Tip - Hunter Irrigation Controller

[retiredguy123]

I have a Hunter Pro-C controller. I have never understood the value of the solar sync sensor connected to this controller. Recently, it automatically changed my watering times to 10 percent of the times that I had programmed via the "Seasonal Adjust" setting. If I changed the setting back to 100 percent, the next day it would automatically reset it to 10 percent. Also, the rain sensor, which is an integral part of the outside solar sync sensor, started to malfunction. So, I decided to disable the solar sync and the rain sensor by disconnecting the green and black wires in the controller and resetting the seasonal adjust setting to 100 percent. Now, I am in total control of when and for how long the irrigation system will operate. I can buy a separate rain sensor if I want, but I don't think it would save enough money to be worth doing. You should check the seasonal adjust setting periodically to determine if the system has changed your watering times. And, if you want to disable the solar sync system, it can be done in about 2 minutes by disconnecting the green and black wires inside the controller. You should also set the seasonal adjust setting to 100 percent. Then, you will have total control of your watering schedule.

[dewilson58]

I'm on the other side of the fence, Love my Solar Sync.

Automatically adjust with rain.

I see neighbors sprinklers running during a rain.
May or may not care, May or may not be in town.
Either way, a waste of water.

With the rains last week, SS kept my sprinklers off for days since we had two inches of natural rain.

Sensors don't last forever..........easy and cheap to repair/replace.

:wave:

[retiredguy123]

I'm on the other side of the fence, Love my Solar Sync.

Automatically adjust with rain.

I see neighbors sprinklers running during a rain.
May or may not care, May or may not be in town.
Either way, a waste of water.

With the rains last week, SS kept my sprinklers off for days since we had two inches of natural rain.

Sensors don't last forever..........easy and cheap to repair/replace.

:wave:
I understand the rain sensor, but what does the solar sync do for you?

[rjm1cc]

My rain sensor never seemed that good so I manually turn my sprinkler on or off depending on projected rain days and the condition of the grass. I have cut my water usage by more than 1/2 for the year.

[Bill14564]

My SS didn't seem to work right and I had problems with the seasonal adjustments too so I had the controller replaced with a Hunter X2 with wifi.

I've only had the new system about 18 months now so not a lot of data to go on but with that limited data I see:
- $69 savings over an entire year
- $13 savings for the six months from September through February

I paid for the controller to be replaced rather than doing it myself so I ended up spending much more than I needed to. If I had purchased the pieces off Amazon for about $300, it would have paid for itself in as little as five years.

It looks like a replacement Solar Sync is about $90 if I had chosen to go that route.

[Topspinmo]

I have a Hunter Pro-C controller. I have never understood the value of the solar sync sensor connected to this controller. Recently, it automatically changed my watering times to 10 percent of the times that I had programmed via the "Seasonal Adjust" setting. If I changed the setting back to 100 percent, the next day it would automatically reset it to 10 percent. Also, the rain sensor, which is an integral part of the outside solar sync sensor, started to malfunction. So, I decided to disable the solar sync and the rain sensor by disconnecting the green and black wires in the controller and resetting the seasonal adjust setting to 100 percent. Now, I am in total control of when and for how long the irrigation system will operate. I can buy a separate rain sensor if I want, but I don't think it would save enough money to be worth doing. You should check the seasonal adjust setting periodically to determine if the system has changed your watering times. And, if you want to disable the solar sync system, it can be done in about 2 minutes by disconnecting the green and black wires inside the controller. You should also set the seasonal adjust setting to 100 percent. Then, you will have total control of your watering schedule.

I only use automatic when not at home for weeks. Otherwise I manually run it. I don’t have grass only tropicals and bushes. The other day with at least 2” or more rain during my walk I seen water irrigation running. Every on dry days I see irrigation water running down street for 20 minutes or more. Lots of people like wasting water and higher water bills in my neck of woods.

