---
product_id: 13100700
title: "Rain Bird SMRT-Y Soil Moisture Sensor Kit"
brand: "rain bird"
price: "$620.50"
currency: USD
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 4
category: "Rain Bird"
url: https://www.desertcart.us/products/13100700-rain-bird-smrt-y-soil-moisture-sensor-kit
store_origin: US
region: United States of America
---

# Rain Bird SMRT-Y Soil Moisture Sensor Kit

**Brand:** rain bird
**Price:** $620.50
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Rain Bird SMRT-Y Soil Moisture Sensor Kit by rain bird
- **How much does it cost?** $620.50 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.us](https://www.desertcart.us/products/13100700-rain-bird-smrt-y-soil-moisture-sensor-kit)

## Best For

- rain bird enthusiasts

## Why This Product

- Trusted rain bird brand quality
- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
- 15-day hassle-free returns

## Description

Makes any irrigation controller “smart” Simple to use, yet highly sophisticated in what it does for water savings, the SMRT-Y Soil Moisture Sensor represents a new class of smart control technology. This affordable device precisely monitors moisture levels in absolute – rather than relative – terms, unaffected by soil temperature or electrical conductivity that limit the accuracy of other sensors. Relaying that information back to the controller, it only allows a watering cycle when the root zone moisture drops below the set threshold. Based on the same TDT* sensing technology developed for agricultural applications, the SMRT-Y soil moisture sensor’s long-lasting dependability addresses the environmental demands of both residential and commercial applications. Water savings of 40% or more By optimizing the amount of moisture at the root zone, the SMRT-Y conserves enough water in many applications to pay for itself in less than a year. Avoiding the tendency to overwater, you will enjoy a healthier, lush landscape that is less prone to fungus and shallow root growth. The device eliminates needless watering and lets the soil say when watering is appropriate. Adding a soil moisture sensor allows you to meet many toughening water conservation guidelines that call for “smart” watering devices. Advanced soil moisture sensing technology Checking soil conditions every 10 minutes, the SMRT-Y displays moisture content, electrical conductivity and temperature of the soil, all at the touch of a button. The device also provides watering history for the last 7 irrigation cycles. With soil moisture sensing, you no longer need to be concerned with adjusting the controller. Just program the controller one time to water every day that irrigation is allowed – the soil moisture sensor will do the rest.

Review: Better than any "smart" sprinkler system. This will seriously make your system smart. No quotes necessary. - I don't get why these new fangled smart sprinkler controllers exist. They will use the current weather report and future weather to figure out if your garden needs to be watered. No need for any sensors! Am I seriously the only one who sees how stupid that is? Not only is the weather station probably miles and miles away from you (which makes the report inherently inaccurate), the forecast is still speculative at best. Also, how will it know how much water the soil actually has? Complex algorithms that calculate the amount of water gets spit out by the sprinkler heads, the amount of runoff, the amount of sun and humidity and temperature? Really? So basically, rather than it being smart, those systems rely on hopes and dreams. Yeah... not gonna work, buddy. Oh wait, they're on wifi, so you can control it on your phone, even if you're not at home. OK, that makes sense. That way, you can tell it what to do while you're on vacation when when these smart controllers will keep screwing up your lawn. Now here comes the soil moisture sensor kit. This is a WIRED device, so no need to change batteries every so often. This is truly set and forget. Just bury it somewhere in your yard, and the controller does the rest. It'll figure out your field capacity (water capacity for your soil), then it'll give you a recommended 80% threshold where when the moisture level is below 80%, it'll allow watering. Cool. You want it at 75% because of the type of grass you have? Sure. just program it as such. You have very clay-ey soil? No problem. It'll calibrate itself for it. Deep roots? Well, just bury it deeper. Did it just rain a lot, so you don't need watering anytime soon? Well, this little guy will know and will stop the watering schedule until the soil is dry enough that it needs more water. It's simple. Rather than relying on hopes and dreams, it relies on a simple device that asks, "how dry is the soil?" Can't beat that. This thing is pretty precise as well, with good resolution of measurements. I dare you to find a smart sprinkler system that can beat this guy.
Review: The unit is not telling the true moisture level - We installed it in the summer and we set the index to 18% and it worked fine for a couple months. As winter is approaching and the temperature cools down, the "moisture level"measured by the sensor drops with temperature. Even though after a heavy rain, the moisture level hardly gets up to 18. As a result, the sprinkler was still on. Now, I adjusted the index to 15 and it worked fine for the last couple weeks. The problem is why the factory not to program it with temperature compensation. Updates on December 25: The outside temperature drops to 60s in the day time and 40s at night last few days. The moisture level drops to 14% even it allows watering everyday. I need to adjust the index to 13% to work. I wonder what happens when the temperature drops further.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| ASIN | B003L7CCIW |
| Best Sellers Rank | #801,214 in Patio, Lawn & Garden ( See Top 100 in Patio, Lawn & Garden ) #696 in Soil Meters |
| Brand | Rain Bird |
| Customer Reviews | 3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars (42) |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Item Weight | 13.6 ounces |
| Item dimensions L x W x H | 3 x 4 x 3 inches |
| Item model number | 5007798500694 |
| Manufacturer | Rain Bird |
| Material | Plastic |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Output Type | Digital |
| Product Dimensions | 3 x 4 x 3 inches |
| Response Time | 10 minutes |
| Specific Uses For Product | landscaping water conservation, maintenance |
| Style | Modern |

