OMG. Wow. This community is amazing… but also overwhelming!
My husband has a drip irrigation system that is split into a few gardens and some blueberry bushes. A Rachio system sounds like a really neat addition to our garden, and I think he’d really like one. I’d like to get one for a Christmas gift, but I have no idea where to start…
Other than the system itself (Gen3?) and an outdoor box for it, what is recommended for a drip irrigation system that’s (currently) just hoses linked to an outdoor spigot? We don’t have a sprinkler system in our lawn… just the gardens. How do you set up the automation?
He’s talked about automated garden irrigation in the past…and I think this would be an exciting project… is this the right system for us?
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Very generally speaking, Rachio works by firing irrigation solenoid valves. At a bare minimum, you would need to have 1 valve (these can be installed inline of hoses with the right adapters), but would recommend a valve for each “type” of irrigation, or possibly location (north vs south, east vs west). A little bit of 18 gauge irrigation wiring, and you are all set, unless of course you want to go full tilt and install a true in ground system.
These are the types of valves you would want to install. Since I doubt you have a backflow device installed, I would go with the anti-siphon valves to keep water from the irrigation system backing up into your potable house water. These would be installed above the highest point elsewhere in the system.
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