Contech CRO101 Scarecrow Motion Activated Sprinkler
by Contech
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List Price: Our Price: $34.99 You Save: $25.00 (42%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Lawn & Patio See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Contech CRO101 Scarecrow Motion Activated Sprinkler
Customer Review: Keeps the deer from eating all of our flowers before they bloom
Summary: 5 Stars
We have a wooded area 30ft behind our hillside where we planted a dozen tiger lillies, Hostas ... spaced around 5ft apart to line a 70 to 80 ft long wall 4 ft high. On the hillside above the wall and the plants we have a ~20ft by 85ft bed of birdsfoot trefoil. The first year we got the plants when they were in bloom but for the two years after that the deer (several dozen live in the neighborhood) have managed to eat nearly every bud on the plants before they have been able to bloom. We first bought the deer off spray but this was not very effective and we had to reapply after every rainfall.
Then we installed motion sensing lights on the house which is about 20ft from the wall. The lights startle the deer and alerts us of their presence but does not keep them away. I have even gone out to chase them away at 1:30AM. After the failure with the lights we tried the deer sonic repellent product. We did not test that long because it kept going off during the day and it was audible and very annoying to humans.
After that we created a 3 foot high fence out of posts and strung heavy fishing line between the posts. That did not work. They jumped the fence with ease. After that we purchased the large plant protector bags. This stopped the deer from eating the flowers but was a lot of work because we had to cover the plants each night and uncover them in the morning. On the days that we did not get there by 8 PM (on a rainy day) we still got some plant damage not to mention that this method did not stop them from eating and trampling through the birds foot.
Finally we tried this product and after strategically placing 4 of these we have not seen a single deer on the hillside. We have not had any damage to our plants and we do not see the motion sensing lights on any more. They did go off a few times the first few days when the system was just installed. To get a better idea about the traffic we had last year a few nights I have stayed up to try to scare them away and I would have 12 different sets of 1 to 6 deer came though setting off the motion sensing light over a 6 hour period.
Right now with the scarecrows installed since spring the hostas and tiger lilles are both in bloom now for the first time in the last 3 seasons so they are doing their job well unlike everything else we tried.. There are however a few issues with the scarecrows. They eat 9V batteries for breakfast (5 weeks or so between replacing). I think the main reason is the sun sets them off repeatedly depending on the angle of the sun. They do not have a light sensor so I can not have them on only during the night. For the moment we have bought a couple of those 10 packs of 9V batteries. I am going to first verify that this keeps them out for a whole season before I try high capacity rechargeables or some other solution I can come up with. The batteries need the full 9V and if they get below 6V the duration of the spray goes down to 2 seconds so it may not be effective. We turn the water off in the morning and on in the night to avoid them from going off during the day or accidentally getting the next door neighbor.
I mentioned the sun setting them off draining the batteries so I should explain. They the valve still opens even if there is no water in the hose so the power still gets drained from the batteries. We can hear a clicking noise when the valve opens. This noise is not too loud or anything. To connect this up I purchased two new 125ft hoses and bought metal connectors (the plastic ones did not work) so that I can cut the hoses to exact lengths between the 4 scarecrows. On the end closest to the house we have a quick connect so that I can remove the hose to mow the lawn. I plan to replace this with plastic pipes if all goes well this fall.
Also we originally planned for an automatic timed system but we have not set this up yet. Most (if not all) of the hose timers make it difficult to set a watering duration longer than 2 hours. You can use multiple watering cycles to solve this but some do not like to start 1 cycle on the same minute the last ends. From 3 months of use I can see that we can afford a minute or so of the water being off during cycle changeovers. The 200ft+ of hose we have installed retains pressure for a few activations..
I think its time to end here. If anyone has questions I can try to answer..
Customer Review: Great product!
Summary: 5 Stars
What a great product! It works great! I haven't found anything that works better or is more humane to protect my garden and lawn.
The neighborhood cats were using my lawn and garden as their personal litter box. This infuriated me. I didn't know what to do to get rid of them. I tried using a foul smelling spray to keep the cats way, but the deposit from the local cat that I found in my garden the day after I sprayed told me I needed to try something else. I surfed the Net and discovered the Scarecrow.
Does it work? Let me put it this way: the next morning after I installed the Scarecrow, I heard it activate. I quickly looked out my window to see a cat scurry across my yard like a bolt of lightning. The Scarecrow had definately done its job. I continue to hear the Scarecrow activate intermittently against all types of animal intruders, protecting my garden from all who threaten it. I'm impressed.