[retiredguy123]

I think a lot of people don't realize that the solar sync sensor can automatically change the watering times that they set. Also, many irrigation technicians don't have a clue about how the system works, and they don't even use consistent regional settings throughout The Villages. Region 3 is for U.S. southern states, but I have seen various controllers set on Regions 2, 3, or 4. Also, they always seem to use the water adjust calibration setting of 10, when the manual says it can range from 1 to 10. The only way to really establish the proper calibration setting is to monitor the system over a period of time, something that technicians never do.

[Boffin]

Better tip: remove and replace with a Rachio.

[JohnN]

...I manually turn my sprinkler on or off depending on projected rain days.

That's what I do, seems easy enough and sometimes low tech is the best tech.

[frayedends]

Better tip: remove and replace with a Rachio.

I have a Hunter with WiFi on my Massachusetts home and I hate the app. Not user friendly. I just replaced my Villages controller with Rachio and I love it. I removed the rain sensor and just use the weather forecast capability of the Rachio.

[dewilson58]

I understand the rain sensor, but what does the solar sync do for you?


Sensor for sunlight & temperature.

"Solar Sync measures sunlight and temperature, and uses ET to determine the correct seasonal adjustment percentage value to send to the controller. The controller then uses its programmed run time and adjusts to Solar Sync's seasonal adjustment value to modify the actual irrigation run time for that day."

[retiredguy123]

Note that 1,000 gallons of irrigation water costs $2.66. Last month, I used 3,600 gallons at a cost of $9.58. Even if it worked, how long would it take to break even if I bought a new solar sync sensor for $85? Also, as I understand it, the solar sync system only adjusts the percentage of the watering times set by the user. It doesn't control the actual amount of water used. So, if you set the watering time to 40 minutes per zone, the solar sync may cut it down to 30 minutes, which may still be way too much water for your lawn. User error is much more important than a solar sync adjustment.

[photo1902]

Note that 1,000 gallons of irrigation water costs $2.66. Last month, I used 3,600 gallons at a cost of $9.58. Even if it worked, how long would it take to break even if I bought a new solar sync sensor for $85? Also, as I understand it, the solar sync system only adjusts the percentage of the watering times set by the user. It doesn't control the actual amount of water used. So, if you set the watering time to 40 minutes per zone, the solar sync may cut it down to 30 minutes, which may still be way too much water for your lawn. User error is much more important than a solar sync adjustment.

I agree. The Solar Sync sensor is junk.

[Maker]

Replacing it is an easy DIY job.
Take a picture of the current wires. Normally each is a different color. Write down where which one is connected... Power, Common, 1, 2, 3, 4...
Unpower old unit. Swap in new one. Connect wires to same named terminals. Plug it in. Set up wifi.
Newer controllers do not need any rain sensors or other junk. They connect to weather stations to know how much rain is expected, and has fallen, so they about watering before it rains.

[Ptmcbriz]

Solar sync makes the system seasonal smart. It recognizes its winter and you don’t need the same amount of water on the lawn as July. It automatically adjusts so you don’t have to go in periodically and make seasonal adjustments (based on sunlight). Right now my system is watering 30% less than July and I don’t have to do anything. Technology is a good thing.

[rsmurano]

I got rid of the POS hunter system with the wand (which worked 1/2 the time) and went with the orbit b-hyve controller for about $60 and it takes 5 mins to install and 30 mins to program. I’ve had this in my other houses and I’ve converted a dozen friends from various controllers to the b-hyve. You can control this right from your iPhone/ipad/siri. Plus the b-hyve will sync to your nearest government weather station or you can connect it to a close by personal weather station.

For around $150, I installed my own personal weather station and the b-hyve is connected to it. With the rain so spotty here in the villages, I want to know how much rain I received not how much somebody got a mile from here. The people that I got converted over to the b-hyve near me point to my personal weather station.

My weather station data gets updated to weather underground and to weathercloud every 10 seconds so I can check out my weather stats online.

[GoneFishing]

I’m on the other side of this. I love my Hunter with wifi. I can control it from wherever I am. It’s been working great for 3 years.

