Irrigation & Lighting Blog

Field notes on Hunter irrigation, FX Luminaire lighting, and the jobs that keep both working — best practices, product updates, and contractor news.

best practices

Head-to-Head Coverage Is Still Non-Negotiable

Dry wedges between sprays are a design miss, not a runtime problem. Space to the published radius, then adjust nozzles — do not just add minutes.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

August 4, 2026

spacing design sprinklers

contractor news

August Push: Book Fall Lighting Service Before Evenings Get Busy

Service companies that fill September in August stop racing the dark with unfinished punch lists.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

July 28, 2026

seasonal service fx-luminaire

hunter products

Hunter EZ Decoder Retrofits: When Two-Wire Beats Re-Pulling 18/1

Long wire pulls through finished landscape favor decoder systems. Budget the module count and grounding correctly.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

July 21, 2026

ez-decoder two-wire hunter

fx products

FX Color-Changing: Rarely for the Whole Yard, Sometimes for the Focal Point

RGB on every path light looks like a theme park. One controlled accent on a fountain or art piece can be enough.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

July 14, 2026

rgb fx-luminaire design

best practices

Watering Restrictions: A Controller Playbook That Keeps Lawns Legal

Odd/even days, time-of-day windows, and zone priorities — program the panel to match the ordinance, then tell the owner in writing.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

July 7, 2026

restrictions compliance controllers

landscape lighting

String Trimmers vs FX Path Lights: Spec Stakes and Educate Mow Crews

Most "defective" path lights we see were hit by a trimmer. Mulch rings and taller stakes reduce the carnage.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

June 30, 2026

maintenance path-lights fx-luminaire

best practices

Midsummer Nozzle Cleaning: Five Minutes per Zone

Grit turns a perfect spring startup into July dry spots. Carry a nozzle puller and a soft brush on every mow-adjacent service.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

June 23, 2026

maintenance nozzles summer

hunter products

Hunter Solar Sync Placement: Sun Wins, Eaves Lose

A Solar Sync under a deep porch roof reports a different planet than the lawn lives on. Mount it where the landscape actually gets weather.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

June 16, 2026

solar-sync sensors hunter

contractor news

June Cash Flow: Deposits on Lighting Packages That Actually Stick

Material-heavy FX jobs need deposits sized to the fixture order, not a token 10% that leaves you financing the warehouse.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

June 9, 2026

business contractors fx-luminaire

fx products

FX Transformer GFCI Nuisance Trips: Moisture and Shared Loads

A wet connector or a shared holiday circuit trips GFCIs. Dry connections and dedicated outlets fix most "transformer is dead" tickets.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

June 2, 2026

gfci transformers troubleshooting

best practices

Early Heat Waves: Cycle and Soak Before You Add Minutes Blindly

Doubling runtime on clay just makes runoff. Split the cycle, keep the total water, and watch the gauge.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

May 26, 2026

heat cycle-soak water-conservation

hunter products

When a Site Outgrows Residential Controllers: Hunter ACC2 Territory

HOAs, schools, and big campuses need flow monitoring and station counts residential panels do not love. ACC2 is the step up.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

May 19, 2026

acc2 commercial hunter

landscape lighting

Controlling FX Spotlight Glare with Aim and Shields

Hex louvers and careful knuckle angle fix more glare calls than swapping to a weaker lamp.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

May 12, 2026

glare fx-luminaire accessories

best practices

Establishment Watering for May Plantings Without Drowning Roots

New shrubs need frequent shallow cycles at first, then deeper less often. Separate temporary drip from the mature turf zone.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

May 5, 2026

establishment drip planting

hunter products

Hydrawise Offline Realities on Flaky Rural Internet

Controllers still water from the last schedule if the cloud drops. Explain that clearly so owners do not assume the system "died" when the ISP hiccups.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

April 28, 2026

hydrawise connectivity hunter

best practices

Matched Precipitation Without the Textbook Lecture

If every head on a zone puts water down at roughly the same rate, wet and dry stripes disappear. That is the whole idea.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

April 21, 2026

matched-precipitation design sprinklers

fx products

FX Copper and Brass Aging: Set Expectations Before Patina Starts

Living finishes change. Show a weathered sample photo so nobody thinks the fixture "rusted" six months in.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

April 14, 2026

finishes fx-luminaire sales

contractor news

A 20-Minute Irrigation Audit You Can Sell Every April

Catch broken heads, sunken rotors, and misaimed nozzles before summer heat makes brown spots into emergency calls.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

