Quick question - I will probably start with the flex monthly schedule and for most of the zones select smart cycle since most of the property is on a hill. Do I need to go into the advanced area or just enter the info in the basic section.
Much appreciated… Steve
As with any of the schedules, properly entering your crop and soil information sets the Advanced variables pretty well, certainly better than guessing. The only Advanced number up for debate is the Nozzle Inches per Hour, which unfortunately is just as important with Flex Monthly and Fixed schedules as it is for Flex Daily (although Flex Daily seems to get most of the negative press concerning this number).
If your conditions are average, with a well-installed and sized system, Rachio’s defaults for Nozzle Inches per Hour are probably very good. If you’d like to be more sure, you can do a catch cup test or measure your water usage over a given time and the area of the zone in square feet to calculate a better value. Or, you can see how the irrigation works out, and Decrease the Nozzle Inches per Hour if the zone seem dry, Increase it if the zone stays wet.
much appreciated - guess I’ll order some catch cups.
I’ve found that I prefer measuring water flow and area, than using catch cups. Assuming it’s reasonable to measure the zone’s area. You can do that in the Rachio mobile app or online. I can help.
Two things I don’t LOVE about flow/data method is with older, poorly maintained systems. You’d be amazed at the amount of water that can leak out of a sprinkler body wiper seal and not make it out past the first foot of the sprinkler…
Also, you can’t always tell how poor your uniformity is, and if you assume every inch of your yard is getting the exact amount of water, you could be leaving large portions high and dry.
Can’t argue with that. Although it’s still getting to the yard, at least.
I’m not too concerned with that. If large portions were being left high and dry, I think I’d notice it.
I did all the zones of my house using catch cups, and they were all over the place, showing low Efficiency, but moving a cup a few feet could make a huge difference in the reading. So I might consider catch cups for calculating efficiency (I am, in fact), I don’t trust them for total flow and Nozzle Inches per Hour.