What's the old saying? April showers bring May flowers? Well, that is true, but, just because April's behind us, doesn't mean that May won't have a few days of wet weather in store, and that's why making sure your rain sensor is in good working order is extremely important. Overwatering your lawn can offer as many problems as under watering it, so you want to make sure that your rain sensor is enabled and adjusted These two simple steps will ensure that your system only waters your grounds when mother nature hasn't!

1) Enabling Your Rain Sensor: On your system's controller, you will find a switch that enables your rain sensor or sets it to "bypass". While the bypass option is often useful when doing manual watering or testing the system, you should always keep your rain sensor enabled, especially in the late-spring/early summer months. Most systems will feature "hard wired" rain sensors that run off of the same power as the controller, while others may feature wireless battery powered sensors. 

Note: If you've a wireless battery powered rain sensor, it is recommended hat the sensor is changed every five years

2) Adjusting Your Rain Sensor: All of our rain sensors feature an adjustment dial on the unit that allows the end user to adjust the amount of rainfall needed to halt irrigation. While this setting was calibrated by our irrigation professionals when your system was initially installed, there are situations where adjusting these settings may prove beneficial (such as times when it's extremely humid). 

By taking the time to enable and adjust your rain sensor, you will not only avoid overwatering your lawn, plants, and shrubs, but also save money on your water bill by only watering your grounds when it is absolutely necessary.