[DrHitch]

automatically changed my watering times to 10 percent of the times that I had programmed.

It sounds like the software setting for seasonal is not "sticking" to the value you chose...so your solution is a good one...

Seasonal override is indeed adjustable per the manual "Seasonal adjust can be increased so that the stations will run longer than the programmed time. Conversely, as Fall approaches, the seasonal adjust can be reduced to allow for short watering durations. Turn the dial to the SEASONAL ADJUST position. Press the or buttons to set the percentage desired from 5% to 300%."

[retiredguy123]

Solar sync makes the system seasonal smart. It recognizes its winter and you don’t need the same amount of water on the lawn as July. It automatically adjusts so you don’t have to go in periodically and make seasonal adjustments (based on sunlight). Right now my system is watering 30% less than July and I don’t have to do anything. Technology is a good thing.
My system never seemed to operate that way. The manual says to set the watering times and then set the seasonal adjust setting to 100 percent. But, my system always lowered the seasonal adjust setting to substantially lower than 100 regardless of the season, even though the manual says that the setting can go up to as high as 300 percent. I also noticed that other houses on my street had different Region settings, either 2, 3, or 4, even though they were all installed by the same irrigation company. I think the solar sync is overly complicated, and I would rather make manual adjustments to the watering schedule based on the season and the appearance of my lawn.

[Bill14564]

It sounds like the software setting for seasonal is not "sticking" to the value you chose...so your solution is a good one...

Seasonal override is indeed adjustable per the manual "Seasonal adjust can be increased so that the stations will run longer than the programmed time. Conversely, as Fall approaches, the seasonal adjust can be reduced to allow for short watering durations. Turn the dial to the SEASONAL ADJUST position. Press the or buttons to set the percentage desired from 5% to 300%."

I believe you will find that manual seasonal adjust is overridden by the software if you have a Solar Sync installed. Retiredguy solved this "problem" by disconnecting the Solar Sync.

[G.R.I.T.S.]

Sensor for sunlight & temperature.

"Solar Sync measures sunlight and temperature, and uses ET to determine the correct seasonal adjustment percentage value to send to the controller. The controller then uses its programmed run time and adjusts to Solar Sync's seasonal adjustment value to modify the actual irrigation run time for that day."

Agreed! It’s especially important when temperatures are expected to be within freezing range. It will keep your landscape from becoming a winter wonderland covered with a coating of ice.

[retiredguy123]

It sounds like the software setting for seasonal is not "sticking" to the value you chose...so your solution is a good one...

Seasonal override is indeed adjustable per the manual "Seasonal adjust can be increased so that the stations will run longer than the programmed time. Conversely, as Fall approaches, the seasonal adjust can be reduced to allow for short watering durations. Turn the dial to the SEASONAL ADJUST position. Press the or buttons to set the percentage desired from 5% to 300%."
As others have said, the seasonal adjust setting is controlled by the solar sync sensor. It is designed that way. You may think you are watering for 30 minutes, but the solar sync sensor can change it. So, it is important to check the seasonal adjust setting peroiodically to determine how long you are actually watering your lawn.

[Indydealmaker]

I only use automatic when not at home for weeks. Otherwise I manually run it. I don’t have grass only tropicals and bushes. The other day with at least 2” or more rain during my walk I seen water irrigation running. Every on dry days I see irrigation water running down street for 20 minutes or more. Lots of people like wasting water and higher water bills in my neck of woods.

South of 466, watering in the rain does not waste water. What is not used by soil is collected by the ponds for reuse.

[retiredguy123]

South of 466, watering in the rain does not waste water. What is not used by soil is collected by the ponds for reuse.
Even when the rain sensor works as designed, it is not very effective, especially when you are only watering 2 times per week. If it rains for 2 or 3 days, I just turn the system off.

