The Best Sprinkler Controllers for Your Money

best spinkler controllers

We all know that there are several kinds of sprinklers available. In the same way, several kinds of controllers are also available. The main purpose of all these is to make your sprinkling process easier. However, several types of controllers are that that specialize in various aspects.

In order to be able to choose the best controller for you, you must know about these. The best controller for you would be the one that would meet all your needs. So in order to select the best controller, it is important that you perfectly know your needs. You can take care of your priorities if only you have them properly arranged.

Before we take a look at the kinds of controllers that are available in the market, we must first know what the functions of a controller are in the first place.

What are the functions that a controller offers you?

While “to control the device” might seem to be the obvious answer, it isn’t always the right one. This is one of such cases. While it does help you control it, it does a lot more

There are several functions that several controllers provide. Specific controllers often provide you with some extra functions. Some others might at the same time provide you with lesser functions than others. However, we might list up the main functions that a controller may have in a way like this:

  • Date and time settings: The controller takes care of the date and time, it remembers them and the functions associated with them.
  • Manual activity controller:  The controller is also responsible for taking care of the fact that when someone manually operates it that does not affect the planned systems.
  • Power and Water Problems: The controller is also a kind of protector from power and water problems, it takes care of the problems with either programmed actions or by alerting you about it so that you can take a proper step in order to solve the specific problem.
  • Delay Feature: It also takes care of the delay feature. The delay feature lets you water a specific spot after the others. It can also be equally used to delay all the others to water one spot first.
  • Rain Sensor: The controller also senses rain and stops the watering in case of rainfall. It is obvious why it stops watering when in case of rainfall. This might make it seem like a really obvious function but it does require a specific sensor and a lot of programming. That makes this logical function hard to add and thus it makes a good point.

That being said, what are the main kinds of controllers?

Just like there are a couple of kinds of sprinklers, there are several kinds of controllers. Every kind has its own specific utility and specific features. This makes it all the more important for us to look at each of them very carefully.

This is why Turf Mechanic brings to you the kinds of lawn sprinklers available. These lawn sprinklers are the main ones that are available in the market right now. And these are certified lawn sprinklers that perfectly serve the purpose that they are supposed to.

So, without further ado, let us take a look at the different kinds of lawn sprinklers:

1. Digital Controller:

The first kind of controller is the Digital Controller. This is the very basic controller that we are all used to. It is super simple to operate and read. This makes it a really good choice for people because they can readily use it from the very first moment.

At the same time, this is also the cheapest of the controller types. That is why it is also the choice of those people that judge it from an economic standpoint. For people who want easy to use controllers at an affordable price, this is the one.

Although, the only flaw with this controller is that it has only the basic functions. While that is often enough, it still lacks versatility in terms of functionality, it can not do as much as the other kind of controllers can.

2. Mechanical Controller:

The mechanical controller, on the other hand, is a bit more complicated. It has to be manually operated and programmed. This makes it the hardest to use among the controllers. But since these are made with motors, gears and pins, these are the longest lasting of the controllers.

However, at the same time, these controllers, while manually programmable do not really come with ease of use or with as large a range as one might think just because it allows manual programming.

Economically speaking, the mechanical controller provides you with a medium ability at a moderate price range, which is just right for you if you’re looking for a balanced out product.

3. Solid-State Controller:

This is the most functional of the controllers. The Solid-State controller boasts of a digital display system. At the same time, it replaces the moving parts with electronic circuits in order to provide perfect mechanization for  running your sprinkler at perfect ease.

So, basically these provide you with the highest amount of functionality for a reasonable price (although these are the most expensive among the controllers in general). The advanced models are also able to set their own watering schedule throughout the year, which makes the effort needed from your side almost zero.

So, if you are looking to maintain a lawn with the greatest of ease and freedom, the solid-state controller that automates the whole process might be the best option for you.