Spruce Irrigation

Devices & Integrations
1

Has anyone looked into this smart controller?
Has anyone tried this product yet with Smartthings?
http://www.spruceirrigation.com/order.html

2

Check with @ashutosh1982…

3

Yup works great. Check out this thread Eve/Spruce thread

4

I am using this product and have been working closely with @natec007 to address software issues etc.It is a great product! No issues from hardware perspective and have verified it to be a Zigbee repeater. The smart app needs more polishing and as Inunderstand is under certification with ST. I am sure it will get there.

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5

What do you mean under certification? I thought it was made to integrate with ST.

Really curious how it compares with Rainmaker.

6

I have not used Rain Maker personally, but I think it will be as good, if not better. Only limitation is that its ST only at this point, but functionality wise it offers lot more than some others.

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7

Just wondering if the sensors by themselves integrate with ST without the spruce controller?

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8

Yes they will. But the Spruce Smart app is pretty amazing. My soil moisture has been maintained pretty consistently despite drastic weather changes here in Texas. I strongly recommend the Spruce Controller.

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9

Thanks for the info. I just got the Rach.io controller last spring so I really can’t spring for a new one. The Rach.io is excellent and I can’t wait to see the features they have added this winter, I’m just looking for soil information via ST integration

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10

I agree. Rachio is pretty darn good. It is unfortunate that they have not yet integrated with ST. With Spruce I have use cases like following set up,

  • Pause sprinklers when door is opened (helps me tremendously when I leave my dog out in the yard)
  • Pause sprinklers when someone arrives (we would try to run through the drive way to avoid getting wet)
  • Turn sprinklers ON for 2-3 minutes when there is a Fire Alert from weather station (Texas can get too dry sometimes and there is a risk of fire) - The sprinklers help keep the area damp in such a situation.
  • The Spruce smart app automatically adjusts time per zone based on soil level, local weather conditions, rain forecast etc (I am sure Rachio does that too, except for the soil sensor) - My flower bed is where I have the spruce sensor…they are sensitive to over watering…so it helps tremendously.

Good Luck with your set up!

11

@ashutosh1982 I have been looking all over their website and see you are pausing the sprinklers. I want mine to pause when the show is in use is that easy to set up? I agree its sad Rachio hasnt integrated with us and is also why I am going to get the Spruce.

Another question will it control a master valve?

I too live in Texas in the DFW area so I know how fast we go from flooding rains to extreme droughts.

12

@Intimnasc . Please check out www.smart-dots.com. We offer services on SmartThings Platform within the DFw area and have partnered with Spruce to provide fast track support and competitive pricing. PM me if you would like to learn more.

But essentially you can pause the sprinklers for any event . And set up any other use case too. And yes it supports master valve, we have installed couple of them with master valve.

13

Sweet I dont mind paying for assistance getting things set up Im just moving at a slow pace right now trying to learn my way through. Are you a distributor too or do I need to buy directly from them?

14

We understand that learning is one of the biggest things. We help educate our customers with the best practices and optimal ways of setting things up. And yes, we do sell the products too, And we are dealers for a lot of smart home products. Most of the products we sell are below market retail, as we try to pass on savings to our customers.

15

Hi, Mine is a new house. Need to install a sprinkler system from scratch. I bought smartThings recently. Thinking of buying spruce due to its integration with ST. One question - the spruce irrigation system comes with a controller and sensor. Which product shall I use to lay out the sprinkler system? I mean the water pipes and the sprinklers. Or it doesn’t matter. I saw on Amazon product from ‘rain bird’. Is it compatible, or ot doesn’t matter

16

Spruce is a controller. you can also get soil sensors with it to use. its optional but highly recommended as sensors will let controller know when soil needs moisture.
There are many products available. Rainbird is one of the companies and from what I read they are more oriented towards consumer market. Do you want to do this yourself or hire an irrigation company? I just went through the installation last week and its not that easy. A lot of manual labor. I have a small yard. All together about 800-900 square feet. I setup 4 zones and used subsurface drip irrigation system by netafim for lawn and garden. So to answer your question - it depends on how involved you want to get. provide more information and we can help

As an example - in my installation i had to get a permit for the work. installer ran a new line from the main water line in my house with seperate shutoff valve, backflow preventer, direct burial electrical cable for valves. I watched all the work being done and it would have taken me probably a week or more to do what he did in 2 days. Also depends how comfortable you are doing plumbing work

17

Hi
Indeed I would hire a contractor for this work. My question was related to the compatible sprinklers and irrigation system which would with with spruce controller. Any recommendation?

18

it supports any standard type of sprinklers. I have the following:
-Watts 3/4" PVB backflow device
-netafim cv drip tubing, (pressure regulated and has check valves), .9GPH and fittings
-rainbird valves and pressure regulator 30 PSI.

19

Hey Just got my Spruce Irrigation System in the mail the other day. So far so good. Though I have not tried any of the other Irrigation controllers to compare it against. My biggest qualm is actviating it from the controller itself manually seemed to be a bit buggy. I will also say that the instructions are a little on the light side when it comes to installing it, So I made a quick video about installing it: https://youtu.be/MHmEXASvATs

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20

Hi, I am in DFW area as well (FloMo). Do you sell Spruce?