Rachio Gen 2 install over existing RainBird

Hi I live in Northvale NJ. Any experienced installers around?

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I’ll bet if you takes pictures, we (forum) can get you a wiring diagram

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Ok a picture of what my existing sprinkler controller?

Yea, the wiring, post the model of timer you currently have

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Here’s some pics. Thanks guys.



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I hope @emil can verify but I’m pretty sure the black circle is you valve wires.

The various colors rep each zone. So plug those into each zone on the rachio

The white wire indicated should be your common wire.

I don’t know that controller so wait for someone else to confirm that none of those wires in the circle of this image are hot wires

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I have asked @JoeyPeligroso to come over from RainBird RC-1230 and drop his knowledge bomb on us.

Hahahah I’m a douche, I dropped another text box there, sorry guys I did that on my phone and bone.

Hi, certainly not an expert, but as noted I had some success with my old Rainbird box. The wiring diagram at the back of my box corresponded to the wiring harness coming from the rainbird and attaching to the multi-strand wire going out to my yard. While the wires to the yard valves/solenoids didn’t correspond at all to any pattern, the harness was wired correctly.

I just carefully labeled each wire prior to detaching it from it’s zone (The harness wiring was attached to the wires leading out to my yard with wire nuts…looks like you have blue ones in your box). It also looks from your pictures like you have four total zones. There should also be a common wire for a total of five wires. The common wire is the key as even if the zone wires are attached incorrectly, you can easily change them via testing once you’ve installed your Iro.

I re-attached the common and zone wires to the my Iro and was good to go - the labeling was key.

I hope this helps!

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It’s worth an attempt, any irrigation person can get the controller installed, probably up to you to get it on line and registered, so their is almost no penalty to trying it yourself. If it doesn’t work, call joe joe the irrigation dood and he can get your valves plugged in.

Also, as noted, the circled wires in black should be zone wires… All of the wiring that you show in your second picture attached to the back of the unit was not important in my re-wire. Find the harness leading to your zone wires and this is what will be the key to labeling your zones. I had 12 zones and an incorrectly wired rain delay…so I had to be pretty careful with labeling. With 4 zones, hopefully your task will be a bit more straightforward!

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@dharric, @plainsane and @JoeyPeligroso couldn’t have said it any better. There’s a label on the back of the plastic housing should should outline what wire goes where; use it to identify and label the field wire it’s spliced with via the wire nut and label the field wire appropriately. From there it’s just a simple matching game.

Good luck!

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