[Summerhouse]

I have a Hunter with WiFi on my Massachusetts home and I hate the app. Not user friendly. I just replaced my Villages controller with Rachio and I love it. I removed the rain sensor and just use the weather forecast capability of the Rachio.
Our Hydrawise app is very user-friendly. It uses the ‘local’ rainfall in Leesburg airport (the nearest source) I can adjust up or down from there.
I will comment that I occasionally run mine an extra cycle here and there to ensure the potted plants get adequate watering since they do dry out quicker than the ground plants.
We are part time and in a courtyard villa.

[Topspinmo]

I got rid of the POS hunter system with the wand (which worked 1/2 the time) and went with the orbit b-hyve controller for about $60 and it takes 5 mins to install and 30 mins to program. I’ve had this in my other houses and I’ve converted a dozen friends from various controllers to the b-hyve. You can control this right from your iPhone/ipad/siri. Plus the b-hyve will sync to your nearest government weather station or you can connect it to a close by personal weather station.

For around $150, I installed my own personal weather station and the b-hyve is connected to it. With the rain so spotty here in the villages, I want to know how much rain I received not how much somebody got a mile from here. The people that I got converted over to the b-hyve near me point to my personal weather station.

My weather station data gets updated to weather underground and to weathercloud every 10 seconds so I can check out my weather stats online.

But do you have water running down street watering the storm drain for 20 plus minutes?

[Topspinmo]

South of 466, watering in the rain does not waste water. What is not used by soil is collected by the ponds for reuse.

/////

[Topspinmo]

South of 466, watering in the rain does not waste water. What is not used by soil is collected by the ponds for reuse.

What if ponds are low? Are wasting money? Not everybody lives south of 466.

[jump4]

Better tip: remove and replace with a Rachio.

I agree completely. You can set it to use Rachio's standard weather information or set it to a nearby weather station in your village.

[metoo21]

Better tip: remove and replace with a Rachio.

:agree:

And I had a personal weather station at my previous home and wanted one here. Getting the Rachio gave me the extra push to set up a station here. I have the Rachio looking at my personal weather station and no longer have to rely on a "rain sensor" that is known for being unreliable. Several neighbors have also gotten a Rachio and connect it to my station. I've been using it for about 3 1/2 months and so far have saved almost $45 in irrigation costs. I expect greater savings as time goes on as I expect I was overwatering last spring and summer.

[retiredguy123]

:agree:

And I had a personal weather station at my previous home and wanted one here. Getting the Rachio gave me the extra push to set up a station here. I have the Rachio looking at my personal weather station and no longer have to rely on a "rain sensor" that is known for being unreliable. Several neighbors have also gotten a Rachio and connect it to my station. I've been using it for about 3 1/2 months and so far have saved almost $45 in irrigation costs. I expect greater savings as time goes on as I expect I was overwatering last spring and summer.
If I saved $45 in irrigation water in 3.5 months, that would mean that I didn't use any water at all. After the irrigation base payment, I only pay about $10 per month for irrigation water, which is a total of about 4,000 gallons per month. Are you sure your calculations are correct? Or, are you using potable water for irrigation?

[metoo21]

If I saved $45 in irrigation water in 3.5 months, that would mean that I didn't use any water at all. After the irrigation base payment, I only pay about $10 per month for irrigation water, which is a total of about 4,000 gallons per month. Are you sure your calculations are correct? Or, are you using potable water for irrigation?

Yes. Calculations are correct. The irrigation base payment is still an irrigation cost. This billing cycle (February bill) I used 7300 gallons. Last February with the Hunter, I used 9750. I have a pie shaped yard so it is probably bigger than most.

[retiredguy123]

Yes. Calculations are correct. The irrigation base payment is still an irrigation cost. This billing cycle (February bill) I used 7300 gallons. Last February with the Hunter, I used 9750. I have a pie shaped yard so it is probably bigger than most.
On my bill, a reduction of 2,450 gallons of water would only equate to a cost savings of about $6.50. 1,000 gallons of irrigation water only costs $2.66. The base payment is an irrigation cost, but it is not based on the amount of water used.

[Bill14564]

On my bill, a reduction of 2,450 gallons of water would only equate to a cost savings of about $6.50. 1,000 gallons of irrigation water only costs $2.66. The base payment is an irrigation cost, but it is not based on the amount of water used.

