Hi everyone, I’m really excited to share my recent project with you! I’ve been working on automating my garden irrigation system using smart sensors and solenoid valves. It’s been a bit of a journey, but I’ve learned so much along the way. 
First, I wanted to give you a quick overview of my setup. I have two 1000L IBC tanks at the top of my property, and a 3/4 inch pipe running down to my garden, which is about 100 meters away with a 6-meter drop. I initially tried using solenoid valves with a minimum pressure requirement of 70kPa, but they weren’t working as expected. After some research, I realized that the water pressure in my system was too low—only around 13.5LPM. I did a quick pressure test and found that the pressure was insufficient to keep the valves closed properly.
This got me thinking: what could I do to improve the water pressure and flow? I started looking into the possibility of adding a pressure pump to the system. From what I understand, a pump could help boost the pressure, but I’m not entirely sure if it would solve all my issues. The water flow does start off fast when I turn the tap on, but it slows down after a few seconds, which makes me think there might be some other restrictions in the system, like the 5 elbow connectors I have underground.
I also noticed that when I turn the tap off for a few seconds and then back on, the flow is fast again for a short while before slowing down. This makes me wonder if the pressure is fluctuating due to the elevation change or the length of the pipe. I’m not entirely sure if a pump would address this issue or if I need to look into something else, like adjusting the pipe diameter or adding more pressure regulators.
Another thing I’m considering is automating the entire system using Home Assistant. I want to set up a manifold with solenoid valves that can direct water to different garden beds. This would not only save me time but also ensure that each bed gets the right amount of water. I’m thinking of integrating some moisture sensors to monitor the soil and trigger watering only when needed. This way, I can create a more efficient and sustainable irrigation system.
I’m also curious about the best way to set up the automation rules in Home Assistant. I’ve heard that you can use MQTT to communicate with sensors and actuators, but I’m not entirely sure how to get started with that. I’ve seen some tutorials online, but they all seem a bit overwhelming for someone at my skill level. If anyone has any tips or resources they could share, I’d really appreciate it!
Overall, I’m really excited about the potential of this project. It’s been a great learning experience, and I can’t wait to see how it turns out. I’m hoping to get everything up and running within the next few weeks, and I’ll definitely share more updates as I go along. Happy gardening! 
Best regards,
Ryan