Setting up Rachio to Control Sprinklers W/O an Irrigation System

Do standard irrigation valves have a backflow preventer? I have screw on bleeders on the spigots but nothing on the hard plumbed electric valves. I guess if a neighbor contaminates the public system there’s nothing I can do either though I have a carbon block filter at the main to at least catch sand.

@Lars, no they do not. It would be a separate unit, probably brass, off the main water supply line before it comes into the house.

It is unlikely your neighbor will contaminate the whole block. But it is highly likely he will contaminate his own home and get sick from E. Coli, animal feces or pesticides.

Eric,

Did you look into using the same setup with a different hub other than Samsung? Or have you heard of any others that have done so? I have been looking at Wink, Google, or Alexa.

I guess where I could use some clarification is the use of Leaksmart valves with Rachio. Does the Leaksmart valve app have a timer to turn on and off at certain times? (This would seem counter-intuitive to the idea of even using Rachio, but I have to ask). Or in this scenario is it to shutoff in case of an emergency?

Does the Rachio app link to the Leaksmart valve and open the water flow at the appropriate time scheduled through the Rachio app? Some clarification here might be a great response to several comments about continually pressurized garden hoses. I understand that you used a custom app through the SmartThings community and would like to know if you or anyone else has found alternative solutions with other hubs like the ones I mentioned.

This was a great post. As a fan of tech, I’m sure this could be a huge opportunity to expand Rachio’s market.

Thanks in advance.