They start at 4 AM for three zones, and the fourth zone I have starts at 5 AM. I have enabled smart cycle and weather intelligence on both schedules.
The duration’s that were “auto” picked seemed very long so I cut back the watering duration in half for each WAN schedule.
My question is, will the watering duration for each of the WAN schedules I created increase as the weather gets warmer? Or do the number of days for that month increase as it gets warmer.
Also, I am understanding that by using a WAN schedule, the seasonal adjustments will no longer be taken into consideration or made to the schedule?
I have read a lot on the boards the past few weeks and there seems to be either total confusion as to what WAN vs Flex was supposed to be, or maybe I really daft.
Will WAN determine when and for how long the lawn needs to be watered or not? I am tempted to go back to a flexed schedule because once it was dialed in, I did nothing. I let the system run and it should take care of itself.
We all want something simple, but it seems to me, that WAN scheduling (while having flexlike options built into it), it does not work in the same manner.
The durations do not change, only frequency. This is the correct way to water for deep watering, where you fill the zone bucket for healthy roots.
Each month we will automatically adjust frequency. If you scroll on the calendar view you can see exactly what the monthly frequency will be.
WAN was meant to be a more predictable, easier schedule to use than flex. A large part of the community sees flex as more efficient and dynamic, which it is. It’s just harder to dial in for folks that don’t want to spend time adjusting different levers (assuming it needs adjustment…) It is working great for a good amount of people.
We are working hard on a plan that I believe will satisfy everyone.
If flex was working for you, please continue to use it
Trust me, our intentions were to make something simple but powerful. Over time it will get much better as we add more features like restrictions and some other things.
I apologize for all of the confusion, we are working hard to clear everything up and move forward again.
Can you elaborate on this comment, please? Doesn’t a WAN schedule depend on the same zone attributes as flex schedules? Is the answer different depending on whether Climate Skip is added as an option with WAN? I would expect flex and WAN with climate skip to operate the same, as they are both using current weather data to determine when MAD is reached, and refilling the moisture content when the zone is watered. I am interested in any differences in how moisture levels would be tracked for a single zone schedule, not how the WAN schedule behaves when there are multiple zones.
In my mind to make a WAN schedule work, you need to input the same zone information correctly to use the weather data to track moisture levels, as that is what determines when and how much to water the zone.
They do depend on the same attributes to build runtimes for a deep watering, but the WAN schedule is built using 30 year averages for monthly frequency. They both do use real time weather data to decide if they should run. Flex treats each zone as an independent entity tracking exactly when to water using the moisture graph. WAN runs the zones as a group running at a predetermined monthly frequency, skipping if the zone that has the lowest watering depth can make it to the next watering.
If flex works for you, I would continue to use it. It is more powerful than WAN, but with more power comes more responsibility
We are working on a solution that meets everyone’s needs.
a comment on as needed. I originally assumed it was based on current weather, not historical averages. It doesn’t make sense to me to offer as needed with climate skip. If you are using current weather to determine moisture levels, then the historical weather adds no value. I would add climate skip as a third option to the frequency choices and remove it from the weather intelligence options for as needed.
@jkb I think you may be misunderstanding As Needed + Climate Skip. As needed schedules have set intervals that vary each month, which are set by historical averages. For example, you may water every 7 days in April, every 5 days in May, and every 3 days in June. An hour before your scheduled watering, climate skip looks at actual ET and forecast between the last actual watering and the next potential watering (not this one but the next) to see if you can skip this watering and make it to the next without hitting your MAD. You may find this article helpful:
There primary differences between this and flex are: 1. flex waterings shift, not skip and 2. flex runs all zones independently where as needed runs in groups. TLDR is as needed has more predictable watering times, but flex has the potential to be more water efficient. I leave it up to you to choose
This is the best description I’ve read on the differences between Flex and As Needed. I might have missed it, but if there isn’t already and article published on the topic it might be worth posting one?
I don’t see the value of creating a pretend monthly watering schedule in WAN + climate skip. The schedule will run when the zone (or one zone in a multi zone schedule) is dry. You don’t know when it is dry without checking the weather each day. Just tell me the latest estimate of when each zone will need to be watered.
Skip and shift are the same thing when the schedule runs each day, aren’t they? WAN does not allow any calendar restrictions, won’t the schedule will try to run the next day and check for climate skip the next day? What is not explained is if the climate skip will skip just one day, or skip to the next preassigned date using the watering frequency for the month?
A single zone flex and single zone WAN schedule should operate the same way if they are using the same moisture level calculation. However in a flex schedule, I can specify which days to skip or an interval to run the flex schedule to accommodate watering restrictions, and also have multiple zones in flex where each will water independently when needed for each zone. No contest between flex and the new schedules, flex is far superior if current weather data is being used.
What is TLDR?
If I want predictable watering dates, then I will set a fixed schedule (with or without historical adjustments) and not use current weather to determine when to water. If I am using current weather to determine when each zone is dry and schedule a watering, then I don’t care about historical averages. In that case, I would want a moisture level graph to show me the next predicted watering for any given zone. I just don’t see any value in combining the two in a single schedule, let me pick one or the other.
In my original question, I was trying to understand how WAN was easier than flex, as that was one of the drivers behind the new schedules. I think it will end up being more confusing in the current schedule, with its limitations for multi zones, and all the weather intelligence options that can change the behaviour. I am waiting to see the next iteration of scheduling options.
PS. If WAN assigns a 5 day interval in May, and climate skip skips the 5 days to the next May scheduled date, it seems unlikely that current weather would double the watering interval to 10 days unless there is an extended rainy spell.
In my mind, I think shift instead of skip makes the most sense for both current climate and rain data affecting schedules.
PPS. I thought about this a bit more. If what you are trying to achieve with the new schedules is fixed/predicable watering dates, then the climate and rain skip options could be replaced with options to reduce the watering time based on the current/forecast weather station data, but keep the original schedule date. Only skip the schedule date if no watering is required.
@jkb Thanks for all the ideas. We’re taking all of this in and working on a solution that works for everyone I think you’re understanding the skip vs shift that I was attempting (poorly) to explain. Just to be sure, if a WAN schedule skips it will go to the next scheduled watering.
Update: I have gone back to Flex. I am going to see how this plays out and learn this. Hopefully with some help from the forum, I’ll be able to really dial this in. Right now it went all the defaults for allowed depletion and efficiency. We have had a ton of rain here in Souther NJ and it is soooo nice to see the next days to water setup for the 18-19th of the month.
Hopefully with a little more time and effort I can really set this up to perform at a high level. More to come.
I think you’re understanding the skip vs shift that I was attempting (poorly) to explain. Just to be sure, if a WAN schedule skips it will go to the next scheduled watering.