Types of Rainwater Shut-off Device

Darren Driscoll • October 20, 2014

rainwater shut offIn the past, we’ve talked about pairing a rainwater shut-off device with your sprinkler system in order to conserve water. Today, we wanted to take a moment to discuss the different types of devices you might choose from.

Rain gauge systems – A rain gauge system collects water in a small cup. When the cup fills up, the weight of the water in the cup trips a switch. Once the switch is tripped your sprinkler system gets shut down.

The system is a little bit primative. You would want to place the cup out in the open, far away from anything which might drop debris into it. A single sweet gum ball in the cup could shut down your sprinklers, since weight is weight as far as the sprinkler system is concerned.

Conductive basins – These sensors still use water basins. Two electrodes are positioned in the basin. This time, when the water reaches a certain level it actually completes a circuit which, in turn, shuts off your sprinkler systems.

Again, you’ll want to try to place this somewhere where debris isn’t likely to plunk inside of it. This time the issue isn’t the weight. The debris just raises your water level prematurely.

Hydroscopic disks – These disks are made of a cork-like material that gets bigger when the disk gets wetter. The expansion of the disk flips the switch.

Debris doesn’t have any particular effect when it falls on one of these, since debris isn’t going to make the disk any wetter.

Remember, it’s the law.

Whichever device you choose, remember that you must pair a rainwater shut-off device with your sprinkler system in the Tampa Bay metro area, including Land o’ Lakes , Wesley Chapel, and other parts of our service area.


We don’t sell rainwater shut-off devices. We’re gutter contractors! However, we do care deeply about Florida’s water issues, and we will continue to offer information about water use and conservation here on our blog.

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