Hi folks.
tl;dr: Is there a simple Rachio that mimics the old Rainguard clock-type (on/off) controller ?
Details:
We have two homes: One in Colorado (where we put in the entire sprinkler system, no issues there), and one in Florida (where the sprinklers were already installed).
Coincidently, both run on a well system. Not that that means anything to my question… but hey.
The one in Florida used a 4-pipe-zones-above-ground-pvc-manifold that uses a long pause between water pressure to automatically switch water direction from one zone to another. Using that Rainguard controller, that system send power to the pump to turn on, then no power, then power again, etc. this on-off-on-off system allows the manifold to switch between the zones in a regular manner. I’m told that this is very common for homes here.
Now, I do not want to tear out a system that is working well… on the other hand, the Rainguard controller is dumb (not aware of weather, wind, rain, seasons, etc.), and the chance of overwatering due to rainstorms here is very high.
So: a Rachio multi-zone controller is really overkill here, as I just need it to have the pump go on-off.
Does Rachio make a replacement controller that just does the on-off-pause-on function that would work here?
Or can I just use the Rachio to send start stop control to the pump, ignore the zone connections and let the manifold do its thing? This would allow me to benefit from seasonal and weather-related changes without replacing the manifold.
Thanks, and I look forward to replies.
