ISY-99i/ISY-26 INSTEON:Using the WeatherBug Irritation Module

WeatherBug Irrigation Module Settings

Irrigation Module's Settings

There are several variables that are adjustable by the user.

• Irrigation Region - To adjust for the differing ET in inland vs coastal areas.
• Absorption Factor/Soil Type - To adjust for the relative efficiency of soil absorption
• Water Applied per Irrigation Cycle - The amount of water the user's irrigation program applies to the soil during each run.
• Allowable Depletion - How much water will is allow to leave (be depleted from) the soil before the next irrigation cycle

WeatherBug Irrigation Module Status

Irrigation Module's Status Output

These variables are calculated from the WeatherBug data. They can be used in the program module for customizing the irrigation system.

• Evapotranspiration - is an approximation of the amount of water leaving the soil via a combination of evaporation and transpiration
• Irrigation Requirement - is the amount of water to be applied based on the accumulation of previous day(s) water deficits
• Yesterday's Water Deficit - is the total amount of water that has evapotranspired during a twenty four hour window from the day before.

Irrigation Module's Commands

These are commands that can be used in ISY programs.

• Irrigation - Cycle Complete - this command triggers the module's calculations for after water has been applied.
• Irrigation - Reset Variables - this command triggers a reset of the module's Irrigation Requirement variable.

Program Example: Irrigate If Needed

The IF condition decides whether to water by comparing the Irrigation Requirement balance to a constant. The user is responsible for setting this constant equal to Water Applied per Irrigation Cycle, and updating it if they change the value of water that they apply per irrigation in their own programs.

If
        Time is 11:00:00PM
    And Module 'Climate' Irrigation Requirement >= 0.50

Then
        Set 'Front Yard' On
        Wait  10 minutes
        Set 'Back Yard' On
        Wait  5 minutes
        Set 'Back Yard' Off
        Irrigation - Cycle Complete

Calculating the Station Runtime

A UDI JavaScript calculator webpage is in the works, but in the mean time you can use this calculator.

Station Runtime Calculator

Resetting the Irrigation Module

If you have installed the Irrigation module and your Irrigation Requirement equals zero, then you have to reset the variables to get things going correctly. If its the rainy season it may be difficult to tell if Irrigation Requirement is having an issue, so its recommended this be performed anyways just after the first install of the module.

1. In the ISY Admin Console go to the Programs tab.
2. Create the temporary program shown in the example below.
3. Right click on the program in the folder tree and select "Run Then" to reset the module.
4. Go back to the Weatherbug tab.
5. Check again Irrigation Requirement and you should now see a number instead of a zero.
6. Once you have done this initialization process you can delete the temporary program.

If
   - No Conditions - (To add one, press 'Schedule' or 'Condition')

Then
        Irrigation - Reset Variables

Proposed Evapotranspiration Algorithm in 3.1.4 Beta

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ISY-26 INSTEON / ISY-99i Series INSTEON : How-To Guide