In general I am quite happy with my new gen-2 irrigation controller, but I feel that such a powerful, internet connected device should have a little more flexibility and granularity in how the watering is scheduled. I live in California, and so must make every effort to reduce water consumption. This means adjusting the irrigation to be just barely enough to keep everything alive during the dry summer months. I find that the built in options are a bit limiting for achieving this delicate balance.
For example, a couple of particularly hot days will result in increased water needs, beyond what is provided by my regular watering schedule (flexible monthly). I’d like to be able to program a schedule that will automatically run in the mornings before (or evenings after) an extremely hot day. I am familiar with IFTTT, but the options there are quite limited too, as to when the forecast is checked, or enabling multiple simultaneous criteria, etc.
Given that the rachio software already has the ability to modify the schedule, and has a full weather forecast, this is simply a matter of choosing what control to hand over to the users. I would love an “advanced mode” that allows me to select my own criteria from the forecast data (in this instance, if the high for the next three days is >85°, do an extra 10 minute run through each zone). Is there any possibility of getting something like this, or does anyone know of another way to accomplish this task?
By switching to a properly set-up flex daily schedule, you will accomplish everything you are looking for. I was trying to find the thread where @franz chronicled the set-up of his personal Rachio Flex Daily schedule and he had less than 4 waterings in the month of August and his grass had never looked better.
Flex Daily takes a lot more time and effort to set up correctly than other schedules, but the benefits are huge!
@azdavidr put together an AMAZING rundown of how to calculate drip emitters here, and a whole lot more info.
A catch cup test is the best for calculating your precipitation rates for your sprinklers, thus calculating run times to promote a healthy lawn, without overwatering.
Here is the chronicle. Our software build out for next year we will make adjusting flex daily schedules easier.
For now, there is a little bit of learning curve if the out of box settings aren’t working. My biggest recommendation is to start with one zone, then when comfortable roll out to others.
Here is a condensed view of the support articles for flex daily scheduling.
