ET Water Systems, Inc., the market leader in smart controller retrofits and leading solutions provider for smart irrigation management, announced the SmartWorks Replacement Panel developed for the Rain Bird ESP-MC and ESP-SAT series controllers will be a finalist in the IA Show New Product Contest this November in Orlando, FL.
“In looking for ways to innovate in our industry, we saw a real opportunity to serve customers in the retrofit space”
The revolutionary ETwater SmartWorks panels redefined convenience, speed and performance in smart control retrofits when they were first introduced in 2006, and the newest introduction, the SmartWorks Rain Bird 50-Pin Replacement Panel, reinforces the position of ETwater as the innovation leader in the sector. This new product makes the ETwater retrofit solution available to a new and substantially larger segment of the irrigation market. It provides the remote monitoring and management that ETwater has pioneered, plus all the other water saving, irrigation scheduling, and labor-saving benefits of the ETwater system. To speed up installation, the existing Rain Bird output board remains in place, and the ETwater 50-Pin retrofit panel quickly and easily installs into the existing enclosure to leverage the existing terminal boards, field wiring and power source.
“Perhaps the most significant feature of this product is its ability to monitor and manage flow,” comments VP of Engineering Patrick Halahan. “Flow is a hot topic right now in the irrigation industry with a renewed focus on saving water and adhering to water agency usage guidelines. The Rain Bird controller does not have flow monitoring capability, so those upgrading their Rain Bird systems with the ETwater SmartWorks 50- Pin retrofit panel gain the ability to manage flow. This presents a considerable advantage to the irrigation contractor.”
“In looking for ways to innovate in our industry, we saw a real opportunity to serve customers in the retrofit space,” comments ETwater CEO Pat McIntyre. “We observed that a large segment of the market consists of already existing landscapes and irrigation systems, and owners did not want the expense of re-wiring entire sites. We therefore devised a retrofit product that these customers could use to easily and seamlessly upgrade their existing, traditional systems to smart irrigation systems. Our product design team focused on ease of installation as the guiding principle, and field testing indicates the ETwater 50-pin retrofit panel will install in less than 10 minutes. Contractors can then use ETwater technology to improve their ability to manage sites and increase their maintenance contract renewal rates.”
The SmartWorks Rain Bird 50-Pin Replacement Panel replaces the front panel of the Rain Bird ESP-MC and ESP-SAT models and converts them to ETwater smart controllers. The SmartWorks Rain Bird 50-Pin Replacement Panel will be on live display at the New Products Contest and at booth #1155 of the Irrigation Association’s Irrigation Show and Education Conference in Orlando, FL, November 2-6, 2012.
