Baseline Systems WaterTec S100 User Manual

INSTALLATION MANUAL

Residential and Small

Commercial Applications

WATERTEC™ S100 INSTALLATION MANUAL

Congratulations on selecting the WaterTec™ S100 kit, the industry’s leading soil-moisture sensing unit for residential and small commercial applications.

The following manual will guide you step-by-step through the installation process. Pages 11-17 contain troubleshooting steps to further assist in your installation. Additional information can be found online at www.baselinesystems.com

Before You Get Started .............................................................................................3

S100 Operational Features.......................................................................................4

Step 1 - biSensor Placement ....................................................................................5

Step 2 - Determining Your Wiring Configuration.....................................................6

Option A - Valve Common Interrupter .....................................................6

Option B - Drip Bypass ...............................................................................6

Step 3 - Install and Wire S100....................................................................................7

Step 4 - Setup Sprinkler Timer and Set Cycle Window...........................................7

Step 5 - Connect the biSensor.................................................................................7

Step 6 - biSensor Installation.....................................................................................8

Step 7 - Verify All Connections.................................................................................9

Step 8 - 24-hour Moisture Threshold Calibration.....................................................9

Future Adjustments..................................................................................................10

How to Get a Beautiful Lawn.................................................................................10

Troubleshooting for Initial Installation ...............................................................11-12

Operational Troubleshooting & Adjustments .......................................................12

Troubleshooting Lawn Conditions....................................................................13-14

Troubleshooting Error Codes ..................................................................................17

Before You Get Started

Read the entire manual before starting

Before installing your new WaterTec S100, operate the sprinkler system to ensure the system is functioning properly and all heads are properly adjusted. For best results you will need to know the distribution rate of your sprinklers as this usually varies greatly from zone to zone. Ideally each zone would receive the same amount of water (1/2” to 3/4”). Baseline recommends that, prior to installation, you replace any back-up batteries your timer requires. You may need to refer to the original owner’s manual.

WaterTec S100 Manual Aug06 Rev. 1

www.baselinesystems.com • (866) 294-5847

™

WaterTec

,

biSensor

™

and

™

biLine

are trademarks of Baseline, LLC.

3

www.baselinesystems.com

+

Valve

Valve Active

Active

Allow

Allow Water

Water

D

+

Moisture Threshold/

E

Cycle Window

-

A B C D E F

H

A - 24 VAC

A - 24 VAC B - 24 VAC

B - 24 VAC

B - 24 VAC C - Interrupt 1

C - Interrupt 1

C - Interrupt 1 D - Interrupt 2

D - Interrupt 2

D - Interrupt 2 E - Common

E - Common

E - Common F - Sensor

F - Sensor

Soil Moisture

Sensor Update

Hold to adjust Threshold

Bypass (allow water)

Hold to adjust Cycle Window

A

B F

C G

Operational Features

A Soil Moisture: Water content present in the soil

• Value is displayed by default when no buttons are pressed or held.

• Soil moisture level is displayed as volumetric, ranging from 0.0 to 50.0.

B Sensor Update:

• Brief button press: Causes the biSensor to take a moisture reading.

• Hold button: Displays current Moisture Threshold value. See below for operation.

C Bypass: Allows the sprinkler timer to operate without interruption from the

S100. Bypass mode is indicated by a periodic flashing of “OFF” on the S100 display.

• Brief button press: Toggle the Bypass function. When enabled the Allow Water light should turn on.

• Hold button: Holding the Bypass button for 2 seconds displays the current Cycle Window duration. Use (+)/(-) buttons while holding Bypass to change the Cycle Window to a value between 0 and 24 hours. Default is 12 hours.

D Moisture Threshold: Soil moisture value at which the S100 will allow watering.

• While “Sensor Update” button is being held, use (+)/(-) buttons to change the moisture threshold.

E Cycle Window: The cycle window is the time allowed to complete a water

cycle once your soil moisture has reached your soil moisture threshold.

F Valve Active: This light indicates that the valve the biSensor is attached to

is currently active (watering).

G Allow Water: This light indicates that the S100 is allowing your sprinkler timer

to water based upon its user defined settings (the system will begin watering at the next start time programmed on the sprinkler timer).

H Wire Harness: Wires are attached from the sprinkler timer to the S100 here.

