MISTING CONTROLLERS with IRRIGATION mode
Solar 6i, Solar 12i and Solar 16i

This solar sensor drives the misting as shown to the right. Note the automatic adjustment of the mist interval with change in weather/sunlight. Solar Counts come most quickly in the middle of a sunny day and more slowly on cloudy days or at the ends of day. We call this Variable Solar Misting.

The benefits of Variable Solar Misting are reduced disease, quicker rooting, less runoff, less labor used in adjusting timers and less chemical leaching.

Switching a zone between misting and irrigation is easy. This feature reduces labor in moving pots to different benches as plants mature. This MIST/IRRIGATE decision is chosen for each zone. In the picture below, you can see that Zone 3 is put in MIST mode while Zone5 is put in the IRRIGATE mode. The Irrigation Mode is discussedonthe right.

You can also see that Zone3 is set to mist DAY & NIGHT. Z3 will mist 8+2 seconds x10 equals 100 seconds. The REPEAT interval for Zone3 is set to repeat every 16+8 Solar Units. Nighttime misting is discussed below.

If you have water pressure problems, call us. We have solutions.

Irrigation Mode....... To get a valve to irrigate, push-on the MIST/Irr switch as shown for Z5 in the photo to the left. Then push-on switches for the desired hours (7am, 1pm and 4pm irrigation hours chosen below).

The duration of irrigation is the sum of the counts in both the SECS and REPEAT switches. So Z5 will irrigation 4 minutes and 20 seconds. Note the X10 switch is ignored in the Z5 in the Irrigation Mode. Only the counts are used for irrigation, not the multipliers.

Misting has priority over irrigation. So in the middle of irrigating Z5 at 1pm, Z5 may be stopped to mist some valves. Z5 will get all the water requested, but all irrigation may not occur continuously.

The mini-Solar controllers have all the benefits of the i-series. Limitations are that all mist valves have the same SEC-ON and REPEAT INTERVAL and there is no Irrigation mode. The 8-valve controller sequences through the valves with a 6-sec delay between each valve. Nighttime Repeat can be set at 1, 2, 4 hours and the sum of these hours.

The Solar 3B mist controller has all the benefits of the i-series. All mist valves allow individual setting of SEC-ON and REPEAT INTERVAL. The controller mists only one valve at a time with a 6-sec delay between each valve.

Nighttime Repeat can be set at 1/4, 1/2, 1, 2, 4 and 8 hours and the sum of these hours. A thermostat input makes this controller very good for fog systems. When the thermostat contact closes, the Repeat Interval can be shortened by 5%, 10%, 20% and the sum of these.

The DE8PR2 mist controller is time-based, not solar-based. The DE8PR2 uses HOT/ COOL hour definition to give adjustment of Repeat Intervals as shown below. All mist valves allow individual setting of SEC-ON and REPEAT INTERVAL. Only one valve will run at a time. Nighttime misting can be set every hour.

Temperature Controllers: Multi-stage thermostats with DIF

The Tstat24 controls 2 stages of heating, 4 stages of cooling and Circulation (HAF). The HAF can be set to run until either the C1 or C2 stage is reached. The Delay-Between- Stages is set at 15 seconds but may be increased from 1 to 7 minutes.
The precision of the Tstat 24 will eliminate the first stage of heating and the first stage of cooling running at the same time which is a common wasteful problem with separate mechanical thermostats.
The Temperature Reference is set. Then temperature steps are set between this Reference and each heating and cooling stage. These temperature steps are illustrated by the white boxes on the face of the Tstat24. You may write your settings inside these white boxes.

The DIFtrol23 and DIFtrol24 easily impliment the DIF temperature profile pioneed at Michigan State Univeristy and shown to the right. Three Temperature References are set by the grower. The Solar Sensor detects the graying of the eastern sky each morning and synchronizes the DIFtrollers to advance through the three Temperature References. The heating and cooling stages adjust around each Temperature Reference as described in the Tstat24 write-up.
DIFtol23 controls 2 stages of heating, 3 stages of cooling and Circulation (HAF). The Delay-Between- Stages is set a 15 seconds but may be increased from 1 to 7 minutes.
DIFtol24A controls 2 stages of heating, 4 stages of cooling and Circulation (HAF). The Delay-Between- Stages is set at 15 seconds but may be increased from 1 to 7 minutes.
The DIFtrol24A has its entire operating insructions printed on the faceplate. The precision of the DIFtrollers will eliminate the first stage of heating and first stage of cooling running at the same time which is a common problem with separate mechanical thermostats.

The Relay Box-120VAC has a cable that connects to the Tstat24 or DIFtrollers. The relays in this controller have 1P2T contacts rated at 30 amps. Both heating stages can control 2 heaters. Up to 4 heaters may be controlled.
The Relay Box-240VAC has a cable that connects to the Tstat24 or DIFtrollers. The relays in this controller have 2P1T contacts rated at 30 amps. Both heating stages can control 2 heaters. Up to 4 heaters may be controlled.
Humidity control is a problem in many greenhouses, especially in the snow belt in winter and fall. Rather than using the large exhaust fans designed for summer cooling to de-humidify, this simple method uses a small 12� fan and 2 simple exhaust vents which will never ice-close.

The 2 air inlet and air outlet ducts are fabricated from the flue vents used to exhaust gas heaters. The 2 vents in the drawing to the right are shown pointing down. This downward direction traps the warm air inside the greenhouse until the 12� fan is activated. The position of the vents at the top of the greenhouse assures that the air with the most moisture is exhausted.

A Honeywell dehumidification controller # H46E1013 (or similar device) can be set at 20% to 80%Rh and placed high near the exhaust fan to cycle the 12� fan On-Off to maintain healthy conditions. This slow, steady method of reducing humidity is much better than using large fans and side vents which dump large amounts of very cold winter air onto plants. Also, since these ducts are open, ice-buildup on louvres will never be an obstacle to dehumidification. Since they are high, the cold air mixes slowly from the small 12" inlet flue vent.

Return to Home Page