NOVATO, CA — (Marketwire) — 03/16/12 — ET Water Systems, Inc., the leading innovator in smart irrigation management solutions, today announced a new release of HermitCrab®, the revolutionary retrofit product that converts most brands of conventional irrigation controllers into powerful ET Water smart controllers. HermitCrab® now supports all Weathermatic controllers from the ProLine and SmartLine® families.
With a typical installation time of 10 minutes or less, HermitCrab® plugs into a legacy “host” controller via its remote control access port, then connects wirelessly to ET Water web servers to obtain customized daily watering schedules based on current local weather data, site information, and advanced horticulture algorithms. The weather-adjusted schedule is then communicated to and through the host controller, opening and closing valves to provide the exact amount of water needed to keep landscapes beautiful while conserving water and money.
“We found that for many, upgrading an existing site from legacy controllers to smart controllers was cost-prohibitive,” said Pat McIntyre, ET Water Systems CEO. “To address this problem, we created a retrofit solution that converts existing legacy controllers into powerful ET Water smart controllers for a small fraction of the cost of new installation. Not only that, but the typical HermitCrab® installation time is 10 minutes, so customers can start saving money, water, and labor right away — often enjoying payback within one year of installation.”
HermitCrab® features and benefits include:
Plug-and-Play installation
Self-adjusting, weather-based irrigation scheduling
Capacity of 48 stations, or the maximum of the conventional “host” controller
Reliable and personal customer support from ET Water
Two-way wireless communication for site data and sending alerts
Remote management of multiple controllers across multiple sites
Standard connection for rain sensor
Made in the USA
Three-year limited warranty
With this announcement, HermitCrab® expands its reach to Weathermatic controllers in the ProLine and SmartLine® families, and remains compatible with conventional controllers from Hunter®, Irritrol®, Rain Bird®, Rain Master®, and Superior/Sterling. In addition, HermitCrab® can be used with the ET Water QuickDraw service, allowing users to instantly turn irrigation systems and valves on and off from any Smartphone or tablet.
The new release of HermitCrab® is available now. For pricing and further information please visit or call 800-438-3400.
ET Water is redefining landscape irrigation with patented smart-irrigation solutions for commercial and municipal landscapes. The company–s pioneering products integrate its award-winning web portal with real-time weather data and wirelessly connected smart controllers to create and implement optimal watering schedules, resulting in beautiful landscapes while producing water savings of 20-50%. The powerful, web-based ETwater Manager aggregates key data from multiple sites, enables hands-on management from any remote location, and delivers significant savings not only in water, but in time, money, and labor. ET Water is a private company based in Novato, CA, and manufactures in the U.S. For more information, please visit .
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Jennifer Golbus
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