Table of Contents
1 – INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................. 1
How to Read this Manual .................................................................................................... 1
How to Irrigate Efficiently ................................................................................................... 1
Soil Moisture Content ......................................................................................................... 2
How to Use Soil Moisture Sensors Successfully ................................................................... 4
Choosing the Primary Zone for a Scheduling Group ............................................................ 5
Choosing the Sensor Location ............................................................................................. 5
Dealing with Slopes and Berms ...................................................................................... 5
Optimal biSensor Placement for Slopes and Berms ....................................................... 6
Burying the biSensor ........................................................................................................... 6
Turf Grass ...................................................................................................................... 6
Newly Seeded Turf Grass or New Sod ............................................................................ 6
Trees and Shrubs ........................................................................................................... 7
Installing biSensors with New Trees .............................................................................. 8
Shrubs and Other Ornamental Plants ............................................................................ 8
Gardens and Crop Plants ............................................................................................... 8
Watering Strategies ............................................................................................................ 8
Root Depth and Plant Water Efficiency ............................................................................... 9
Understanding Soak Cycling .............................................................................................. 10
Precipitation Rates vs. Infiltration Rates ........................................................................... 10
Precipitation Rates for Common Sprinkler Types ........................................................ 10
Estimated Infiltration Rates for Common Soil Types.................................................... 10
Using Soak Cycles with Soil Moisture Sensors ................................................................... 11
Distribution Uniformity..................................................................................................... 12
2 – SYSTEM COMPONENTS ................................................................................................................. 13
Cabinet Options ................................................................................................................ 13
Central Control and Remote Communication Options ....................................................... 14
Remote Communication Options ...................................................................................... 14
LiveView™ ......................................................................................................................... 14
BaseManager™ 2.0............................................................................................................ 14
BL Commander .................................................................................................................. 15
Two-Wire Devices ............................................................................................................. 15
Total Supported Devices and Limits .................................................................................. 16
Maximum Concurrent Valves....................................................................................... 17
Maximum Wire Distances for 3200R and 5200R Series biCoders ................................ 17
3 – WIRING GUIDELINES ..................................................................................................................... 18
Conventional Irrigation Wiring Installation ........................................................................ 18
Conventional Wiring Modules ........................................................................................... 18
Connecting Valve Wires and Moisture Sensors over Valve Wires ..................................... 19
BL-5200 Series Powered biCoder Wiring Example with One biSensor ......................... 19
Expanding with Two-Wire ................................................................................................. 20
Connecting to BL-5200R Series Wall Mount biCoders ....................................................... 21
Example Wiring Diagram ............................................................................................. 21
Two-Wire Installation ....................................................................................................... 22
Two-Wire Serial Numbers ................................................................................................. 22
Two-Wire Connections and Layout ................................................................................... 22
Wire Connections ........................................................................................................ 22
Wire Lengths ................................................................................................................ 23
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