The Salt Lake City Facilities Division is in the middle of upgrading the sprinkler system in the Salt Lake Central and Sugar House business districts to reduce water usage. Sensors measure temperature, humidity and rainfall. That information is sent to a controller, which sends a signal to each sprinkler system to water or stop watering. In the areas with the new system, the division has seen a 20 percent reduction in water usage.

Mike DeBernardo, Deseret News

SALT LAKE CITY The Salt Lake City Facilities Division is upgrading the sprinkler system in the Salt Lake Central and Sugar House business districts to reduce water usage.

Jim Cleland, the division's program director, said in some places the sprinkler system still has 1980s technology.

Which means that a technician would have to run around and turn off every single controller, each time there is going to be a storm, Cleland said. And, this time of year, you dont get a lot of notice that they are going to come.

At one point, the business districts had about 150 old-fashioned, 1980s controllers regulating irrigation and thousands of circuits that could go wrong, Cleland said.

With water being such a precious resource in the state, city officials are working to reduce water usage. Over the past three years, city crews have been installing smarter sprinkler systems with rain sensors and remote-controlled access.

One new controller can take the place of more than one of the old controllers. Cleland said the districts need 50 stations. The division has installed 30 of those stations so far.

It has a sensor at each location that measures temp, humidity and rainfall, Cleland said.

The data are sent to a controller that sends a signal to each sprinkler system. For example, it may tell the system to shut off during a rainstorm.

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Sprinkler systems upgraded in business districts to reduce water usage

New sprinkler system designed to conserve water in business discticts

By Mary Richards and Viviane Vo-Duc

May 6th, 2014 @ 11:59pm

ALT LAKE CITY The Salt Lake City Facilities Division is upgrading the sprinkler system in the Salt Lake Central and Sugar House business districts to reduce water usage.

Jim Cleland, the division's program director, said in some places the sprinkler system still has 1980s technology.

Which means that a technician would have to run around and turn off every single controller, each time there is going to be a storm, Cleland said. And, this time of year, you dont get a lot of notice that they are going to come.

At one point, the business districts had about 150 old-fashioned, 1980s controllers regulating irrigation and thousands of circuits that could go wrong, Cleland said.

With water being such a precious resource in the state, city officials are working to reduce water usage. Over the past three years, city crews have been installing smarter sprinkler systems with rain sensors and remote-controlled access.

One new controller can take the place of more than one of the old controllers. Cleland said the districts need 50 stations. The division has installed 30 of those stations so far.

It has a sensor at each location that measures temp, humidity and rainfall, Cleland said.

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New SL sprinkler system designed to conserve water, money

Logan McGowan was working next door and says it took crews three minutes to arrive on the scene.

"We looked out and smoke was just billowing out of this building and we saw it above the top, I didn't see any flames but they started to crowd around and they started to pour water on it and its just getting worse and worse," said McGowan.

Smoke filled the street, with the sun peaking in and out of the brown clouds.

"They started just hacking off the front of it, breaking the windows to get water in the front of it as well," added McGowan.

Neighbors rushed over to find Signatures Custom Apparel shop fully engulfed.

"It was getting bad and they were keeping it contained until they moved over to Division 9 and that's when it got a little bit worse," said Michael James.

Two firefighters were injured during the recovery efforts, one treated for smoke inhalation and the other for a cut to the forehead.

The second alarm fire brought 39 pieces of equipment and 93 people, rotating crews every 15 minutes. Spencer Lucas with Second Light Productions came to the scene to capture drone footage.

"I saw this and I had to get a shot of it," said Lucas.

Memphis fire officials say the age of the building made it difficult to fight.

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Building damaged in Highland Strip blaze did not have sprinkler system

As Deb Shupe stepped out to buy a sprinkler controller that could handle multiple watering schedules, her husband asked her to look for one that could be managed from a computer.

She had no luck. And so three years ago, the software developer teamed up with three others to create the RainCommander, a Wi-Fi-enabled system that allows users to manage their sprinklers from a smartphone, tablet or computer.

Last week, her Highlands Ranch-based startup, ZBS Technology, successfully wrapped up a Kickstarter campaign, raising nearly $17,000 from backers who paid at least $159 for the RainCommander.

RainCommander is made by ZBS Technology of Highlands Ranch. (AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post)

ZBS joins a growing list of Denver-area companies, including Revolv, Rachio and Tendril, developing so-called smart home technologies.

Once relegated to the rich and famous, home automation systems are considered the next big thing in consumer technology, spotlighted by Google's recent $3.2 billion acquisition of Nest, the smart-thermostat startup.