Setup Operations: Calibration Cycle

(for initial installation or biSensor repositioning

• Hold the (+)(-) and (Bypass) buttons simultaneously for 3 seconds. The screen will flash between “CAL” “24 H” and the current moisture reading. The “24 H” will count down on the hour until the calibration is complete. Watering is paused during this time.

Communication Test: The S100 communicates with the biSensor for about two minutes, checking for any potential errors

.

• Hold the (+)(-) and (Sensor Update) buttons simultaneously for 3 seconds. For more information, see Step 1 on page 15 in the Troubleshooting section.

4

WaterTec S100 Manual Aug06 Rev. 1

)

Step 1 biSensor Placement

When planning the biSensor location, take into account variables such as distribution rate, sun exposure and soil type, or other site specific characteristics that may affect water holding capacity or the rate at which plants use water.

The location of the biSensor will determine how frequently your sprinkler system is allowed to water.

than average it will cause your system to operate less frequently, possibly causing dry spots. If the biSensor is placed in an area that receives less than average water it will cause the system to operate more frequently.

Baseline biSensor placement recommendations:

• Place the biSensor near the center of a zone (should only receive water from one zone).

• Place the biSensor in an area that receives average to slightly below average water.

• Keep away from sidewalks and driveways to avoid water from car washing or other factors.

If the biSensor is placed in an area that is generally wetter

The illustration to the right identifies heavy

shadow and runoff

areas in Red and ideal locations in

Light Green. Avoid

Red areas when

installing your

biSensor. Dark

Green areas with

some shadow can

be used as a

secondary location.

SENSOR

LOCATION

SECONDARY

LOCATION

SENSOR

LOCATION

SENSOR LOCATION

SECONDARY

LOCATION

SENSOR

LOCATION

N

note

WaterTec S100 Manual Aug06 Rev. 1

Note: When installing the biSensor connect it to the most convenient valve. This connection is used for communication.

5

Step 2

Determining Your Wiring Configuration

Option A: This is the most common option and will work on any timer that has an accessible 24VAC power source.

Option B: This option is used for systems with zones requiring more frequent watering than the biSensor controlled zones utilizing Baseline's Drip Bypass.

(DRIP BYPASS SOLD SEPARATELY)

Option A

Connect wires A and B (red and blue) to the 24V connectors on the sprinkler timer Connect wires C and E (yellow and white) to the common on the sprinkler timer Connect wire D (brown) to the valve common Connect wire F (green) to the valve with the sensor

Soil Moisture

Bypass (allow water)

Hold to adjust Cycle Window

Valve Common Interrupter

www.baselinesystems.com

+

Moisture Threshold/

Cycle Window

-

A - 24 VAC

A - 24 VAC B - 24 VAC

B - 24 VAC

A B C D E F

C - Interrupt 1

Sensor Update

Hold to adjust Threshold

Valve

Valve Active

Active

Allow

Allow Water

Water

C - Interrupt 1 D - Interrupt 2

D - Interrupt 2

D - Interrupt 2 E - Common

E - Common

E - Common F - Sensor

F - Sensor

SPRINKLER TIMER

24V COM 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Connect sensor wires across valve solenoid.

Option B

Connect wires A and B (red and blue) to the 24V connectors on the sprinkler timer Connect wires C and E (yellow and white) to the common on the sprinkler timer Connect wire D (brown) to the valve common Connect wire F (green) to the valve with the sensor

Soil Moisture

Sensor Update

Hold to adjust Threshold

Bypass (allow water)

Hold to adjust Cycle Window

Drip Bypass

www.baselinesystems.com

+

Moisture Threshold/

Cycle Window

-

A - 24 VAC

A - 24 VAC B - 24 VAC

B - 24 VAC

A B C D E F

C - Interrupt 1

Valve

Valve Active

Active

Allow

Allow Water

Water

C - Interrupt 1 D - Interrupt 2

D - Interrupt 2

D - Interrupt 2 E - Common

E - Common

E - Common F - Sensor

F - Sensor

SPRINKLER TIMER

24V COM 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Connect sensor wires across valve solenoid.

6

WaterTec S100 Manual Aug06 Rev. 1

Baseline Systems WaterTec S100 User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual