If you have a pond or a cistern that is fed from an external water source, you can use a Baseline biSensor moisture sensor with your Baseline controller to monitor the water level in a pond or cistern and turn on a valve when the water drops below a specified level. Then, simply program the controller for the run time required to refill the pond or a cistern from a depleted level.

Step 1 
Determining the acceptable low water level in the reservoir, and calculating refill time

Determine how low you want the water level to be when it needs to start refilling. Use the height of the water in the reservoir rather than a measured quantity. You will position the biSensor in the tank at this level. When the reservoir is at the refill level, turn on the water supply and record the amount of time that it takes to fill. Note If you are irrigating from reservoir while it is filling, refer to our recommendations for Irrigating from a Pond or Cistern.

Step 2 
Installing the biSensor in the Reservoir

Take note of the serial number of the biSensor that you are installing in the reservoir. You will need this number when you program the controller.

For best results, position the biSensor vertically in the reservoir. It doesn’t matter which end is up, but mount the sensor so the wires can be routed out of the reservoir. Make sure that at least half of the biSensor blade is below the water at the depletion level.

Mount the biSensor securely so it does not move. Variations in the position of the biSensor will result in erratic behavior.

Follow the wiring instructions in the biSensor installation guide to connect the biSensor to the two-wire path or to the biSensor ports on the controller or on the powered biCoder.

Make sure that you maintain polarity on the wire connections.

Fasten the wiring with wire nuts, and then test communication with the controller before you complete the installation with waterproof connectors.

Step 3
Assigning the biSensor and Taking the Depleted Level Reading

Assign the biSensor

1.  On the BaseStation 3200 controller, turn the dial to the Start, Stop, Pause position.

2.  Press the Next or Previous button to highlight the Moisture Control Setup option.

3.  Press the Enter button. The Moisture Sensors screen displays.

4.  In the Program column, press the  +  button to move to the program number that you assigned to the biCoder for the valve that fills the reservoir.

5.  Press the Next button to highlight Search.

6.  Press the Enter button to search for biSensors. The serial numbers of the biSensors are shown in the Moisture Sensors column.

7.  Press the  +  or  –  button to highlight the serial number of the biSensor that you installed in the reservoir.

Take a biSensor Reading

1.  When the reservoir is at the level where it should be refilled, turn the dial on the controller to the Self Test position.

2.  Press the Next or Previous button to select Test Single Two-wire Device, and then press the Enter button.

3.  In the Device to Test column, press the  +  or  –  button to select the serial number of the biSensor that you installed in the reservoir.

4.  Press the Enter button to test the biSensor. The test results display the moisture percentage.

5.  Write down the moisture reading.

6.  Turn the dial to the RUN position.

Step 4
Programming the Controller to Open the Valve for the Water Supply

Designate a Valve and a Program to Fill the Reservoir

1.  On the BaseStation 3200 controller, with the dial in the Assign position and the biCoders list displayed, press the  +  or  –  button to select the serial number of the biCoder for the valve that fills the reservoir.

2.  Press the Next or Previous button to move to the Zone Assignments column and select an available zone number.

3.  Press the Enter button to assign the selected biCoder to that zone number. Make sure that you remember the zone number.

4.  Turn the dial to the Zones position. The Zones screen displays for the first zone.

5.  In the Zone field, press the  +  or  –  button to select the zone for the valve that fills the reservoir.

6.  Press the Previous button to move to the Program field. Select a program number that is not used for any other watering.

7.  Press the Next button to move to the Zone Mode field, and then press the  +  or  –  button until Timed displays in the field.

8.  Press the Next button to move to the Water Time field. Enter enough time for the valve to fill the reservoir.

• To change the value in the hours place, press the + button.
  
  
• To change the value in the minutes place, press the Next button, and then press the  + or  –  button.
  
  

9.  Press the Next button to move to the Cycle Time field. Make sure this field is set to 0:00.

10.  Press the Next button to move to the Soak Time field. Make sure this field is set to 0:00.

11.  Press the Next button to move to the Flow field. If you know the gallons per minute flow for this zone, you can press the  +  or  –  button to enter it in this field. If you don’t know the flow, you can learn flow for the zone. Refer to Learning Flow in the BaseStation 3200 User Manual.

12.  Press the Next button to move to the Enabled field, and then press the  +  or  –  button to toggle between YES and NO. Set the value to YES.

13.  When you have finished making changes, turn the dial to the RUN position.

Configure the Start Condition

1.  On the BaseStation 3200 controller, turn the dial to the Start, Stop, Pause position.

2.  Press the Next or Previous button to highlight the Moisture Control Setup option.

3.  Press the Enter button. The Moisture Sensors screen displays.

4.  In the Program column, press the  +  button to highlight the program number that you assigned to the biCoder for the valve that fills the reservoir.

5.  Press the Next button to move to the Moisture Sensors column. Press the  +  button to highlight the serial number of the biSensor that you installed in the reservoir.

6.  Press the Next button to move to the Enable column of the Start field. Press the  +  button to set the value to Below.

7.  Press the Next button to move to the Value column of the Start field. Press the  +  button to enter the refill moisture reading that you wrote down from the biSensor test.

8.  Press the Next button to move to the Enable column of the Stop field. Make sure the value is set to OFF.

9.  Press the Next button to move to the Enable column of the Pause field. Make sure the value is set to OFF.

10.  When you have finished making changes, turn the dial to the RUN position.

When the biSensor reading matches the value that you entered in the Start field, the controller will start the valve that fills the reservoir and display a message on the Run Status screen.

Troubleshooting

If you set up your BaseStation 3200 controller according to these instructions and your system is not working as expected, review the following issues:

Issue
The moisture sensor is behaving erratically.

Make sure that the moisture sensor is securely mounted in the reservoir. If the water movement in the reservoir causes the sensor to move, the sensor will behave erratically.

Issue
The reservoir is over filling.

Make sure that the run time for the zone is accurate based on the fill rate. Make sure that the zone does not have a run time in another program.

Issue
The reservoir is going dry.

Make sure that the moisture sensor didn’t move.

Make sure the zone that is designated to fill the reservoir is enabled.

If there is a master valve on the water source used to fill the reservoir, make sure that the master valve turns on when the zone runs.

Make sure that enough water remains in the reservoir below the depletion level to allow time for the controller to read the sensor and respond. The required quantity of reserved water will vary depending on the following factors:

• Whether the moisture sensor is connected over two-wire or conventional wire
  
  
• Whether water is being drawn from the reservoir while it is being filled
  
  
• The flow rate for the fill and the flow rate for the depletion (if applicable)