Same here. I only use about $15/month irrigation during dry months. Base cost is in addition to that but base cost would be charged if I used no water at all. My irrigation costs $2.92/1,000gals but that still works out to be $7.15 savings for 2,450 gals.

[metoo21]

Just looked again. My calculations are correct. I just calculated my $/1000 gal and is in line with y'all. I get $2.88 this bill. However, there must be a different $/1000 if one uses more than X gallons. Dec bill in 2022 was 14,920 gallons for $56.91 (excludes base charge). So this is $3.8143/1000. That gives me a $32.80 (used 7010 gallons less and calculates to $4.68/1000) savings between Dec. 2023 and Dec. 2022. Jan was a difference of $0.40 (260 gallons) and Feb was a difference of $10.33 (2430 gallons). My actual 3 month savings was $43.53.

And in Dec 2022, there weren't any issues with sprinkler heads or leaks. That is what the Hunter had decided.

[Bill14564]

Just looked again. My calculations are correct. I just calculated my $/1000 gal and is in line with y'all. I get $2.88 this bill. However, there must be a different $/1000 if one uses more than X gallons. Dec bill in 2022 was 14,920 gallons for $56.91 (excludes base charge). So this is $3.8143/1000. That gives me a $32.80 savings between Dec. 2023 and Dec. 2022. Jan was a difference of $0.40 and Feb was a difference of $10.33. My actual 3 month savings was $43.53.

And in Dec 2022, there weren't any issues with sprinkler heads or leaks. That is what the Hunter had decided.

14,000 gals is a tremendous amount of water to use... about double what I typically use in a dry month.

I used about 7,000 gals Dec 2022 and 9,000 gals Dec 2023. This year (Dec 2023) *may* have included a day when the controller became stuck and the irrigation ran for several extra hours. So again, about 7,000 gals is typical for a dry month.

If you are in CSU, your rates are in the lower right corner of the first page of your bill. Yes, there are different rates for 0-7,000, 7,001-14,000, and 14,001+ gals. Your 14,920 month would have cost me (7*2.42)+(7*4.04)+(.92*5.59)=$50.36

[retiredguy123]

Just looked again. My calculations are correct. I just calculated my $/1000 gal and is in line with y'all. I get $2.88 this bill. However, there must be a different $/1000 if one uses more than X gallons. Dec bill in 2022 was 14,920 gallons for $56.91 (excludes base charge). So this is $3.8143/1000. That gives me a $32.80 (used 7010 gallons less and calculates to $4.68/1000) savings between Dec. 2023 and Dec. 2022. Jan was a difference of $0.40 (260 gallons) and Feb was a difference of $10.33 (2430 gallons). My actual 3 month savings was $43.53.

And in Dec 2022, there weren't any issues with sprinkler heads or leaks. That is what the Hunter had decided.
Yes, the rate does increase if you use more than 7,000 gallons and again at 14,000 gallons. I would suggest that you compare your irrigation water usage to other houses with similar lawns. Water bills are public information. You can view any water bill by going to "districtgov.org" and clicking on "utility bill information", and follow the links and search for the bill using the house address.

[metoo21]

Yes, the rate does increase if you use more than 7,000 gallons and again at 14,000 gallons. I would suggest that you compare your irrigation water usage to other houses with similar lawns. Water bills are public information. You can view any water bill by going to "districtgov.org" and clicking on "utility bill information", and follow the links and search for the bill using the house address.

