Hi, I am looking to buy a Rachio 3 for my home here in South Africa. I love it’s integration with smart home platforms and I think it is an obvious upgrade for my existing sprinkler system.
I am looking to buy it from Amazon. But the big problem is that we use 220 volts in South Africa. I am aware of the forums on the support page regarding 220 volts.
And therefor are aware of some important points:
It has to output AC
It does not matter too much if it is 50Hz/60Hz
It has to output 24VAC
A step down converter from 220 volts to 110 volts can be used in combination with the power adapter that comes with the Rachio but it is not ideal for use 24/7
I searched everywhere I could and stumbled upon this website in South Africa that sells a 24V AC transformer. I just want to be 100% certain if it would work before I buy it, so I am asking here.
In general, if you purchase equipment from outside of your country that comes with wall transformers (the kind that directly plug into the wall and produce either DC or AC low-voltage output), you first look at the input voltage parameters. If the range is something like 100–240 V AC and AC frequency is 50–60 Hz, all you need is a plug adapter.
If the adapter requires 120 V AC @ 60 Hz, you look at the output voltage parameters: voltage, max. current sourced, whether it outputs AC or DC and what type of plug it has on the low-voltage side. Then you purchase a corresponding wall transformer for your country that matches your power outlet, AC or DC, the exact voltage, can source at least as much current as the factory-supplied power adapter and has the right kind of low-voltage plug.
There are countless (mostly Taiwanese and Chinese) companies that make such adapters. Your country should have electronics distributors that let you pick from a large selection.
Once the output is a) 24vac and b) at least 1A, it will work perfectly.
It looks like most garden irrigation solenoids work off 24vac, so there will always be transformers available from those type of sellers,
Of course, the best thing with the Rachio is that it can now be configured for your country, and can therefore work with the local weather, and it will work perfectly on Flex Daily if you want to use that
I just recieved the Rachio 3 from Amazon and I searched by entire town for a power adapter and landed on a transformer that has an output of 24VAC and 800mA.
I just wanted to make sure before I install and plug in the Rachio if the amount of current would be sufficient?
Do you intend using a master valve? Don’t forget that the transformer powers both the Rachio controller and the valves as well so if you don’t use a master valve (so only one valve powered at any time) then 800mA probably OK, powering a master valve to be open at the same time as a zone means two valves open at any one time, so a higher load on the transformer. I managed to find 1A transformers and all has worked fine for 3-4 years using master valves.