## Product Details

- **Brand:** Rain Bird
- **Item dimensions L x W x H:** 3 x 4 x 3 inches
- **Material:** Plastic
- **Mounting Type:** Surface Mount
- **Style:** Modern

## Images

![Rain Bird SMRT-Y Soil Moisture Sensor Kit - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/719wbqbTiLL.jpg)

## Questions & Answers

**Q: The photo only shows the sensor that is buried in the ground.  Is the controller interface that connects to the irrigation controller included also?**
A: Yes

**Q: Will this work with an older rain bird controller--esp-modular?**
A: Yes, works with all Rain Bird controllers and all other brands of 24V output controllers.
Thank you

**Q: Would this rain bird smrt-y soil moisture sensor kit work inside a greenhouse with raised beds?**
A: I don't see why it wouldn't.  It measures the moisture in the soil regardless of the environment.  I followed my neighbor's lead and am using it for regulating irrigation to my shrubs and trees (a separate sensor for each because the sensors are buried to different depths) in the Phoenix desert.  I'd say the critical issues are to follow the wiring diagram very carefully and then calibrate the sensor to meet your requirements.  I found the best way to calibrate the sensor was to place it in a 3 lb. coffee can filled with soil and adding moisture to it.  Calibration will go much faster than calibrating it after it is already in the ground because the smaller amount of soil will dry out faster.

**Q: I have 6 zones. The wiring diagram shows, what appears to only show one connection to one zone. Does it still control the other zones? Don't see how..**
A: It controls the other zones through the common wire. You have to disconnect the previous common wire from sprinkler controller and connect the common wire (black color) that comes from Smart-Y to sprinkler controller. The Smart-Y has another common wire (white color) that connects to the sensor AND the solenoid (the zone you choose to connect to the sensor). All the solenoids’ common wires are connected to this white wire. So now all the solenoids common wires go to Smart-Y first and then through Smart-Y go back to sprinkler controller. When the sensor tells the Smart-Y that the moisture is above threshold the Smart-Y shuts  off the common wire so there will be no current pass all the solenoids, resulting all the zones shot off . You can have two zones (which are independent of the Smat-Y) override the Smart-Y by connect blue and brown wires to the zones respectively. The sensor is stable and accurate. I bought three of them and use them to monitor soil moisture in different areas. Good luck for your project.

