Anybody have any experience designing/building/using these? I don’t know the details, but essentially one uses a household motion detector to open a water valve that allows water to flow. If anybody has a good source for information (I’ve struggled with Youtube this afternoon with limited results) I’d appreciate it very much.
Thanks!
I have a commercial unit, sprinkler and motion detector in one that I have used some. Main problem for me is the time of the year the garden/trees are most at risk is late fall, and we have freezing temps then at night, so I can’t use this thing much.
But it is pretty much as you say, a motion detector hooked to a sprinkler. Attach it to a hose, point it in a direction and set the sensitivity (I experiment using myself as a deer substitute).
The times I’ve used it, it worked as expected. And did seem to help scare the deer off. If it could be used at freezing temps it would have been great.
As I recall, it was around $50 to buy mailorder. Might be easier and cheaper than building your own.
Could you name the brand? I’d love to find a $50 unit, but what I’ve seen so far seems a little high for what you’re getting. (I did see one pretty good video where the guy had a solenoid operated valve from a washing machine- pretty straightforward once you have that valve.) Mebbe I’ll find a bum washer to tear into (and hope I don’t slice the dickens out of my fingers in the process!)
I have a product called scarecrow that does what you describe and works fairly well as a deer deterrent. It has a sensitivity control. At most sensitive it triggers at about 30 ft. But it also is triggered on windy days by leaves moving. This is not a bad thing except it runs on a 9v battery. The battery runs out faster the more it triggers. The charge lasts about 2 weeks on average. So I got a rechegeable battery. I wish it had a mode where it would go off randomly, maybe every 30-90 seconds. I may try to do this with a fan and some of those dancing man puppets.
I have experience with the Orbit “Yard Enforcer” or “Garden Enforcer.” (which can be found easily at your online everythingseller of choice)
They are pricey, but I have used it for a couple years now and it has proven reliable so far. It has a dusk-dawn option that is handy and deer really don’t like getting sprayed with cold water.
One thing to consider is that these sprinklers require continuous water pressure to function and most garden hoses can’t handle that. They will hold up for a week or two before blowing up like a balloon permanently… (I had to buy a nicer hose, but that has also worked well as well.)
The unit I have is a Contech Scare Crow. Here’s a link to it:
https://www.contech-inc.com/products/animal-repellents/scarecrow-motion-activated-animal-deterrent
The unit seems to still be available, $56 at amazon.
It is plastic, and won’t withstand freezing weather, or likely being tripped over or stepped on. But on the plus side, it runs off a battery (much safer than a home brew 120vac solenoid from a washer), and requires little work. I noticed that there seem to be some competing models out there now, so you might want to research it some, there might be better values out there.
If you do go with a 120VAC solution, be sure to run it off a GFI breaker/outlet. It could save a life (yours).
HTH
Thanks to all- I’ve started to find some affordable products out there. I think a couple of these at about $40 each would work nicely:
http://www.amazon.com/Hoont-Powerful-Outdoor-Blaster-Repeller/dp/B016V4VNZ4/ref=pd_sim_86_3?ie=UTF8&dpID=410QyaR4KJL&dpSrc=sims&preST=AC_UL160_SR160%2C160&refRID=0SJZW6B111CJN9Z7G7YD
Easier, and probably more satisfactory, than a home-brew gizmo. I just wanted to use my existing tripod sprinkler!
Those sprinklers would be bad-ass if they had a loudspeaker attached that would simultaneously play a coyote call 
I did plan to hook up an old boombox set between stations- I wonder where I could get a tape -that’s right, a tape!- of coyote calls or barking dogs, perhaps footsteps walking on gravel.
Believe it or not there is quite a market in game calls of various sorts…
I think these may actually be intended to attract coyotes… but I imagine that would do the trick wouldn’t it? If deer are scared of coyote urine I imagine actual live coyotes would do the trick as well.
I have many of those Contech Scarecrow models. They used to be the only brand but it looks like other companies are trying to get in on the action now. The reviews for the Hoont one are all from a few months ago. There are some other cheaper models such as this one
http://www.amazon.com/Pestbye-PB0033A-Spray-Animal-Repeller/dp/B004YCUT4W
which look about the same as Hoont but have bad reviews. So, not sure how good the Hoont is going to be, its worth getting one to try out though. In general reliability is a key issue, many of the brands are no good. The Contech I had a few problems with and they sent me replacement parts for free.
The best ones today look to be these ones:
http://www.amazon.com/Orbit-62100-Enforcer-Activated-Sprinkler/dp/B009F1R0GC
They sound like they are made very well and also have a timer built in. I have a timer on the hose so I don’t spray myself during the day.
Without these sprinklers the deer would be eating my orchard down to stubs, its the center of my deer control effort.
Orbit is what I have, the Garden Enforcer, which stands on a very nice tall tripod.
I have found it to work well but I can’t claim to have tried its competitors.
This has turned into a very useful thread. Thanks to everyone for their contributions.
Last night it occurred to me that it wouldn’t be that hard to set up our underground sprinkler system to a motion detector. We may try that as well as the Orbit, Hoont or Scarecrow devices. I’ll let you know how it all works out.
We suspect we’ve had a little human predation of flowers, too, and that’s more annoying in some ways than the dern deer.
Go to ebay, they sell everything!
I made a mobile scarecrows for the garden and one for my back porch. I also made one for my blackberry patch with 1 solenoid hooked up to 4 motion censors and 2 water sprinklers. So far so good. I’m going to add a solar panel to them later.