WaterMate FAQs

No! WaterMate will run fine without WiFi. The system will transmit its own WiFi signal, which you can connect to when you are within a few metres of the control unit. 

You will need to log on to the Harvst web app, using a smartphone. From there, you have access to the following settings for two zones:

• How long to water for; from 1 second to 5 minutes
• When to water; from twice a day to once every 5 days
• Solar boost; when it’s been hot and sunny for more than 4/6/8 hours, to give extra water
• Water when the soil is dry
• Skip watering when the soil is already damp

Watering is automatically reduced on cloudy, overcast days.

Everyone’s use of our WaterMate is different, so there is no ‘correct’ way to set up your irrigation pipes. We recommend that you have the two watering zones set up with distribution pipes around the perimeter of your greenhouse, polytunnel, or beds – with either sprayers inserted directly into the pipe, or with take-offs at regular intervals for rings of drippers on a 4mm hose.

You would use drippers for larger plants where you know exactly where the water is needed, and use sprayers for larger areas of plants (such as salads), or for seedlings.

Yes, you can. The WaterMate Pro pump is capable of powering at least 15m of hose. It will cycle on/off once the hose has reached pressure.

Yes, you can. The WaterMate Pro pump is capable of powering at least 20 mister outlets per zone.

Each zone can be set to water from 1 second to 5 minutes at a time. Five minutes might not sound like much, but with water being delivered to the whole area at once, this is a significant amount of water. The pump is rated at 12 litres per minute, which reduces to approximately 10 litres per minute when you have the valves, nozzles, drippers etc connected. Five minutes would be 50 litres.

Yes! WaterMate will work fine with a tap, so you won’t need a pump. Select the garden hose choice when you order. The hose (which must be left turned on) simply connects to the dual watering zone valves which act as an electric tap.

Yes, you can. We provide an alternative control unit which does not need the solar panel. We also have a Mains 4-Season upgraded version, which comes with extra outputs for additional pumps, heater cables and/or grow lights.

Yes, in that you can fit micro irrigation drippers to the hoses, but it is not gravity fed. It’s a high pressure system which helps prevent the nozzles clogging – a common problem with low pressure or gravity fed drip watering systems.  The benefits of drip irrigation include the ability to deliver water only to the roots of a plant – great for watering those that don’t like wet leaves, and helps you save water.

The WaterMate Pro pump can provide water for many tens of metres of pipe, and up to 5m of vertical head. If you add too many drippers and water outlets to the line, the flow rate per outlet will drop. Too long a pipe and your first outlets will start working a long time before your last ones, leading to overwatered plants at the start and under watered plants at the end. Try to set up your irrigation system in a ring.

We provide 4m of inlet hose (between the water tank and the pump) but the system will run with at least 10m of inlet hose and a 4m vertical head. The pump is self priming.

The Harvst control app is a ‘web app’ which means it operates directly through an internet browser such as Safari, Chrome or Firefox. This lets you use any device, from anywhere.

Yes. If you’re in the greenhouse or polytunnel, you can either use your smartphone or you can use the button on the control unit if you don’t have your phone with you.

Yes, if your greenhouse or polytunnel is within range of a WiFi network. The control unit connects to the internet every 30 minutes to send a data update, and collects any changes to settings you have made.

We provide a versatile solar panel mounting bracket, which is screwed to a wall or post. You can place the solar panel in the optimum position for sunshine (outside the polytunnel or greenhouse is best) up to 3m away from the control unit. Solar panel extension cables are available.

The powerful self priming pump does not suffer from air locks, so if your water tank runs out and then refills later, the system will have no problems restarting, without you needing to prime it.

It’s remarkably quiet for such a powerful pump. It’s mounted on rubber feet, and if you place it in a suitable location you probably won’t hear it running at all!

WaterMate has automatic frost damage protection. It will not run the pump if the temperature falls below 1 degree centigrade.

Yes, all components are available as replacements or upgrades. There is a 1 year manufacturers warranty on all parts.