisy chain fashion to all the valves.  Or more specifically to a decoder that’s attached to the valve.  Separate decoders must be purchased for the valves.  Some decoders can operate more than one valve. 

While decoders are expensive, If there’s a lot of ground to cover, the savings in copper wire and installation can be significant.  Decoder systems also tend to be easier to troubleshoot.  Making decoder controllers a good choice for golf courses and facilities with exceptionally large areas.

The ESP-LXD base model operates up to 50 stations and with additional modules can operate up to 200 stations. It can support up to five separate flow sensors. There are also metal and stainless steel cases and pedestals available for this model.

So that’s the quick overview of Rain Bird controllers.  I hope this helps narrow down your choices for the controller you need for your system