April 7, 2026

audit contractors spring

hunter products

Hunter PGJ Rotors on Small Turf Panels

When sprays mist and full-size rotors are overkill, PGJ fills the gap on compact lawns and islands.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

March 31, 2026

pgj rotors hunter

landscape lighting

Zoning FX Lighting for Control: Why One Giant Circuit Gets Old

Separate path, wash, and accent onto different switches or smart relays. Guests do not need the security wash at dinner intensity.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

March 24, 2026

zoning controls fx-luminaire

contractor news

Truck Stock: The Hunter Nozzle Assortment That Prevents Second Trips

A labeled nozzle tree with MP and spray favorites pays for itself the first week of spring startups.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

March 17, 2026

truck-stock nozzles hunter

best practices

Spring Startup: Clean the Valve Box Before You Blame the Solenoid

Mud, roots, and a floating wire nut explain more "dead zones" than failed coils. Ten minutes with a scoop saves a parts run.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

March 10, 2026

valves maintenance spring-startup

fx products

FX Step Lights on Decks: Light the Tread, Not the Neighbor

Low glare step fixtures prevent falls. Shielded FX options keep the beam on the board, not in the upstairs condo window across the fence.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

March 3, 2026

step-lights fx-luminaire safety

best practices

Soil Moisture Sensors: Honest Expectations for Residential Sites

One probe in one bed does not represent the whole yard. Use sensors as a zone-level brain, not a magic whole-property solution.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

February 24, 2026

soil-moisture sensors water-conservation

hunter products

Hunter HCC vs Pro-HC for Larger Homes

Both speak Hydrawise. Station count, expansion, and indoor/outdoor cabinet choices decide the bid — not the marketing page.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

February 17, 2026

hcc pro-hc hydrawise

landscape lighting

A Two-Hour Patio Lighting Refresh Before Entertaining Season

Replace failed lamps, re-aim the two spots on the dining area, and add one path light where guests actually walk — not where the plan said they would.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

February 10, 2026

patio fx-luminaire service

contractor news

When Jobsite Wi-Fi Fails: Bluetooth Programming Still Closes the Ticket

Hydrawise needs network. NODE-BT and some FX setup flows do not. Carry both workflows so you are not stuck in a dead zone.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

February 3, 2026

bluetooth jobsite hunter

best practices

Pressure Reg at the Head vs the Zone: Pick One Strategy

Regulated spray bodies fix single-head misting. Zone regulators help whole laterals. Using both without a plan stacks pressure loss.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

January 27, 2026

pressure spray-heads design

fx products

Soft Wall Wash on Stone: FX Optics That Do Not Flatten Texture

A hard flood kills the shadow lines that make stone worth lighting. Graze from below or use a wider soft wash from a short setback.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

January 20, 2026

wall-wash fx-luminaire architecture

hunter products

Hunter MP Strip Nozzles for Narrow Parkways

Left strip, right strip, and side strips cover those skinny turf ribbons without drowning the sidewalk. Aim carefully — overspray onto pavement wastes everything.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

January 13, 2026

mp-rotator strip-nozzles hunter

best practices

After the First Thaw: Walk the System Before You Energize Zones

Sun on a south wall does not mean the north laterals are clear of ice. Pressurize slowly and listen.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

January 6, 2026

spring-startup seasonal irrigation

contractor news

January Planning: Which Hunter and FX SKUs Move First in Spring

Rotors, PGV rebuild kits, WAND modules, path lights, and transformer fuses — stock the boring parts before the rush, not only the new headline products.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

December 30, 2025

inventory hunter fx-luminaire

contractor news

A Short Holiday Shutdown Note Worth Sending Every Service Customer

One email prevents "why did my system run during the freeze" tickets. Templates beat improvising on December 23.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

December 23, 2025

contractors customer-service seasonal

landscape lighting

Year-End Maintenance Pass on FX Landscape Lighting

Clean lenses, re-seat connectors, check transformer taps, and replace the two fixtures that have been flickering since October.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

December 16, 2025

maintenance fx-luminaire service

hunter products

Hunter Flow Sync Basics: Catching Leaks Before the Water Bill Does

Flow sensors paired with compatible Hunter controllers flag high and low flow. Setup takes patience; false alarms usually mean bad baselines.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

December 9, 2025

flow-sync leak-detection hunter

best practices

December Controller Checks: Clock, Backup Battery, and Holiday Schedules

Power blips reset cheap timers. Before year-end parties, verify the clock, replace weak backup batteries, and pause zones under temporary décor.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

