Quote:
Originally Posted by jrref
Finally, someone in the Villages who has taken all the steps for responsible irrigation. I have the same exact Rachio setup. I also installed a Flume water monitor that I got at a reduced price on Amazon Prime Day. I have to admit, although this is the optimal setup, most people are not going to do all this.
Installing the Rachio smart irrigation controller is #1 on the scale of importance. Setting it up as you mentioned by adjusting the advanced settings is #2. ( I found Allowed Depletion set to 30-35% to work best for me ).
After this installing the irrigation filter is really important because at certain times of the year especially when we don't get rain, the Villages sends us the worst irrigation water from the ponds. We get more sediment and other junk that clogs of the individual sprinkler filters. When this happens, they may still look like they are working but the flow rate is probably diminished. I've seen many stubborn people that don't want to get the irrigation filter and clean the individual filters, sometimes up to 50 heads only to find by the next day or two they are all clogged again. Chuck Grospitch, chuck.grospitch@gmail.com, 440-823-4273, can install one for you for those who are interested. Money well spent because you clean one filter once a month instead of 30-50.
My Rachio flow meter did save me recently by telling me that after it shut off all the zones, water was still running for a couple of minutes. After investigating, I found one of my valves was getting stuck and I needed to change the diaphram. As you mentioned, it also pays for itself when a head breaks and you are not aware. The flow meter will sense the increased water flow and disable that zone and send you an alert. I felt the installation and the cost of the flow meter was a little high but again if you can find someone to install it, it can pay for itself with just one failure. |
Thanks.
The Everydrop flowmeter is listed on Rachio's website. The wired version is $150. Excluding the wiring, I bet if someone had it on hand when the irrigation filter was installed, the installer would install it too. Except perhaps for the wiring.
Installation would be something like this.