Are there problems with the Scarecrow sprinkler system? Sure, but they're minor.
First, it is difficult to control the distance water is sprayed. I live in the city and I have to be very careful how I position the unit. It just misses spraying into my neighbor's yard. The unit will activate when my neighbor is close to his fence and sends a jet of water his way which just misses him. That can be quite threatening to a friendly neighbor. Fortunately, I took the time to explain my problem and the Scarecrow to my neighbor. He understands my situation and is not bothered too much by the Scarecrow attacks.
Second, you can't control the range of the Scarecrow sensor to any great degree. The sensor covers a range. You can't adjust the sensor to cover say an area only 10ft long and nothing more. Hence, the problem mentioned previously with my neighbor comming too close to the fense and activating the sensor.
Third, the unit is made entirely of plastic. What more needs to be said of plastic.
Fourth, the unit leaks water where the hose connects into it. You will need to use Pipe Joint on the hose threads to stop the leak. Make sure you buy the Pipe Joint made for plastic pipes and hose.
Fifth and finally, the Scarecrow ties up your hose and water supply. I solved this problem quickly and easily by buying a quick-change hose adapter. This allows me to disconnect the hose from my Scarecrow and connect the hose to whatever accessory I may need. For instance, I'll disconnect the hose from the Scarecrow and reconnect the hose to my sprinkler using the quick release and then water my lawn. I'll just as easily disconnect the hose from the sprinkler and reconnect it to the Scarecrow. All within a second or two. It's very easy.
The problems that I've mentioned may sound major, but they really aren't. They are simple minor issues to be dealt with. Cats deficating in my garden was a much more tramatic issue for me. Not knowing what to do to humanely stop the cats made the trama even worse. The Scarecrow solves that problem nicely for me.
Take a chance on the Scarecrow. I highly recommend it.
Customer Review: It Actually Works!
Summary: 5 Stars
We bought the Scarecrow because of the problems we had with our neighbors cats. The cats would come into our yard and use it as their litterbox. We live in Arizona and have a gravel backyard, so it could easily be mistaken for a litterbox by a cat.
We had tried many remedies prior to purchasing this device. The internet was a wealth of knowledge on what to do for cat problems. Most of them had some degree of effectivness but none of the solutions were long lasting. The pepper would blow away in the wind, the tabasco would wash off in the rain.
We ordered the Scarecrow from the Amazon approved dealer because we have had very positive results when ordering from Amazon and their affiliated partners. The cost was a bit higher but the piece of mind was worth it.
When the device arrived we immediately set it up in the backyard. Remember that you need one 9 volt battery for the sensor to work. The device works by reading a range of almost 180 degrees with a sensitivity knob so it won't fire and shoot a stream of water if a leaf blows by. The sprinkler head is adjustable both to horizontal range as well as vertical range. I set the device to fire just at the about the top level of our brick fence so as not to soak my neighbors yard. She was told about the sprinkler also so if her cats came home wet, she would know why.
The Scarecrow did a great job of keeping the cats out of our yard. I was very impressed with it. I never heard it fire but left the hose attached and the device on all the time for the first week. The connections were tight and did not leak. The spike on the bottom of the device was strong enough and sturdy enough to survive being pounded into the tough Arizona ground. I didn't put the funky stickers on though. I figured if it was that easy to scare the cats, I could just put a drawing outside; besides the strong Arizona sun would just bake them off.
In very short order the problems we had in that section of our yard were gone. The problem though, is cats are not as stupid as one would hope. The cats just cut through the front yard and hopped the fence on the other side of the yard and did their business there which would necessitate the purchase of a second Scarecrow. We moved away from Arizona prior to purchasing a second Scarecrow but I am sure that it would have proven as successful as the first.
Our water bill remained the same since the Scarecrow only fires for short bursts and the cats won't stay in range that long.
Overall, very worth the cost. This is one device that works as well, if not better, than it is supposed to. I would not hesitate to recommend this device to anyone with animal or pest problems. It is safe, non-toxic and user friendly. Your neighbors who own the pests should not be upset with wet animals and it is better than neighborly discord.
Customer Review: Works perfectly!
