Because the water has time to sink in before the sun evaporates all the water. If you water in the evening the water promotes mold development.

I changed out our old Hunter controller to a new Rachio with the rain sensor. It has already paid for itself by lowering our water and sewer bills. You can also with it log onto any weather station in the neighborhood for more accurate information on weather conditions. Hunter controllers may have the same features just not familiar with them.

:wave:

There are two Hunter systems being discussed. One is the "original" PRO-C system that does not have wifi capabilities and uses the roof-mounted rain gauge and the other is the "new" X2 system that does have wifi. Some of the complaints have to do with not understanding the advanced features but many of the complaints apply to the PRO-C system.

With the PRO-C systems have no wifi and no prediction capability. There are no advanced screens to set a % of rain in the forecast. All these systems have are the Solar Sync sensor which includes a rain gauge. When it works, the sensor gets wet when it rains, stays wet for a period of time, and prevents the controller from watering. When the sensor dries out it allows watering again. The sensors go bad after a while and stop working. There may be a way to test the rain gauge but typically you learn that it isn't working when your water bill does not decrease during rainy season. Many of the Hunter complaints are due to the lack of capabilities of this sensor.

The PRO-C systems were installed north of 44 and may still be the default today. It is easy to replace the PRO-C with the X2 or the Rachio, all it takes is a little time and money, but if the lawn is green then some may feel it is not worth the effort.

I have the Pro-C unit, and I disconnected the green and black wires that come from the roof mounted rain sensor and the solar sync sensor. That way, I can program the watering schedule without worrying about the watering times being changed by the solar sync sensor, or the rain sensor failing to accurately predict the rain. I see no need for a WIFI controlled system. I think there is way too much discussion and concern about controlling the watering schedule. Set it and forget it. If you lawn turns brown, make some adjustments in the watering times. Irrigation water is cheap.

I switched my Hunter controller to a Rachio. I looked into getting the wifi module for the Hunter but I found I could buy the Rachio controller cheaper at Costco than I could buy the Hunter module on Amazon. I also had a Rachio at my Michigan house so I could control them both with the same app.

I can see that my X2 unit has saved me $18 in water usage over the last 30 days by canceling 3/4 of the scheduled watering. My lawn is very small, larger lawns would have saved more.

Guess I should have defined morning.
My irrigation starts at 2AM giving enough time for the water to be absorbed before the sun gets temperature high.

The wifi part is mainly for the controller to get the weather information so it knows not to water when there is a high probablity of rain coming. Other than that, you are right. I only use the remote when I'm checking my system.

Similar experience with a Rachio3, which I have had for a couple of years. In June, the irrigation system came on a total of 2 times. So far in July, it has come on 1 time. One feature that I particularly like is the ability to turn zones on and off from my phone; this is useful when checking/adjusting the sprinkler heads. My only regret was not switching out the Hunter for a Rachio earlier.

Not exactly. Unless you have a rain sensor hooked up to a Rachio you need the Wi-Fi connectivity to obtain the actual rainfall for the soil model. Whether it turns on the irrigation is based partly on obtaining the forecast for future rain but the soil model, which needs the actual rain that has fallen, is what primarily drives the irrigation scheduling.

I will tell you, with my Rachio controller I still have the rain sensor connected to catch those days when the weather says no rain and it rains anyway. I use it as a backup.

Typical irrigation controller rain sensors, such as what came with my Hunter in The Villages and in other homes I have owned, are maintenance headaches. The reported precipitation from the stations the Rachio looks at is more than accurate enough. While there may be some rain events that are missed or reported and didn't actually occur at my house, on average it will be pretty close.

Just a follow up, I connected with the Villages Design group and they will install the Hunter X2 controller (Wi-Fi capable) So this can be upgraded with the Wi-Fi module for ~$99. The Rachio 3 seems better rated for app usability and connectivity issues (Wi-Fi) especially with newer Wi-Fi Routers/Access Points. But for small money and easy install I'll probably give the Hunter Wi-Fi module a try. The feedback in this forum has been great and I can see that having a capable system can lead to significant water savings. I'll have non-potable water for irrigation, but still I would guess the money can add up. Thanks everyone...

IDK, never had a problem with the rain sensor and the Rachio. Just change it every 5 years. If it stops working it's "usually" stuck in the no rain position.

I have had irrigation systems for 25 years and rain sensors are always problematic. I have never seen one last 5 years without work or replacements. Typically, they need fiddling with or replacement every year or so. It is way easier to not bother with them and use the local reporting stations.