What about delete the schedule, make sure the zone are reset to default, then power cycle the controller. Leave it off for 5 mins and try again
Same 0min recommendation.
I also went through all the main options under each zone (type, spray head, soil type ect), as that seems to trigger a re-calculation.
Possibly relevant - I’ve been doing all this via a web browser. For curiosity, I just tried to make a schedule via the phone app, and it gave me a 6 min recommendation (3 mins/zone).
So progress I guess.
Still I believe 3 minutes per zone is ridiculously low as well, as mentioned above. Yeah, this is more than a little confusing.
Okay, using the Web interface, I just created and enabled a new zone, set all the variables the same as ReggieDied posted in the first post above, then changed the Advanced variables to match the same post (this changed Root Depth from 5.91 to 6.5, Efficiency and Crop Coefficient slightly to 0.80.
I then created a new Flex Daily schedule with only that zone in it and most defaults, allowed to water every day. The calculated watering time it resulted in was 1 hour 41 minutes, about what I posted previously. I cannot understand why yours would end up any different.
This is VERY odd – and I don’t understand why the web browser and the app would come up with something different. That’s not normal. At this point, I think I probably would try a factory reset just to see if it fixes it. (Your firmware is at the same level that mine is.)
It is definitely a weird anomaly - I’m guessing a software glitch somewhere. I was a little disappointed that forgetting the controller than reconnecting didn’t help.
I just created a monthly schedule with all the same settings, and it suggested 20mins total (10min/zone), which I still feel is wrong but just posting for additional information.
Next step I guess is a factory reset, though this suggest that removing the controller is the same thing.
How do I factory reset my controller? Rachio 3, Generation 2, and Generation 1
EDIT: So same result after removing the controller from the app, and doing a “factory reset”. To be honest, I’m probably fine with just determining my own watering time. From what I understand, the daily flex won’t necessarily dynamically change the watering duration anyways, just the frequency. And I can calculate that myself, and rely on the moisture percentage to skip days ect. But it’s going to bug me trying to figure out why it’s not working…
Interesting information I forgot about (and can’t really confirm after removing the controller). I remember looking through the soil moisture readings, and the irrigation + column under Flex was showing .64 when the schedule ran. Even if it was running for 20mins /zone, I had it set at .4"/hour, so not sure where the .64 came from, or what that means.
Also for reference, Hunter MP has these listed at ~.4 (at a specific PSI, which I haven’t specifically confirmed on my system), but after designing my system with Pro Contractor Studio demo, that program was suggesting .25"/h. Given that the Hunter number is based on a specific set up, I’m inclined to believe the .25"/h number.
Just so you know, the moisture percentage is only calculated and shown when running a Flex Daily schedule for a zone. If you have another way of measuring it, fine. But that’s one of the things I like about Flex Daily.
The 0.64" comes from your settings for Soil Available Water, Root Depth and Allowed Depletion:
Water to be Applied = Soil Available Water x Root Depth x Allowed Depletion
= 0.2 x 6.5 x 0.5 = 0.65" (okay, well, close to 0.64").
Yeah I’ll keep running the daily for this exact reason.
It could have been .65", I didn’t write it down or anything. Is this an indication of what the system “thinks” I’m putting down though? Just looking for other pieces of the puzzle but still a novice with Rachio and irrigation. I manually changed the watering times - now 30 mins/zone. In the moisture page, it’s now showing .47". I then realized that the zone still had the default nozzle settings (.7"/hour), so changed those down to .4, and the .47" didn’t change.
It is what Rachio can Flex Daily calculate they want to put down, and will normally calculate the time required based on that, and your Nozzle Flow and other settings.
[/quote]
Just looking for other pieces of the puzzle but still a novice with Rachio and irrigation. I manually changed the watering times - now 30 mins/zone. In the moisture page, it’s now showing .47". I then realized that the zone still had the default nozzle settings (.7"/hour), so changed those down to .4, and the .47" didn’t change.
[/quote]
Once you change the time manually, the schedule will no longer make corrections or changes. You’ve taken over the automatic operation and made it manual, using the time you’ve chosen. It will now give you whatever water it does, even though Rachio thinks otherwise. Worse yet, Rachio still /thinks/ the 0.65" is being put down each time and spaces watering frequency accordingly, under- or over-watering as it has bad information. You should never change the minutes manually (although I realize you have good reason to because something’s not calculating correctly - we need to figure out why that is, rather than change the times).
So assuming that the watering time was un touched when setting up the Daily Flex schedule, and never adjusted, will the Daily Flex algorithms actually change the watering time / duration, or just frequency? For some reason I thought I read it was just the latter.
If that’s case, would I not be safe to just set up the schedule with 0 mins (recommended time) and let the program take over from there? I haven’t really given it the opportunity.
Flex Daily calculates the required time based on many of the variables, but unless the variables then change, the time will not change. And yes, once the time is calculated, only the frequency changes when the program runs. But it’s actually not a set frequency: Flex Daily simply waits until the soil is as dry as desired, and then waters.
[/quote]
If that’s case, would I not be safe to just set up the schedule with 0 mins (recommended time) and let the program take over from there? I haven’t really given it the opportunity.
[/quote]
Well, a recommended or calculated time should never be 0 minutes, and IMHO you should never change the time in a Flex Daily program.
Hey Rraisley,
Thanks for sticking with me on this. Just for some closure - I finally contacted Rachio support, and it turns out the issue is because I’m Canadian 
Sure enough, I changed my controller location to somewhere in Maine, and the schedule I created gave me run time of 2h6 and 2h1, respectively. More in line with what I calculated with some napkin math.
Unfortunately, it won’t let me pick a weather station outside a certain radius, so I’m probably stuck with a fixed / monthly schedule until Rachio can sort that problem out. I’m a little surprised more people haven’t been vocalizing issues TBH.
1 Like
I thought Rachio worked fine in Canada. Yeah, that’s a bummer.
Is this really true? If you manually enter a duration, then the schedule never adjusts the frequency based on season or weather?
and if so, how do I reset this?
With a Flex Daily schedule, if you change the time manually, Rachio assumes you are setting a time which will give the amount of water it calculates you need. It came up with a time, based on water (Soil water, root depth, allowed depletion) and nozzle properties, but you have changed the minutes. As it assumes you’ve just “fine tuned it” to get the right amount of water, so it will never change it. Unfortunately, even if you change other factors that are intended to change it.
It will, however, still adjust frequency of watering based on the moisture graph, but still assuming it’s getting the correct water. If you’ve reduced the minutes too far, the lawn will just dry out. If you’ve increased it too much, it will end up staying soggy. It has no way to correct this. (IMHO it should be impossible to change minutes on a Flex Daily schedule)
With Flex Monthly and Fixed schedules, OTOH, if you choose the Seasonal Shift option, it WILL change the minutes, and frequency with Flex Monthly, every month.
The surest way is to delete the schedule and recreate it.
Mine said 4 minutes each with total of 20mins for all 5 zones. Weird
if its any help…same thing in Chile…0 min on flex…I have valid weather stations nearby but not possible to use de flex config.
It might help, I had same issue in Romania.
I set weather station with location set correctly, than changed the location to US.
It says my weather station is 7000km away which means it should keep it.
Then I deleted all the schedules and created new ones.
Seems to work fine.