# Irrigation Controller



## JayGo (Jun 13, 2019)

What is a good irrigation controller to look at? I'm not sure if it's all marketing and hype, but it seems that Rachio is everywhere. Good stuff? Any other brands I need to look into? Aside from Wi-Fi functionality, anything else that is a must have?


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## mmicha (Apr 20, 2018)

I've only used Hunter Controllers, so not sure on the others. Currently have a model using the Hydrawise platform. It has some nice reporting, with a report related to evapotranspiration which is helpful.

Other systems may have the same. Overall, I do most of my irrigation manually rather than rely on the system to make the decision. So depending how you will go, may not make a difference. I do like the wifi ability a lot because of that.


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## JayGo (Jun 13, 2019)

Thanks for chiming in, @mmicha.
I've had the the basic Hunter controller that the builder installed in our home. Like you, I don't have a schedule set on my controller, so I set it to water when I see the lawn needing it.

But Wi-Fi functionality would simplify things a little in those times when I'm in the backyard and dont want to walk all the way to the garage at the front of the house.


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## Slim 1938 (Aug 24, 2019)

I just changed out my hunter pro c for a b-hyve. My pro c was crap. It gave problems since day 1 and i was so fed up with it. The b-hyve is awesome. Its so easy to setup and being able to run off of your phone is the best part, especially when making repairs.


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## JayGo (Jun 13, 2019)

Thanks, @Slim 1938. I hadn't even thought of Orbit. I'll check that one out, too.


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## radiomix (May 18, 2020)

I actually have one of the Rachio units. The only downside I've seen is you can't do anything from the unit itself. You have to use the app either on your smartphone or tablet. The water saving feature wasn't a good fit for me either as it wanted to water each of my zones only for a few minutes. It comes in handy went working on the system though. You can turn on a zone for a few minutes without having to walk across the yard each time. I don't use a schedule. When I want to water I usually just sit in the driveway and set the system to come on as I leave for work. I also like to sit in the house and turn on an individual zone for a minute to mess with the squirrels digging in the yard.


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## Ballistic (Mar 19, 2018)

Plus 1 on the Rachio, i have installed about 10 of them now without problems. They just work and work well with a simple to use app.


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## mha2345 (Mar 30, 2019)

I have a Rachio 3 and I love it. I got it from Costco, on sale. It's the 12 zone model (which i believe is only available at Costco). You can manually turn on the zones from the controller or use the app, which has a million features.


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## JayGo (Jun 13, 2019)

Thanks for chiming in, guys.
I've been just fine for the past 4 years without wi-fi functionality, but I've recently had quite a few instances where I sure wish I had it.

I just saw the Rachio 3 at Costco, too.


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## thompwa (Aug 26, 2019)

Amazon recently had an 8-zone Blossom wifi controller on their "deal of the day" for $39.99 so I picked one up to replace my old Hunter unit that was non-wifi. I've only used it for a few days so far but so far I'm extremely impressed.

A couple of features that my old one didn't have:
1 - Soak Cycles : love the ability to set cycles for my zones so the water has time to soak in rather than run off
2- it monitors sunrise times and sets the watering time based on +/- hours from sunrise
3 -If the power goes out it resets its own time and doesnt screw with my settings
4 - it's beautiful and doesn't suck to use


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## JayGo (Jun 13, 2019)

@thompwa, the self-reset of the date and time is the feautre I'd want the most. My biggest frustration with my basic Hunter controller is that it can't do that. Hate it when I don't know that we've had a power outage and I see my irrigation running in the backyard. By that point, it's already watered my front and side yards.


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## thompwa (Aug 26, 2019)

JayGo said:


> @thompwa, the self-reset of the date and time is the feautre I'd want the most. My biggest frustration with my basic Hunter controller is that it can't do that. Hate it when I don't know that we've had a power outage and I see my irrigation running in the backyard. By that point, it's already watered my front and side yards.


100%. I think that's the single feature that makes it worth it. I often thought about putting my old controller on a battery backup because it happened more often than I'm really willing to admit. I think some come with it, but my old Hunter did not.

Best part to me is - as a Software guy - A feature that doesn't exist on the controller today is just a software update away.


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## TSGarp007 (May 22, 2018)

thompwa said:


> JayGo said:
> 
> 
> > @thompwa, the self-reset of the date and time is the feautre I'd want the most. My biggest frustration with my basic Hunter controller is that it can't do that. Hate it when I don't know that we've had a power outage and I see my irrigation running in the backyard. By that point, it's already watered my front and side yards.
> ...