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Better than any "smart" sprinkler system. This will seriously make your system smart. No quotes necessary.
*by K***N on September 18, 2017*

I don't get why these new fangled smart sprinkler controllers exist. They will use the current weather report and future weather to figure out if your garden needs to be watered. No need for any sensors! Am I seriously the only one who sees how stupid that is? Not only is the weather station probably miles and miles away from you (which makes the report inherently inaccurate), the forecast is still speculative at best. Also, how will it know how much water the soil actually has? Complex algorithms that calculate the amount of water gets spit out by the sprinkler heads, the amount of runoff, the amount of sun and humidity and temperature? Really? So basically, rather than it being smart, those systems rely on hopes and dreams. Yeah... not gonna work, buddy. Oh wait, they're on wifi, so you can control it on your phone, even if you're not at home. OK, that makes sense. That way, you can tell it what to do while you're on vacation when when these smart controllers will keep screwing up your lawn. Now here comes the soil moisture sensor kit. This is a WIRED device, so no need to change batteries every so often. This is truly set and forget. Just bury it somewhere in your yard, and the controller does the rest. It'll figure out your field capacity (water capacity for your soil), then it'll give you a recommended 80% threshold where when the moisture level is below 80%, it'll allow watering. Cool. You want it at 75% because of the type of grass you have? Sure. just program it as such. You have very clay-ey soil? No problem. It'll calibrate itself for it. Deep roots? Well, just bury it deeper. Did it just rain a lot, so you don't need watering anytime soon? Well, this little guy will know and will stop the watering schedule until the soil is dry enough that it needs more water. It's simple. Rather than relying on hopes and dreams, it relies on a simple device that asks, "how dry is the soil?" Can't beat that. This thing is pretty precise as well, with good resolution of measurements. I dare you to find a smart sprinkler system that can beat this guy.

### ⭐⭐ The unit is not telling the true moisture level
*by A***U on November 21, 2018*

We installed it in the summer and we set the index to 18% and it worked fine for a couple months. As winter is approaching and the temperature cools down, the "moisture level"measured by the sensor drops with temperature. Even though after a heavy rain, the moisture level hardly gets up to 18. As a result, the sprinkler was still on. Now, I adjusted the index to 15 and it worked fine for the last couple weeks. The problem is why the factory not to program it with temperature compensation. Updates on December 25: The outside temperature drops to 60s in the day time and 40s at night last few days. The moisture level drops to 14% even it allows watering everyday. I need to adjust the index to 13% to work. I wonder what happens when the temperature drops further.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great Sensor - While it lasts
*by C***. on August 27, 2021*

I am on my 2nd SMRT-Y sensor - having to replace the original 5-year old sensor that failed a few months ago. For reference, my SMRT-Y sensor controls a 2-station irrigation controller connected to drip irrigation for my residential desert / xeriscape landscape in the Mojave Desert of Las Vegas. I have no idea how it will perform in an irrigated lawn environment. However, in a drip irrigation setting for my conditions, it has performed flawlessly. On the Plus Side: This sensor does exactly what it's supposed to do. For my desert plantings, I have it set for 13.0% and the sensor was buried 8" directly underneath a series of drip emitters. I have the controller set to water every day at 7:00am, and if the soil moisture is above 13.0%, then SMRT-Y will suspend the irrigation cycle. In the summer when daytime high temperatures are normally >105 deg, it will usually allow an irrigation cycle once every 2-3 days - which is perfect. In the cooler winter months, this sensor may only allow an irrigation cycle one every 2-3 weeks - also just about perfect! On the negative side: This sensor only seems to last about 4-7 years. When I dug up the old sensor, it looked brand new - there was zero corrosion or other visible reason for it to fail - it just did for some reason. The stainless steel rods on the old unit looked good as new. The only reason I can come up with for why it failed is the internal electronics. The buried electronics are totally sealed in epoxy resin, so there was no reason for a contamination-related failure. Basically, the electronics of the buried unit just gave out. As a DIY tip: Make sure you use top of line, good water-proof wire connectors when wiring this sensor up - don't skimp on that part. The SMRT-Y is not the easiest thing to get wired-up and going, but once it's working and your settings are dialed in? It's golden Would I recommend it? Yes, Absolutely - it does save a lot of water. Just realize you'll probably be replacing the buried sensor every 4-7 years. If you're good with that going into the project, then buy it. This sensor beats any weather station setup by far. It truly is a water "thermostat" in your yard.

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*Product available on Desertcart United States of America*
*Store origin: US*
*Last updated: 2026-03-09*