December 2, 2025

controllers maintenance seasonal

fx products

FX Brass vs Composite: Where Each Finish Belongs

Brass holds up in premium front-of-house work. Composite and aluminum have a place on rentals and high-abuse side yards. Match the fixture to the traffic.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

November 25, 2025

fx-luminaire materials specifying

best practices

Drip vs Micro-Spray Along Foundation Beds

Drip keeps water at the root ball and off the siding. Micro-spray is faster to install and easier to clog with hard water. Pick based on plant type and water quality.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

November 18, 2025

drip beds water-efficiency

contractor news

Train the Crew to Aim at Night — Daylight Aiming Lies

Fixtures aimed at 2 p.m. glare at 8 p.m. Budget a dusk return trip on every lighting install, even if it means overtime.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

November 11, 2025

contractors training landscape-lighting

hunter products

Field Tips for Dialing Hunter I-20 Rotor Arcs

Right-side fixed, left-side adjustable — until someone forces it the wrong way and breaks the trip. Slow down and feel the mechanism.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

November 4, 2025

i-20 rotors hunter

best practices

Low-Voltage Cable Depth: Code Minimums vs What Survives a Shovel

Six inches might meet local practice for landscape cable. It will not survive an enthusiastic gardener with a spade. Sleeve crossings and mark the runs.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

October 28, 2025

wiring low-voltage fx-luminaire

hunter products

Hydrawise Seasonal Adjust vs Weather Intelligence: Use Both, Not One

Manual seasonal adjust is a blunt dial. Weather Intelligence trims runtimes from local data. Pros who only use one leave water (or brown lawn) on the table.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

October 21, 2025

hydrawise water-conservation hunter

landscape lighting

Uplighting Trees with FX Spots Without Hotspots on the Trunk

Aim past the bark. Grazing the trunk from two feet away turns a nice oak into a flashlight prop. Pull back and feather the beam into the canopy.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

October 14, 2025

uplighting fx-luminaire design

best practices

Wiring a Hunter Rain-Clik Without Creating a Mystery Outage

A rain sensor that is wired to the wrong terminals looks like a dead controller. Label the SEN terminals and test with a jumper before you leave.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

October 7, 2025

rain-clik sensors hunter

landscape lighting

Warm vs Cool LED Outdoors: Pick a Temperature and Stick to It

Mixing 2700K path lights with 4000K floods makes the yard look unfinished. FX fixtures in one color temperature read as a single design.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

September 30, 2025

led color-temperature fx-luminaire

hunter products

Where Hunter NODE-BT Earns Its Keep (and Where It Does Not)

Battery controllers shine on isolated valves and parkways without power. They are the wrong tool for a 12-zone house that already has a wall panel.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

September 23, 2025

node-bt battery hunter

best practices

Fall Blowout Checklist: What We Tell Homeowners Before the First Hard Freeze

Compressed air clears the laterals. It does not fix a cracked valve you ignored in July. Walk the system once before you rent the compressor.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

September 16, 2025

winterization blowout seasonal

fx products

FX Transformer Load Budget: Do the Watt Math Before You Open the Box

LED fixtures draw less than halogen ever did, but long runs and future add-ons still eat capacity. We leave headroom on every FX transformer we size.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

September 9, 2025

transformers fx-luminaire low-voltage

best practices

Sizing Hunter PGV Valves on Residential Manifolds

Most house manifolds are fine on 1-inch PGV. The mistakes show up when someone upsizes the valve and forgets the meter and service line still choke flow.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

September 2, 2025

pgv valves hunter

contractor news

How Pros Are Packaging Landscape Lighting Quotes This Season

Itemized fixture lists invite cherry-picking. Package pricing around scenes — entry, entertaining, security — keeps the job and the margin intact.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

August 26, 2025

contractors quoting fx-luminaire

hunter products

Adding a Hunter WAND Module to an X2: What Changes for the Homeowner

The X2 stays a solid offline timer until you clip on WAND. Then Hydrawise takes the schedule. Here is the install sequence we use on service calls.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

August 19, 2025

wand x2 hydrawise

landscape lighting

FX Path Light Spacing That Does Not Look Like an Airport Runway

Even spacing on paper reads as a dotted line at night. We use staggered setbacks and mixed heights so walkways feel lit, not lined up.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

August 12, 2025

fx-luminaire path-lights design

best practices

MP Rotator vs Spray Heads: When a Swap Actually Pays Off

Spray nozzles put down water fast. MP Rotators stretch the same zone longer and cut runoff on slopes. Here is how we decide which stays in the ground.

Hunter Irrigation Supply

August 5, 2025

mp-rotator sprinklers hunter