Yes, I have compared to neighbors. There are 5 of us with pie shaped lots of approx the same sq ft (within +/- 200). All of our irrigation water usage and bills are high. That's why I started looking at how to fix it. The Rachio stood out among them all. The app is tremendously better than Hunters. Lots easier to use. I also added a flowmeter (Everydrop wired irrigation flow meter/ (https://rachio.com/products/everydrop-wired-flow-meter/)) that connects to the Rachio as a sensor. In the app, you run a 3 minute calibration on each zone and it determines the flow rate in gallons per minute. You can then set a % low and % high range where if the flow falls outside, you'll get an email that there is a problem. Mine is set to 90% and 110%. I'm concerned about low flow because I have a filter on the irrigation line before the valves to filter the nasty water and help prevent clogging the filters on each sprinkler head. So with this, I will get notified if the flow drops below 90% of calibration flow and I'll know to clean the filter. If it is high, then I know that either I have a leak or an issue with a broken sprinkler head and more water is coming out it than should be. And yes, each zone has a slightly different calibrated flow rate due to the type and # of heads. A high flow rate on a zone will disable that zone so it won't run again until you fix the issue and re-enable the zone.

The Rachio app is free but there is an optional in-app purchase ($29.99) that adds valve monitoring. The valve monitoring setup goes through a calibration and measures the mA needed to open each valve. If one changes within a % range that you set, you'll be notified by email. You'll then know that a valve needs to be replaced.

[metoo21]

14,000 gals is a tremendous amount of water to use... about double what I typically use in a dry month.

I used about 7,000 gals Dec 2022 and 9,000 gals Dec 2023. This year (Dec 2023) *may* have included a day when the controller became stuck and the irrigation ran for several extra hours. So again, about 7,000 gals is typical for a dry month.

If you are in CSU, your rates are in the lower right corner of the first page of your bill. Yes, there are different rates for 0-7,000, 7,001-14,000, and 14,001+ gals. Your 14,920 month would have cost me (7*2.42)+(7*4.04)+(.92*5.59)=$50.36

I agree it is a tremendous amount of water but I've had higher usage in 2023. One month was 18,182 and another was 21,620. Again no issues with the sprinkler heads or leaks and in range of the neighbors who also had Hunter controllers.

Thanks for letting me know that the rates are on the bill. I usually never get past the monthly charge.

[wayneman]

Ditto....
My rain sensor never seemed that good so I manually turn my sprinkler on or off depending on projected rain days and the condition of the grass. I have cut my water usage by more than 1/2 for the year.

[Justputt]

LOL, I have to get used to what older people (my age!) fixate on. For me, if sprinkler running when it's supposed to all good. The tech from the company that installed ours came for our orientation, showed us everything was working, explained it, and how to change it. We actually enjoyed taking to her; she knew her stuff. Honestly, I've had a system like this before in Texas, so was a bit "in one ear, out the other," but the main point being if the grass is green, no standing water, not watering the road/drive/neighbor's yard/preserve/etc. all is fine. Watering in the rain is a waste of money because our yards are mostly sand, so added water doesn't do anything for our grass/plants and just flows through. Therefore, I love the rain sensor, but we were told they do wear out. Seasonal adjustments make sense because the watering needs are less in colder weather with less sunlight. I don't have experience with the Solar Sync component, but it does make sense. I'm pretty sure our new build only has the rain sensor, so maybe that is a tell. I would have thought by now there would be at least one retired Hydrologist provide a full summary of regional soil and water needs, tongue-in-cheek.

[Altawood]

I’m on DWilson’s side…so far.

I think the concept is that as temperatures rise and daylight increases during the summer, more irrigation is required. Conversely, less required in the winter. The Sync program takes into account the daylight hours, temperature and recent rains to reduce irrigation when it should not be needed. In addition, it can be ‘fine tuned’ by reducing the adjustment factor for your particular installation.

Of course, the other option is to keep a close eye on the soil moisture and make manual adjustments.

[retiredguy123]

I’m on DWilson’s side…so far.

I think the concept is that as temperatures rise and daylight increases during the summer, more irrigation is required. Conversely, less required in the winter. The Sync program takes into account the daylight hours, temperature and recent rains to reduce irrigation when it should not be needed. In addition, it can be ‘fine tuned’ by reducing the adjustment factor for your particular installation.

Of course, the other option is to keep a close eye on the soil moisture and make manual adjustments.
I agree that the concept is good, but I discovered that it just didn't work.