Questions and Answers

• What is an Irrigatia system?

  It is a fully automatic solar powered watering kit for use with water barrels and other unpressurised water sources.

• How does an Irrigatia watering system differ from traditional automatic watering systems?

  It uses water barrels as a water source and the sun for energy. It does not need to be connected to water or electricity mains. It is also automatically adjusts the amount of water applied according to the light intensity, making sure your plants have just the right amount of moisture.

• Do you offer systems which work on a large scale?

  We offer a variety of kits designed to work in spaces of all sizes, from small greenhouses to large allotments. 

  Irrigatia kits, when turned to maximum and in summer conditions will deliver between 100 and 1800 litres per week which is enough for 12 to 180 tomato plants. 

  Each model is designated by a number which shows the number of Irrigation Units (IU's) it can water.  An IU is the amount of water required for a tomato plant or 20l pot.  The models range from 12 to 180 IU's.

• How many hours of sunlight does my Irrigatia system need in order to function?

  The Irrigatia control system ensures that the right amount of water is delivered whatever the sunlight levels.

• How does an Irrigatia kit control the watering?

  The solar panel charges the internal batteries and every 3 hours during daylight, the pump starts and runs until the batteries fall to a preset voltage.

  This ensures the watering is proportional to the light intensity on the solar panel. The switch on the side turns the solar panel on for 1,2,3,4 or 5 minutes in a 5-minute cycle which is to calibrate the watering with the plants requirements.

• What does the flashing/non flashing LED light indicate?

  • The red light is a mode indicator.
  • Constantly on indicates the pump is running
  • Flashing in 1 to 5 times, then pausing, indicates the charging mode in accordance with the position of the switch.
  • Rapid flashing (10x per second) accompanied by beeping indicates low water level
  • Rapid flashing for 1 second followed by a pause indicates the pump is off due to soil moisture, if the optional soil moisture sensor is fitted.
  • Flashing once every 10 seconds indicates night mode.

• What happens if I add more drippers than recommended?

  If you double the number of drippers on a pump, you will halve the amount of water emitted by each dripper.

  If drippers are at different heights, they will also apply different amounts of water. 
  
  With the solar pump using 12 drippers these differences are small if drippers are within 2m of the same height. If extra drippers are added, the tolerance of height difference reduces so that at 36 drippers (not recommended) all must be at the same height.