New Installation - Advice Needed

Hi all,

I am installing a 16 Zone Controller into a large community / complex in Spain. We have installed a Logia / Bresser 5-in-1 Weather Station (Station Link) so we will have optimum weather details to assist us with saving a maximum amount of water. The weather there is still quite dry and sunny most days, with temperatures currently still in the mid to high teens (deg C). It rises to mid 30’s (deg C) in July and August)

We have 14 grass zones and 2 plant zones. The grass is Warm Season, I think Centipede Grass.
Each grass zone has aprox 10 generally Fixed Spray Head sprinklers (total of 142). The plant zones have Drip Lines. I did a test in 2018 and I believe that the Fixed Spray Head sprinkers are delivering about 10litres/min. We currently have 2 Rain Bird ESP-RZX’s and a Galcon 8056 ac-6s.

As you will gather, there is a huge amount of water being used annually. We currently have to ensure that no two zones operate simultaneously given the amount of water required for each zone when operational.

At present, during the summer, we run each zone for 20 mins, every second day. It is my belief that this is totally excessive. Watering can only be done between about 1am and 7am.

  1. So i was maybe thinking I need to setup 3 schedules - one for Zones 1 to 5, one for Zones 6 to 10, and a third for Zones 11 to 16, or should I set them all up on a single schedule ?

  2. Some zones (particularly zones 11 - 15) will be shaded during the winter months. So should zones be changed during the year to reflect the sunshine amounts ?

  3. I see that in the Advanced options for Zones, there is an Available Water parameter. How does this relate to my flow of 10litres/min per sprinkler head ? Or how does Nozzle Centimeters Per Hour relate to my 10litres/min since that setting is based on cm

  4. Also in the Advanced options for Zones, does Area matter ? I have really no idea as to the size covered by each zone. If I could set the number of sprinklers per zone or the water used, maybe this would negate the need for knowing the area ?

  5. Is there a detailed document which explains all of the Advanced options within each zone ?

Thanks in advance


View towards the south - so the hill to the back right throws the gardens near the road (bottom left of the overhead pic) into shadow during the winter months