Hi, First time on this forum. Would like to make a suggestion to make the product more intelligent as i am sure it would not take much to enable this function. If the sprinklers are running (manual or schedule) and a isolated rain storm comes as is the case here in Florida. The sprinklers should automatically stop the running zones or “quick run” in the event of rain. PWS might not know or be to far away to detect rain where the Rachio device is. I think this should be an enable/disable function for those that do not need this. The rain patterns that we get here in Florida can be somewhat unpredictable and having this little bit more intelligence would be beneficial.
Example:
you schedule a quick run for 3-4 zones 10-20mins zone. In that time frame a isolated rain storm comes along and it is enough to trigger the rain gauge.
Once the rain gauge is triggered and the quick run is still running it should stop all running and cancel the remaining quick run for any other zones.
The Rachio 3 has two sensor inputs that can be used for rain sensors. There are a variety of rain sensors that will work with it. We’re using a Hunter Mini-Clik. I have it set to activate with about 1/4 in. of rain. Reset depends upon how much rain is actually received and the subsequent weather conditions.
Hi jseymour,
I also have rain sensors attached, and have them set correctly. In a recent rain storm the sensor was triggered and was registered by the Rachio, but the running sprinklers were still running while it was raining.
Interesting. One would have thought a rain sensor triggering would stop the current cycle and schedule. Sounds like a firmware snafu to me.
@syntax1269, are you saying the rain sensor gets registered correctly if it rained before the zones started watering (as long as was enough rain)? However, if it starts raining while watering, it does prevents the watering from occurring? Did it rain “enough” to stop the watering?
So, i look outside and check weather, it says 20% chance of rain. I start zones via manually in the app as a quick run for a few zones i know need it as i just planted some vegetables and plants. The zones start their cycle for the amount of time i manually put in. then in the middle of the cycle, there comes a downpour, i get the alert from the app that the rain sensor is triggered and all future schedules are postponed. That great, but what about the currently running zone and other zones via quick run? They do not turn off once the rain sensor is triggered.
You can replicate this with a water hose on the rain sensor and with a zone currently running via quick run.
the quick run will continue to run even after the rain sensor is triggered.
I am hoping someone at Rachio will read this to make the modification in firmware to stop all currently running zones if the rain sensor gets triggered.
First off, I’m fairly certain that no irrigation controller (smart or not) will stop a current schedule if the rain sensor gets triggered in the midst of a run.
The Orbi B-Hyve does. Sadly, it won’t tell you it’s done so unless it’s doing so in the midst of a run. It won’t tell you it’s going to, beforehand, nor will it tell you it has, after-the-fact. Which is why I replaced ours with a Rachio 3.
I could be wrong, but it seems like some of the rain sensors basically disconnect the common wire(s) from the common on the controller. If this is the case, it would in effect cut off any zones running (although these might think that it ran the whole time).
However, should it really prevent all zones from running unless it gets enough water to take care of the current watering needs?
@Thomas_Lerman, yeah basically that’s the “low tech” way of cutting off the zones when the rain sensor triggers. I thought of that also but since this is a “smart” expensive irrigation controller i would of thought this was done in firmware. I can’t be the only person that has thought of this and is why i posted this in the product suggestions. Just figured it could be a nice firmware update to since it is already collecting this data, why not use it to better control the zones. Would also be nice if they played nice with more integration to lets say weather underground or other PWS.
I am also looking into their API to control the zones and hopefully i will have some time to make an adapter of sorts that reads the rain sensor, detects it is triggered and then sends the command to stop any running zones, but that is for another topic for sure.
@tmcgahey, I agree. The best “low tech” way would be to connect another rain sensor separate of the Rachio that acts like a switch on the common wire. If sensor is triggered, it disconnects the common and when it dries up it makes the connection and zones run like normal.
You are correct that is the “low tech” way for a sensor and controller. With the smart Rachio controller, a “low tech” sensor is not wired the same due to firmware.
I went back through this thread and, if I understand correctly, you are using a Hunter Mini-Click which detects how much rain it is getting. Plus you have Rachio set to stop after 1/4" of rain. So, if it “rains” more than 1/4" before the schedule, it will do a weather skip. However, if it “rains” the same amount during a schedule, it will not stop. Is that correct?
If the above is correct, that would need to be something Rachio would have to consider. However, I am not so sure that Rachio should stop a Quick Run. If I tell it to manually run for some diagnostics or something, I would be annoyed if it would not run because of rain.
Yeah, it occurred to me that design is purposeful. It’s a quick run that was manually started. Odds are the intelligence that started it will be there to stop it if they wish.
The question is: Will is stop a normally scheduled run that’s in progress if a rain sensor is triggered.? That it should do, IMO.
On manual operation, I did find at How to test a rain sensor (rachio.com) a note at the bottom that does indicate the purposeful design:
The rain sensor will not impact the manual operation of the system; only saved Watering Times will be skipped.
I did not find anything definitive on stopping a normally scheduled run other than at Rain Skip FAQ (rachio.com) which has a note:
Rain Skip saves the average homeowner thousands of gallons of water as it skips schedules BEFORE it rains. Rain Sensors only skip schedules AFTER it has rained, as it needs to physically “feel” rain.
It seems to me that this could be interpreted in more than one way.
Well, one way to find out: I’ll just wait until the next scheduled watering, set an alarm for oh-dark-hundred, get up, pull the rain sensor wire off at the controller, and see what it does 
@Thomas_Lerman
I went back through this thread and, if I understand correctly, you are using a Hunter Mini-Click which detects how much rain it is getting. Plus you have Rachio set to stop after 1/4" of rain. So, if it “rains” more than 1/4" before the schedule, it will do a weather skip. However, if it “rains” the same amount during a schedule, it will not stop. Is that correct?
This is correct!
If the above is correct, that would need to be something Rachio would have to consider. However, I am not so sure that Rachio should stop a Quick Run. If I tell it to manually run for some diagnostics or something, I would be annoyed if it would not run because of rain.
That would get annoying if you are running diagnostics and then it would stop or not run at all. i would hope they would implement the option to enable/disable that feature.
@jseymour
Yeah, it occurred to me that design is purposeful. It’s a quick run that was manually started. Odds are the intelligence that started it will be there to stop it if they wish.
The question is: Will is stop a normally scheduled run that’s in progress if a rain sensor is triggered.? That it should do, IMO.
I agree also! that you be an additional feature that i think it should have.
Like i said before, it’s looking like i will have to create a solution to add in this feature. Maybe a IFTTT solution or maybe a take the rain gauge readings from my PWS and if rainfall is above 0.15 inches, then query the Rachio via the API and stop any currently running zones… Maybe a ESP8266 with a rain gauge connected? Might be something that can be done.
There’s another solution, @syntax1269, if it’s really that important to you, using a DPDT 24VAC relay. The 24VAC from the controller’s 24V- and 24V+ power the relay, with the Mini-Clik activating it. The NO contacts of one pole are wired to the sensor input–just as the Mini-Clik is currently. The NO contacts of the other pole in series with the valve common.
You won’t get notification when the watering cycle is interrupted due to rain, as the controller won’t know, but it will stop the watering.
Conversely: If you started a run manually and you see it raining: Why not just stop the run? Kind of low-tech, like having to get up to change the TV channel, but it’ll work