My super simple old school Rainbird controller was unplugged for 5 months, unused. It might not have had the juice to power any zones, but it kept the time the whole time. I took out the CR2032 battery, it still had the correct time displayed for the minute I had it out. Not sure if it had another battery or if a capacitor still had some juice or what...


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## SilverEagle (Jun 3, 2020)

Hello Everyone,

I use the RainMachine Touch HD-12 controller, it provides wifi access and is part of my smart house devices. Installed it myself and has been working great since getting it in 2014. The only problem that I had with it was that it went wacky during a lightning storm and I had to open it up and take out and put the CMOS battery back in to reset the controller. After the wackiness, I added a surge/power protector to the wall outlet and have not had a problem since.

I love it, you can take pictures of your zones that will show on the app. You can suspend watering for however many days that you want. There is a web page that you can access as well (no uploaded pics will show here though). It has a USB wifi dongle included. In 2014 when I installed it, it did not provide smart home integration, but there has been functionality added over the years and now includes Alexa support. The best part about this one is that it does not cost anything extra to provide remote access to the device...no extra monthly fees were the main reason for choosing this one over another.

Also, other features include free NOAA weather-watch and temperature (set hot temp to add extra watering time.), freeze-protect to stop watering if the temperature report says it is freezing out (no temperature sensor needed), you can set monthly restrictions (no watering between Nov-Mar ... as an example).


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## jht3 (Jul 27, 2018)

My 90s era Rainbird has a cr2032 battery to retain the clock and settings while the transformer is unplugged or power outage. Check your batteries?

I've been looking at both rainmachine and rachio for the last couple years but can't decide. While I have Home Assistant as my automation hub, I don't need to be able to integrate, but it would be as nice to have. In have an aversion to cloud reliance, but I believe both would continue to work if there parent company disappeared, but maybe with reduced capability if the weather sources stop working? I have six zones and a master valve. Primarily I want help with calculating run times and soak times as I have clay soil.


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## CAB (Mar 21, 2019)

Surprised no one mentioned it yet, OpenSprinkler. I like mine so much, I'm recommending it to family.

8 zones, expandable to 48 zones. Wifi standard, optional Ethernet. All the features of the big boys and maybe more. Three different versions depending on what kind of valves you have. 24V AC is most common of course. Zimmerman watering adjustment. ETo watering adjustments. Last but not least, open source and a nice API!

https://opensprinkler.com/


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## jht3 (Jul 27, 2018)

CAB said:


> Surprised no one mentioned it yet, OpenSprinkler. I like mine so much, I'm recommending it to family.
> 
> 8 zones, expandable to 48 zones. Wifi standard, optional Ethernet. All the features of the big boys and maybe more. Three different versions depending on what kind of valves you have. 24V AC is most common of course. Zimmerman watering adjustment. ETo watering adjustments. Last but not least, open source and a nice API!
> 
> https://opensprinkler.com/


I looked at this years ago but my primary concern is the service company who winterizes my system. I know they are familiar with rachio because I asked, and it appears an account can be shared for this purpose.

How do you do this with opensprinkler or controllers without manual start/stop and zone advancement?


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## occamsrzr (Apr 27, 2020)

CAB said:


> Surprised no one mentioned it yet, OpenSprinkler. I like mine so much, I'm recommending it to family.
> 
> 8 zones, expandable to 48 zones. Wifi standard, optional Ethernet. All the features of the big boys and maybe more. Three different versions depending on what kind of valves you have. 24V AC is most common of course. Zimmerman watering adjustment. ETo watering adjustments. Last but not least, open source and a nice API!
> 
> https://opensprinkler.com/


I had not heard of this option. Thanks for the heads up.


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## greenzlov (Jun 26, 2020)

New to the group and first post.

My vote for Rachio 3. Original controller was Hunter years ago and the Rachio gives a lot of flexibility and is very easy to use from a phone, tablet or from a computer.

I'm sure there are others out there that are good as well but I don't have experience with them or the latest from Hunter.

G


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## jayhawk (Apr 18, 2017)

I have used the hunter hydrwise, it's basic ...you need to know how long to water ....it's totally dumb in that regards. Rachio, is superior in ease of use, smarter


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## turfnsurf (Apr 29, 2020)

Sorry if this is a stupid question...but in order to use these controllers, do you need to have an underground setup?

I am trying to determine an irrigation solution for myself.


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## TSGarp007 (May 22, 2018)

No reason anything has to be underground. If you are using standard irrigation valves (24VAC), then they will control them whether they, or the pipes, are above ground or below ground.


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