In the past couple of years, companies such as Comcast and AT&T have launched smart home services where devices from lights to thermostats to door locks can be controlled via an Internet-connected device.

"It's really a rising tide," said Jonathan Collins, principal analyst for market research firm ABI Research. "There are more options available to a wider segment of the market that's become more aware of these systems and also has the ability to better use them."

Smart-home automation services and devices will grow to 74 million North American homes by 2019, up from just over 17 million at the end of 2013, according to ABI. Total revenue for smart-home systems will reach nearly $8 billion in 2019.

"There's a trend that's happened over the last 12 to 18 months that's kind of this resurgence or renaissance of hardware (startups)," said Revolv co-founder Mike Soucie.

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Denver tech startups are at the center of the smart home revolution

How To Open In-Ground Sprinkler System (2014)
Originally recorded April 21, 2014. Opening your in-ground sprinkler system does NOT require a professional! Follow along as I show the steps involved in ope...

By: jaykay18

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How To Open In-Ground Sprinkler System (2014) - Video

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(Memphis) Two business owners are trying to put the pieces back together after the devastating fire on Highland Ave. Sunday.

The fire burned down Signatures T-Shirts and destroyed $50,000 worth of inventory that belonged to the Peddler Bike Shop.

The building where the fire started didnt have a sprinkler system.

Nowadays, new buildings are required to have sprinkler systems, but that rule doesnt apply to buildings that went up before the 1960s.

In the pile of rubble, you can see the signs of what was there.

Im depressed but Im dealing with it, said Hal Mabray, owner of the Peddler Bike Shop.

Dozens of bicycles belonging to Hal Mabray and his Peddler Bike Shop were destroyed.

He has plenty of insurance but that wont replace the classic, custom-made bike hed given his son as a bar mitzvah present.

Its pretty much demolished. We are going to save some pieces of it as memorabilia.

The fire ignited at Signatures-Shirt Shop Sunday and spread to the warehouse next door, where Mabray stores his bikes.

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Highland Building Didnt Have Sprinkler System

Fire officials say an apartment complex's overhead sprinkler system prevented a potentially deadly situation over the weekend.

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SALT LAKE CITY Fire officials say an apartment complex's overhead sprinkler system prevented a potentially deadly situation over the weekend.

A 33-year-old woman was arrested and booked into jail for investigation of aggravated arson about 3 a.m. Saturday after police say she attempted to set the bed in her apartment, 270 S. Rio Grande, on fire. Salt Lake fire spokesman Jasen Asay said the fire would likely have spread if not for the complex's overhead sprinklers.

The woman told police that she "intentionally started her bed spread on fire in her apartment to get the attention of the police as she could not find her phone," a Salt Lake County Jail report states.

About 10 residents evacuated the building after the fire department arrived. The fire was contained to the one room, Asay said.

Pat Reavy

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Woman accused of setting fire to get attention of police

MEMPHIS, TN (localmemphis.com) - We are learning new information Monday about a weekend fire in the University of Memphis area.

The building where the fire started didn't have a working sprinkler system.

Firefighters were called to the two alarm fire in the 500 block of South Highland around 4:00 p.m. Sunday afternoon.

Flames tore through a building that housed Signature T-Shirt Shop and Division 9 Flooring.

More than 80 firefighters spent two hours fighting the fire.

Three of those firefighters were sent to the hospital with injuries. They're expected to be okay.

Witnesses said the smoke and flames could be seen for miles.

It was incredible and not in a good way. I mean and it was absolutely just monstrous and when I came back outside for a second you could see the sun was completed backed out because of how thick the smoke was and it kept blowing down the street. It was the craziest fire I have ever seen, witness Alexandra Howard said.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.

No word on the cost of the damage.

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Highland Fire Started In Shop With Non-Working Sprinkler System

MEMPHIS, TN (localmemphis.com) - We are learning new information Monday about a weekend fire in the University of Memphis area.

The building where the fire started didn't have a working sprinkler system.

Firefighters were called to the two alarm fire in the 500 block of South Highland around 4:00 p.m. Sunday afternoon.

Flames tore through a building that housed Signature T-Shirt Shop and Division 9 Flooring.

More than 80 firefighters spent two hours fighting the fire.

Three of those firefighters were sent to the hospital with injuries. They're expected to be okay.

Witnesses said the smoke and flames could be seen for miles.

It was incredible and not in a good way. I mean and it was absolutely just monstrous and when I came back outside for a second you could see the sun was completed backed out because of how thick the smoke was and it kept blowing down the street. It was the craziest fire I have ever seen, witness Alexandra Howard said.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.

No word on the cost of the damage.

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South Highland Fire Started In Shop With Non-Working Sprinkler System