Rachio definitions

I searched for a list of definitions and didn’t really see a complete list of the terms used for the Rachio system. Is this documented anywhere? It’s pretty difficult to get up to speed on how to best use the system without some basic definitions.
For a specific example, what does “Interval” mean? I initial thought it would allow me to specify what days to water even on a flex schedule, but it would appear to me that this is the opposite, stating what days to not water, thus defining an “interval”. I’m a DIY’er who can understand very complicated systems and subjects, but this is just not obvious.

Flex is an ever evolving schedule, so all you are setting up is omitting a day if, for example, you yard guy comes on Thursdays…

Once set up, Rachio waters for the same amount of time, regardless of the time of year. What changes is the interval of watering. For instance, in the winter time, my drip runs ever 14-17 days, yes DAYS. It will adjust the waterings to ever 5-7 days in the heat of Arizona summer.

The only time you can set a true interval is on the fixed schedules, but if you go with fixed schedules, you kinda of defeated the purposed of going with one of the smartest controllers on the market.

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OK so do I understand correctly that the Interval identifies days to not water under the flex schedule?

Had to go set up one real quick…been a while since I have set one up. Both Flex daily (most advanced), and flex monthly have the same “intervals” to set up.

Looks like you can set up any day, specific days, even or odd. Any day is simple, you are telling flex it can water any day of the week, specific days allows flex to water on the days you chose (place a checkmark by the days you want to allow it to water), and even/odd is just that.

Flex works best the more freedom you give it, but of course in many cases you need to block out a day for yard work…

Well that’s not how it is working. I setup M/W/F checked and it is watering today (Sunday). The goal was to allow the other days Su/Tu/Th/Sa for my other controller to operate without interference.

What is scheduled to run tomorrow? Problem with limiting Flex scheduling is that it can physically run out of time in the day, so it will push things around and can run into another unselected day.

Everything. hmmmm…maybe this is an issue with saying it should finish before sunrise?
If this system is so smart, why is it so hard to setup?

Computers only do what you tell them to do and just like HAL9000 when given conflicting orders it’s hard for them to resolve the conflict to the satisfaction of their masters…

How do you have your schedule set up right now? Do you have your drip on one schedule and your grass on others? No reason the drip can’t run during the day, so if you haven’t done so, split that off the other schedule and just set the dates to water m/w/f.

Rachio isn’t over hard to set up, but when you start trying to constrict its ability to do what it needs to, that’s when things get tricky. Like I said, flex works best if given complete freedom to water any day, but that isn’t always realistic…

OK I managed to parallel some zones and get everything in 16 channels so the complication with a second controller and other comments that I needed an expensive isolation device are now moot. It’s been working OK although it cost me over $600 in water last month and my yard still looks like crap. Maybe if I had it installed before summer in Texas I wouldn’t have this issue…LOL:joy: I suspect I need to look for more answers to my questions but time doesn’t allow that right now, have to trust the smart controller and the cloud…man its hot outside!!!:cowboy_hat_face:

Summer is a tough time to test a new system and watering style. Chances are, like most, you watered short and frequently, which kept your landscape alive, but wasn’t truely the correct way to water…Now that Rachio is looking to do the correct long, deep, and less frequent watering, but your plants root systems might not be ready for that. What I did when I started with Rachio was raise my root depth for everything and over the course of a full year, I got it down to the default values, and honestly my yard has never looked healthier and my drip still only runs once a week in mid-Arizona summer (I used to water 2-3 times a week).

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What is meant by ‘raise root depth’?

Is that covered somewhere in the owners manual?

He means if it is set for 9 inches make it 6 inches b/c your roots aren’t actually as deep as the default setting.

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