ETwater said it has released a new and expanded list of compatible controllers for HermitCrab, the retrofit product that converts most brands of conventional irrigation controllers into ETwater smart controllers. HermitCrab now supports Irritrol Total Control-R, Hunter X-Core, Irritrol KwikDial, RainBird ESP-ME, and Toro TIS-PRO, in addition to dozens of other compatible host controllers.
“We often hear from our customers that the labor savings rivals the water savings as the most important benefit of installing HermitCrab,” said ETwater CEO Pat McIntyre. “We are constantly working to increase the number of host controllers compatible with this powerful device so that HermitCrab continues be available to an ever-expanding audience.”
The product is a low-cost, plug and play solution for upgrading conventional controllers to smart irrigation technology. It was developed to help accelerate the adoption of smart irrigation technology at existing landscaped sites, where the cost of “ripping and replacing” an entire system would be cost-prohibitive. With the ETwater HermitCrab, legacy systems can be converted into powerful ETwater smart controllers at a fraction of the cost of a new smart controller, and with an installation time of 10 minutes, according to the company. The newly upgraded system includes the ETwater system, with real-time remote management from any computer, tablet or smartphone.
“HermitCrab has been remarkably well received in the market since it was introduced in 2011,” McIntyre said. “In addition to system retrofits, it is extremely popular with our landscape management clients who can manage multiple sites with multiple brands of controllers from a single dashboard by installing HermitCrab at all of their client sites.”
Additional HermitCrab features include documented water savings of 20-50%; self-adjusting, weather-based watering schedules; 48 station-capacity, or the maximum of the conventional “host” controller; standard connection for rain sensor; eligibility for rebates from many water agencies; made in America and a three-year limited warranty.
The HermitCrab is compatible with most models of conventional controllers that have a port for a digital wireless remote, including controllers from Hunter, Irritrol, Rain Bird, Rain Master, Weathermatic controllers in the ProLine and SmartLine families and Superior/Sterling, the company said.
