@jseymour , Yeah the low tech way will get the job done, but then my watering totals will be off in Rachio. It will think it is watering but in reality it rained, so the watering intelligence and it will affect the schedules in the future. Is it “that” important, no really. But would like a smart irrigation controller to be smart enough to know that it’s raining and should stop watering.
Don’t get me wrong, i do enjoy the product, and they have done an excellent job with integration as to weather and seasonal shifts. Just that extra 1% would be nice.
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 
This is true, and it is what i am doing currently. I kinda want a set and forget type of thing. Or if i set a manual run, and the total run time is 2hrs or so, i might not be home to manually turn it off.
What kind of climate makes a rain sensor worth it? I live in Utah and while it does rain, feels like wouldn’t be huge water savings? Anyone using a rain sensor in a semi arid area?
I can’t answer that, specifically, but I can tell you why we need one. We’re in some kind of weather Bermuda Triangle. So we’ll get rain when we weren’t supposed to or not get rain when we are supposed to. The rain sensor won’t help with the latter situation, but it will help with the former.
E.g.: Earlier this week there was a slight chance of rain predicted, and not more than a few hundredths of an inch. Flex Daily had a watering scheduled for the next morning when, out of nowhere, we got pounded. Our rain sensor is adjusted such that it triggers on ±1/4 in. of rain and, under normal summertime conditions, takes ±24 hours to clear. That over-rode the scheduled watering.
I’m right now pondering whether to acquire our own PWS so as to address both sides of the equation. Should I do that, then the rain sensor will become more-or-less superfluous.
They make sense anywhere IMO…with a dumb controller. With a smart controller like Rachio, not nearly as much, if a any. I could maybe see it in areas where there is limited PWS support or if you want super-duper hyper local control over rainfall with the Rachio, but for us in Arizona, I have a solid PWS near me that pretty much nails my weather and rainfall, so I don’t have a need for one.
Ah makes sense. I forgot that Rachio uses PWS data. I have only had the Rachio for a few days, just moved in. 
Thanks!
1 Like
I’m here in Central Florida, and the weather here is unpredictable. My closest PWS that Rachio uses is about 1.5 miles away from me. it’s pretty accurate, but sometimes the summer storms are a bit weird here as in it could be raining here at my house, and across the street it’s not. really! Florida weather is special like that. I do have a AcuRite 5-in-1 weather station but Rachio doesn’t use that data as it is not compatible with their weather reporting service.
this is the info that i get from it. It’s really nice to see the changes, but Rachio doesn’t use any of this sad to say.