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this recently when my new neighbors cats decided that my veggie garden would make a good litterbox. After wasting my time and money on motion activated lights and noisemakers that the cats ignored, I stuck a Scarecrow in the yard and my problems went away overnight. The cats wander in, get blasted, and run away unhappy. My neighbor even came over and had the audacity to COMPLAIN that I was squirting her cats! As an added bonus, the Scarecrow also chases off the birds that have been nibbling at my berry bushes and strawberries for years. The only thing it doesn't chase off is my dog, who takes almost as much pleasure in setting it off as my four year old son does!
The Scarecrow does have a couple of minor annoyances. First, it's very easy to forget that it's there, and you'll need to warn any visitors to your property about it. I've been blasted a few times and laughed it off, but my exterminator didn't find it the experience nearly as funny as I did. Also, the Scarecrow does suffer from quite a few "false alarms". A breeze causing nearby bushes to sway will set it off, as will insects crawling on or near the motion sensor. The brief blast doesn't waste much water, but I had to reposition mine twice to find a spot that wasn't bothered by a lot of "bush noise".
Next, you WILL need to check your local laws and make sure you're not violating any outdoor watering regulations. I live in an area with strictly enforced outdoor watering regulations, and was quickly visited by a code enforcement officer for "watering" on no-water days (I suspect that the cat lady complained). The code officer was fascinated by the Scarecrow and we spent quite a bit of time discussing and playing with it (he said he was going to buy two for his house!), but he did state that it was a violation to turn it on during a no-water day. I ended up coupling mine to a valve timer to disable it on no-water days. Cat's don't know their days of the week, and won't know when the Scarecrow is active and when it's not. That cost a bit more money, but it beat racking up $75 fines.
Finally, this does have an impact sprinkler head on top, and they are notorious for splashing water everywhere...including BEHIND them. My garden is near a patio, and I couldn't put the Scarecrow anywhere near it without getting everything wet. If this is a problem for you, there's another possibility: The descriptions don't mention it, but the sprinkler head uses a standard 1/2" NPT connector like that used on all sprinkler heads. You can actually swap this sprinkler out for another and just use the Scarecrow motion sensor/valve assembly. I'm thinking about swapping the impact head out for an end strip sprayer to do some more "targeted" pest deterrence.
All told, it's a great purchase. I'm actually planning on buying a couple more for my flowerbeds!
Customer Review: Awesome product **Read this if your problem is Deer!!!!**
Summary: 5 Stars
First off I would tell anyone that this product truly works. If you have any hesitation, my review along with all the others should be proof enough.
I purchased the Scarecrow Sprinkler last year after coming back from vacation to find a brand new shade garden I had planted completely decimated by local deer. We have a family of about 8 deer that I try to keep away, but my neighbors have other agendas. They "feed" the deer with corn which attracts them and frustrates me more and more [if Contech invents a neighbor deterrent, please let me know ;) ]
After mourning the $500+ I lost in plants and shrubs, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I started with "deer-b-gone" or some sort of "organic" deer repellant. It washes away, isn't cheap, smells bad and flat out doesn't work.
I then came across the Scarecrow and decided to give it the old "college try". Well folks, IT WORKS. No more deer, but uh-oh a flaw. Just like others, you have to remember that the Scarecrow is there or "BAM" YOU WILL GET HIT WITH A BLAST OF WATER. It has gotten me, my kids, my wife, a landscaper, our exterminator and one of our neighbors.
LADIES and GENTS..I have the solution to this problem!!!!!
What I realized is that the deer only do their dirty work from dusk to dawn. I thought what if I can get my sprinkler to only work during those hours and shut off during the day. Then I researched to see if there was a water timer that allowed for extended watering times. Say hello to this Orbit timer from Amazon.com Orbit Lawn & Garden Hose Digital Watering Timer And Valve #62001to use in conjunction with the sprinkler. It has completely flexible functions that allow the water to only turn on from say 8 pm to 8 am. It only turns on the water flow to the sprinkler. It will only use the water if the sprinkler motion sensor is set off so no wasted water. At 8 am, the timer turns off the water flow and NO ACCIDENTAL MIDDAY SHOWERS!! Then it kicks back on at 8 pm for another night of protection. These are the times I used but I may need to adjust a bit since I do sometimes make early or late strolls through my garden. You can set to whatever times you need to have it on and off based on your own situation.
So there you have it. Use this product in conjunction with a flexible timer and you get the benefit of excellent deer/pest protection while avoiding many of the minor flaws mentioned in other reviews.