Contech CRO101 Scarecrow Motion Activated Sprinkler
by Contech
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List Price: Our Price: $34.99 You Save: $25.00 (42%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Lawn & Patio See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Contech CRO101 Scarecrow Motion Activated Sprinkler
Customer Review: nothing better...
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the best thing I have ever seen for safely and humainly keeping deer out of flowers, gardens and shrubs. We have a terrible problem where we live. Residential but in the country next to a golf course. ( The neighbors counted 50 at one time walking by the house in the middle of the night.) They eat everything and anything. We have to have a mound system over our septic and they ate $400 worth of shrubs the first winter!
We set this up by our garden which we also had fenced in but they managed to reach over and eat the tops of the tomatos. The garden is along the edge of the driveway, and a garden bench sits beside it on the parking pad on the end of the driveway. We have come home and rounded the garage to find as many as 8 in the rose bushes along the house! We set it up and didn't realize we had partially obstructed the sensor with the garden bench. When we got home from work the next day my husband called me out to ask me to look around and see if I noticed anything different. I finally noticed what looked like double chalk lines etched all over the driveway beside the garden. I couldnt imagine what had caused it...until I noticed patches of white hair on the rough concrete! Obviously a large group had walked up onto the driveway together and until one had cleared the garden bench didn't get picked up by the sensor. When they finally set it off they had literally knocked each other down trying to get out of there. We would have given alot to see a video of that. Anyway it solved the problem! The only downside is you need an outside spigot nearby so that you won't be driving over the hose all the time, or having to move a long distnce to mow. It isn't any good early in the spring or late fall when the water in the hose can freeze up. Other than that, it's great!!!
Customer Review: Great raccoon deterrent
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this about a month ago because the family of four raccoons that make nightly stops at our pond and waterfall were destroying all the plants, muddying up the water, and probably traumatizing the goldfish. Not too long after I installed it, I happened to be awake at 2am and heard the sprinkler go off, so I peeked out the bedroom window blinds and got to see the largest raccoon give it another go, with the other three a little bit back looking on like some comical cartoon characters. As soon as the one raccoon got near the waterfall, the sprinkler went again and they all scattered. Some of the juvenile raccoons just can't believe that scary thing is still there so they return a few times a week but our pond remains undisturbed.
What would make this great product even better is a built-in timer. I prefer to have the motion/infrared detector off during the day so the birds and other critters can use the pond, and it's a bit of a chore to go out there every morning and evening. Today though I solved that problem. I had a spare 9volt AC adapter lying around, and so I hooked it up to a weatherproof timer (the one I use for holiday lights), ran some low-voltage wire out to the Scarecrow and attached it to the battery terminals. Now the Scarecrow is on only from midnight to 8am -- perfect!
It does take a little messing around to dial in the area you want to cover, and I would definitely recommend Teflon tape for all the plastic hose fittings--the fern right next to the Scarecrow is looking suspiciously lush and green. All in all this is worth the price considering it's not just a motion detector but uses both motion and infrared.
Customer Review: Really Works
Summary: 5 Stars
We really like the Scarecrow!!!
Our front lawn is no longer the toilet for 6 to 12 dog walkers per day!
Most of the dog walkers are now walking on the other side of the street!
Prior to the Scarecrow we had tried dog repellent dispensers every 6 feet, doggy signs and confronting polluters. We even provided doggy disposal bags which the dog walkers refused to use. On more than one occasion we were threatened by the dog walkers or by their pit bulls as they insisted upon their right to soil our lawn. Over a period of 2 months, the dog walkers kicked and crushed the 6 dog repellent dispensers that were located 2 feet away from the side walk on our lawn. The crushing of the dog repellent dispensers led to the crushing of our 8 solar powered lights as much as 15 feet from the sidewalk. Subsequently, I securely mounted the Scarecrow to a fence post to discourage kicking and crushing at a sprinkler height of about 4 feet. One pit bull was determined to kill the Scarecrow, but he could not jump to the height of the sprinkler and after several attempts and getting soaked he retreated. The Scarecrow has been in operation about 2 months and has not been kicked or crushed so far by humans. Dog walkers and teenagers have thrown rocks at the Scarecrow but there has not been any damage as yet. Since installing the Scarecrow, I reseeded our front lawn and it is now returning to look like a lawn instead of a dog run at a dog pound. Since the Scarecrow, the squirrels have also abandoned the front of our house. However, large black crows are not intimidated by the Scarecrow and don't seem to mind the shower as they peck about.
Customer Review: Lifesaver
Summary: 5 Stars
The scarecrow is a true lifesaver.... for my goldfish at least! I struggled with a cat problem for several months, losing 10, perhaps 20 goldfish that resided in my outdoor garden tubs. I've physically chased the cat away, hoping it would have some sort of lasting "scary" impression, but my goldfish population kept dwindling. I even tried using rosemary/lavender oils, scents that are supposed cat deterrents, with even less success. I almost ordered a batch of the fox urine (yuck) repellent sold online, but decided against it after reading the heaps of bad reviews it garnered. And then, 20 unfortunate goldfishies too late, I stumbled upon the water scarecrow. At first I wasn't too thrilled at having to spend over 50 bucks on a cat deterrent, but I had already spent more than twice that on the cost of goldfish (yes yes, I know there is no cost to be placed on innocent lives) so I did the math and knew it would have paid for itself, if it did infact do what it had claimed. What actually sealed the deal for me was reading all the reviews on here. SOOO many people raving over this little gadget, loads of stories that started out so similar to my own, but instead ended happily ever after.... with the help of the scarecrow of course! So I bought it, and have NEVER LOST A GOLDFISH SINCE. I've even absentmindedly left the water source turned off overnight a few times, but thankfully, that's not nearly enough time for Mr. Cat to muster enough courage to face the scarecrow again. I guess there's nothing better than a cold splash of water to show a cat that its unwanted.
Customer Review: This Really Works!
Summary: 5 Stars
We bought a home that stood vacant for half a year. In that time, every cat in the neighborhood became accustomed to using the grounds as a nicely landscaped cat box. I bought this item, and voila! No more cats defecating on the lawn, squirrels uprooting carefully planted bulbs, or raccoons drinking from and splashing in the pool. Even if the water misses them, the clicking sound provides a sufficiently deterrent "freak out" factor. The 'crow provides no small measure of entertainment for a night owl like me who sits quietly outside at night reading or browsing Amazon on the laptop.
Easy to assemble, loaded with options for angling and focusing its powerful spray, the Scarecrow delivered. It was worth every penny.
I'd advise checking it every few days to ensure that the couplings are completely tight. I flooded a flower bed one day after I repositioned the 'crow. I'd loosened the hose at the bottom. Retightening was easy.
As for the warnings about getting sprayed inadvertently (because, say, you go to fetch the mail and forget the 'crow is on), everyone in this family has felt the fury of the 'crow at one time or another, but it just makes you laugh.
I like watching it work, but my enthusiasm derives less from seeing an animal in panic, and more from the satisfaction I feel about using a device that doesn't harm an animal. No poison, buckshot, or ravenous watchdogs--all of which seemed reasonable when I was picking up twelve pounds of poo a day.
That's why I'm getting two for my parents for Xmas!
Peace,
Michelle Lamb Discher