2/16/2012 6:02 AM
We just installed a brand new Rain Bird decoder system in 2009 and I absolutely love it. And yes Mel, you can just add a head where you want and connect it to the two wire. Then you just have to add the address into your central and your done. I also have a rain bird pump station and the whole system has been extremely reliable and does a fantastic job. The Rain Bird Software is very user friendly and will really do some amazing things, plus by having the rain bird pumpstation and Rain Bird Smart pump, I have true immediate two way communication between the central and the pumps. If something is not right, Rain Bird has the ability to sense it and shut down the system. I can even see everything the system is doing on my iphone.
I truly love not having satellites on the course and the Rain Bird Freedom radio system works great. I previously had a Toro System and I believe the performance of the Rain Bird heads is better. Why? First off, they are built like a tank and the days of broken tops and top flanges are gone (still exists with Toro), they never plug up due to a self flush every time they come on, they are top serviceable except for the solenoid, and you do not have to isolate the system to change the solenoid. We have a river water supply and when it rains it gets very dirty and the Toro heads used to malfunction and need constant attention to work correctly (stick on, stop rotating,etc), we have not had those issues at all in the three years we have run the new Rain Bird system. They have a dynamite head.
I have had all three major brands of pumpstations and I would not hesitate to recommend the Rain Bird pumps as well. As complex as the system is, it is still rather easy to understand and service. The finish is all powder coat, so it still looks like it did when it got here. No chaulking, no rust, just a nice performing, great looking station.