Wiring Rachio

Ok, I have a new Racio. Replacing a Hunter Pro C. I think I understand what to do with wiring the zones (seems simple enough - everything labeled well on old controller and new Racio). Where I’m getting stuck in the sensor wires, common and power (I think). Keep in mind I have the Rachio outdoor enclosure this will be going into.

Attached are a few photos. Any assistance is greatly appreciated!

@beamupscotty, thanks for reaching out. Do you happen to know what type of sensor you have? Is it a Hunter Rain Clik? Hunter Solar Sync? From the photos, I believe you have a Hunter Rain Clik :wink: If you click on the link, you’ll be directed to wiring instructions.

As for power wires (for the controller), you will not need these with the Iro as it has it’s own power adaptor. Please see this support article on how to install your enclosure. You’ll need to hardwire the enclosure to plug the power adaptor.

Hope this helps :slight_smile:

Hi Emil,

You’re correct, I have the Rail Clik. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. To be sure I understand, none of the wires I showed in the previous photo were power wires, correct?

In the last photo (copy/pasted below), the yellow wires coming in from the right side are needed for your rain sensor.

Emil,

You are awesome! Ok, what about the 2nd photo? (Please excuse my extreme lack of knowledge here). I sure do appreciate your help! Tremendously!

Happy to help! Both photos have a number of wires going different places so it’s hard to explain. I’ve sketched up a quick photo merge…hope this helps. As they say, a photo is worth 1000 words :smile:

Red = Common wires
Blue = Rain sensor wires

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@beamupscotty I do like me some good wiring photos :wink:

:cheers:

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You da man! Thanks Emil.

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Those are awesome Franz. :grinning:

Happy to help! Is your Iro up and running now?

Not yet. I’ll have it up today (later this afternoon). I’ll send photos :blush:

I have a working Iro. Didn’t wire up the rain sensor - yet. Easy enough to do but, I was finding it didn’t work very well. With the Iro’s ability to pull forecasts for my area, not sure it’s necessary. Thinking about getting a home weather station instead.

Thoughts? Is rain sensor worth it?

@beamupscotty, well…I’m bias :wink:

I think a rain sensor is a great tool to use if you already have one installed and it’s just a matter of wiring it up. Think of it was an insurance policy in the event that your weather station didn’t see the rain you received, provided you’re in a microclimate that experiences such weather patterns.

If you’re considering getting your own weather station, then it I do not think a rain sensor is needed. I’ll warn you, they are pretty addicting!

Glad to hear your Iro is up and running! Enjoy :smile:

Best, Emil

Any recommendations on weather stations? :smile:

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@beamupscotty, hmm…good question. I think the real decision is dependent on how much time you want to spend on installation, as well as how much you want to invest in the setup. If you haven’t read this topic/thread on the topic, I’d highly recommend doing so.

Hope this helps :smile:

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I got an Acurite 5 in 1 just to serve the Rachio setup. It’s a decent price but if you wanted to spend more, I’d check out Davis. I used meteobridge to get the weather to CWOP so the Rachio would use it. It’s a pretty geeky (and overkill) way to do it but is more useful than just a rain sensor.

If you like gadgets, setting up a weather station is fun. If you really just want a simple, local way to check for rain then installing a supported rain sensor would be way easier and cheaper.

@cfwiggum, great advice!

Davis is what our local Fire Departments are running.

@beamupscotty, did you make a decision on a weather station yet? Just curious :wink: