If you are considering purchasing a Contech Motion Scarecrow Sprinkler to deter cats and dogs (and other animals) from your patio or garden, this article is a review of the Motion Scarecrow model CRO101 and will explore some pros and cons, plus more. that you will want to consider before you decide to buy it.

First, an explanation of how this particular motion activated sprinkler works.

The Motion Scarecrow is a pulsating lawn sprinkler that starts suddenly and runs for a few seconds (spinning from side to side) to spray an arc of water over a thousand square foot area. You can adjust the arc to control the area sprayed.

Whenever the motion sensing sprinkler detects an animal in its “field of vision”, the sudden activation of a pulsating stream of water that travels back and forth for several seconds startles (and annoys) the intruder.

The Scarecrow is supposed to detect animals in a thousand square foot area and can be used to keep not only cats, but also dogs, geese, rabbits, and squirrels out of a particular area of ​​your yard. Since the motion detector works both day and night, it can be especially useful as a repellent for nocturnal animals such as deer, skunks, and raccoons.

Because animals (and people) don’t like being sprayed with water unexpectedly, they quickly learn to avoid the area protected by the spray. So if you have people crossing parts of your yard as a shortcut, or neighbors walking their dogs onto your property to go about their “business”, then this moving sprinkler can be the perfect deterrent. If they complain, you can always claim that you are there to keep stray cats and raccoons off your property.

Construction: The sprinkler is made primarily of plastic and features a distinctive cartoon-looking crow head for the sprinkler unit. I personally don’t like the look of the raven head, but maybe it will help the animals to quickly recognize the unit in the “conditioning process”.

Even the 17-inch mounting stake is plastic, so don’t try to hammer it down if your ground is hard. First, soften the ground with water or hammer a dowel or something else into the ground to create a hole so you can easily insert the stake.

Scarecrow sprinklers carry a limited two-year manufacturer’s warranty, and based on reviews of this and other Contech products, the company has an excellent customer service department.

This cat repellent sprinkler uses a 9 volt battery that you will have to purchase yourself. Each battery should last at least a month or more, but that’s partly determined by how often the sprinkler is activated. It’s always good to have extra batteries on hand.

Of course, the unit must be connected to a garden hose that must be left on at all times. If you only have an outside faucet, you may want to purchase a two or three way “splitter” connector that screws onto your faucet so you can connect more than one hose at the same time. This will allow you to use another garden hose without having to disconnect your Motion Scarecrow. .

In my case, my faucet dripped a little every time I used my garden hose, so I had to get a new hose washer before I could use the Scarecrow. I actually also ended up having to wrap the connector end of the hose with plumber’s teflon tape that you can find at plumbing supply places, Home Depot or Lowe’s. But this leak was a problem with my hose and faucet, not the sprayer itself. Just keep in mind that before leaving your Scarecrow on for extended periods, you’ll want to make sure there are no leaks in the hose, or where the hose connects to the faucet or sprayer.

Of course, except when activated, the sprinkler is not supposed to use water. And when it kicks in, it uses only about a cup of water. So even in areas experiencing water scarcity, using your motion activated sprinkler shouldn’t be a huge drain on your water resources. In either case, you may want to make sure you position your Contech Scarecrow so that when it activates, you’re watering your yard at the same time you’re scaring the animals away.

If you have a large yard, you may want 2 or even 3 of these units. Find out where you can strategically place them to give you the most protection with the fewest sprinklers, perhaps at natural entrances to your yard or garden. I would recommend getting just one unit to start with to ensure it meets your needs. If you buy more, you should know that multiple units can be “daisy chained” with hoses running from one unit to the next, so you only have to connect the first hose to your faucet. Just remember to check the hoses regularly for leaks. And remember to turn off the water before approaching the units so you don’t end up drenched.

The drawbacks of the Contech Scarecrow: If you need to protect an area of ​​your yard that’s quite a ways from your outside faucet, you’ll have to run long distances with your garden hose to the Motion Scarecrow. That can be expensive and perhaps unsightly. And, if you’re running the hoses across your lawn, you’ll have to deal with moving them when mowing. A minor annoyance.

Those who live in the northern states or in colder climates will have to worry about their hoses freezing up in the winter. Therefore, your garden may be unprotected during the winter months. But maybe using the sprinkler during the warmer months is enough to do your “animal training.” When you disconnect the hose, you may want to leave the Scarecrow in place over the winter in the hope that the animals have been conditioned to fear the distinctive crow-head style of the sprinkler unit.

If you live in an area with water rationing or lawn watering restrictions, you may not be able to use the sprinkler (although it only uses a small amount of water each time it is activated).

NOTE: In some of these cases where it is not practical to use the Contech Scarecrow Sprinkler, you may want to install a similar motion-sensing cat deterrent called the CatStop Ultrasonic Outdoor Cat Deterrent. Turns on animal intruders by suddenly emitting a high frequency ultrasonic shriek (above the range of human hearing).

Since these battery-operated, self-contained CatStop units are not dependent on water, they can be used year-round in cooler climates and can overcome some of the water scarcity issues mentioned above. Additionally, ultrasonic motion detector units can be placed in areas of your yard where using a garden hose is impractical.

On the pro side: The Scarecrow Motion Detector Sprinkler is environmentally friendly, humanely deterring and repelling cats and other nuisance animals without the use of dangerous chemicals, traps or other devices.

And, if you live in a neighborhood, subdivision, or gated community where fencing is prohibited, or your yard is so large that fencing is prohibitively expensive, unsightly, then this Scarecrow Motion Activated Sprinkler may be one of your best alternatives to deter fencing. the cats. .

Bottom line: If you find yourself repeatedly angry that your neighbor’s cats (or other pesky animals) are ruining your lawn, garden or pond, then you’ll probably find the Contech Scarecrow Motion Sensing Sprinkler a good addition to your cat deterrent. . arsenal.