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B-hyve XR Smart Indoor/Outdoor Sprinkler Timer
Smart Watering Advanced Settings
Smart Watering Advanced Settings
Welcome to B-hyve Advanced Settings
This is the perfect place to learn how Smart Watering works, discover ways to save even more water, and achieve the best possible results for your landscape.
Most of the Advanced Settings can be changed using the standard Smart Watering Settings, but two settings – Efficiency and Management Allowed Depletion – can only be changed here in Advanced Settings.
Only four Advanced Settings actually affect the total amount of water used during a season, and these deserve the greatest understanding, focus, and effort in order to optimize both plant performance and water conservation:
Application Rate (AR)
Efficiency (E)
Plant Factor (KP)
Microclimate Factor (KMC)
The remaining Advanced Settings simply affect how often or how long watering occurs in a given day or cycle. Adjusting them may affect plant performance but will not change the total amount of water used in a season.
Editable Settings
Application Rate (AR)
The amount of water applied per hour and expressed as inches per hour. Application rates for nozzles and emitters vary widely depending on the type, brand, and installation parameters, so it is important to evaluate your unique system. The most reliable way to measure Application Rate is to perform a catch cup test.
The more cups used in the test, the more accurate the measurement, but even a test with just a few cups will improve scheduling efficiency. Changing the Sprinkler Type setting will change this value. Performing a catch cup test will also change this value and override the Sprinkler Type default setting with more accurate data.
Increase: Decreases the total runtime per day and total water used; may also decrease the number of watering cycles depending on Maximum Runtime.
Decrease: Increases the total runtime per day and total water used; may also increase the number of watering cycles depending on Maximum Runtime.
Efficiency (E)
Efficiency measures the ability of an irrigation system to apply water efficiently and uniformly to a zone. Causes of low water application efficiency include overwatering, evaporation, wind drift, and poor application uniformity. Target Efficiency is 75% for sprays and rotors and 95% for drip. This value can only be changed in Advanced Settings.
Increase: Decreases the total runtime per day and total water used; may also decrease the number of watering cycles depending on Maximum Runtime.
Decrease: Increases the total runtime per day and total water used; may also increase the number of watering cycles depending on Maximum Runtime.
Plant Factor (KP or KC)
The fraction of Reference Evapotranspiration (ETo) required for acceptable plant appearance. Changing the Plant Type setting will change this value.
Increase: Increases the total runtime per day and total water used; may also increase the number of watering cycles depending on Maximum Runtime.
Decrease: Decreases the total runtime per day and total water used; may also decrease the number of watering cycles depending on Maximum Runtime.
Microclimate Factor (KMC)
Site-specific environmental factors such as buildings, pavement, and trees create unique sunlight and temperature variations that affect plant water use. Changing the Sun/Shade setting will change this value.
Increase: Increases the total runtime per day and total water used; may also increase the number of watering cycles depending on Maximum Runtime.
Decrease: Decreases the total runtime per day and total water used; may also decrease the number of watering cycles depending on Maximum Runtime.
Management Allowed Depletion (MAD)
The soil water content deficit percentage at the time of next watering. 50% is a smart allowed depletion for most soil types.
Increase: Increases intervals between watering days and increases total runtime per day.
Decrease: Decreases intervals between watering days and decreases total runtime per day.
Field Capacity (FC)
Percentage soil water content in the Root Zone after gravity drainage is complete. Changing the Soil Type setting will change this value.
Increase: Increases intervals between watering days and increases total runtime per day.
Decrease: Decreases intervals between watering days and decreases total runtime per day.
Permanent Wilting Point (PWP)
Percentage soil water content in the Root Zone when the plant irreversibly loses internal pressure. Changing the Soil Type setting will change this value.
Increase: Decreases intervals between watering days and decreases total runtime per day.
Decrease: Increases intervals between watering days and increases total runtime per day.
Root Zone (RZ)
Effective root depth, generally considered the top 50% of the maximum root depth. Changing the Plant Type setting will change this value.
Increase: Increases intervals between watering days and increases total runtime per day.
Decrease: Decreases intervals between watering days and decreases total runtime per day.
Allowable Surface Accumulation (ASA)
Free-standing water forming on the soil surface due to application rates exceeding soil intake rates. Changing the Slope setting will change this value.
Increase: Increases the Maximum Runtime for a zone, decreasing the number of watering cycles per day.
Decrease: Decreases the Maximum Runtime for a zone, increasing the number of watering cycles per day.
Basic (Steady) Infiltration Rate (BIR)
A measurement of the depth of water that can enter the soil in one hour. Changing the Soil Type setting will change this value.
Increase: Increases the Maximum Runtime for a zone, decreasing the number of watering cycles per day.
Decrease: Decreases the Maximum Runtime for a zone, increasing the number of watering cycles per day.
Computed Non-Editable Settings
Available Water (AW): Total inches of water per inch of soil between Field Capacity and Permanent Wilting Point.
Field Capacity Depth (FCD): Total inches of water in the Root Zone after gravity drainage.
Permanent Wilting Point Depth (PWPD): Total inches of water in the Root Zone when the plant irreversibly loses internal pressure.
Plant Available Water (PAW): Total inches of Available Water in the Root Zone.
Readily Available Water (RAW): Total inches of water readily available to the plant at Field Capacity.
Refill Point (RP): Total inches of soil water content at which Readily Available Water is fully depleted.
Standard Runtime (STDRT): Measurement of how long a zone must water to refill soil water content from Refill Point to Field Capacity.
Maximum Runtime Before Runoff (MAXRT): Measurement of how long a zone can water before runoff starts to occur.
Reference Evapotranspiration (ETo): Estimate of total water use for a uniform surface of dense, actively growing vegetation.
Landscape Coefficient (KL): Factor representing the combined effect of Plant Factor and Microclimate Factor.
Landscape Evapotranspiration (ETL): Estimate of total water use for a specific plant type in a specific microclimate.
Current Moisture Balance (MBC): Soil water content in the Root Zone.
For information on how to adjust your Smart Watering schedule, please click below
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