I tag along on Karen’s Slow the Flow appointment, learning about sprinkler efficiency and her watering experience in the following weeks.
With the spring kicking off our Slow the Flow program season, I had the chance to meet with a Broomfield homeowner for a pretty unique Slow the Flow trifecta appointment. Karen took advantage of a great opportunity to improve her sprinkler efficiency this year by signing up for all three of our Slow the Flow services offered through our partnership with the City and County of Broomfield. This meant that on top of a free sprinkler evaluation, she received a smart controller and a rain sensor, plus the installations, at no additional cost, making watering smart feel like a walk in the park.
I tagged along with Sammy, our sprinkler technician for the day, to get a better understanding of the appointment process. After arriving at Karen’s house, we kicked off the appointment. Together, we went through a visual inspection of the irrigation system, followed by several efficiency tests to see what improvements could be made. Then, we moved on to the smart controller and rain sensor installations. These devices will work together to automatically adjust watering schedules based on weather data and live conditions.
It was remarkably fast! Sammy made quick work of swapping the old irrigation controller for a Rachio smart controller and found a perfect location to install the Rain Bird rain sensor. With this wrapped up, Sammy walked Karen through how to use her new gadgets. In just a few hours, she had brand new watering technology (and the knowledge to use it), a custom watering schedule, and a better understanding of her sprinkler system.
Fortunately, I had the chance to check in with Karen to see how things were going in the weeks since the appointment. I’m happy to share that it’s been a good experience so far! The new rain sensor, in particular, has proved quite useful in the weeks since the installation. “It’s rained several times since my Rachio system was installed, so it’s been great to have a rain sensor,” she said.
She shared how nice it was to be walked through how to use the new devices, and even just to learn more about her yard and her new sprinkler system. “I bought my house late last fall when I moved back to Colorado from Arizona, and the irrigation system that came with my house was already shut down for the winter. I didn’t know much about it.” But now, she feels confident and set up for success. “After Resource Central installed the Rachio irrigation controller and [Rain Bird] rain sensor and showed me how to control them using the app, I feel that I am ready to control the watering of my landscape in a waterwise way this year.”
I also learned that she has some great waterwise plans for her yard, beyond improving her sprinkler system. She’s installed low-water gardens while living in previous homes and plans to keep up that tradition in the new one. “I knew I’d want to remove turf and replace it with a xeriscape garden. I also knew from my previous gardens how beautiful those gardens can be.” That’s one more waterwise garden on the way for Broomfield, thanks to Karen!
Thanks for reading, and see you next time.
-Garrett
At Resource Central, we believe that we can build a resilient and waterwise Colorado together through local action on a massive scale.
The individuals featured in this blog series are only snapshots of the that’s being done by so many Coloradans to work toward that goal. So, whether you’re just starting to improve your water efficiency, are a seasoned low-water gardener, or are reading this blog and learning about waterwise gardening for the first time, thank you for joining us in creating a more waterwise future.
