Managing Irrigation Schedules
 

We will be new the Villages in September in the Wellpoint area moving into a newly constructed home. We we only be there for periodic vacations. I see from the Declaration of Covenants, Conditions... that we are requried to follow the allowed irrigation schedule from the GPWCA. Can anyone describe to me how we can expect that will work - does the builder have a controller with scheduling capability? Do we need to put in place a phone based controller so that we can manage it remotely while away? Any advice is greatly appreciated as we plan to set up our new home.

Your irrigation controller box will be in the garage. Instructions including run times and days to water will be on the outside of the box cover. If you need help, your builder rep will walk you through it.

We, too, live in Well Point. The builder installed a Hunter controller. IMO, the first thing you must do is to purchase and install the WiFi module in the controller. It’s a bit less than $100. If you’re even a bit tech-savvy, then it’s DIY. Then install the Hydrawise app on your smart device. Of course, you’ll have to have an always-on data connection; Centric fiber is pre-installed in our Well Point home.

Good luck and welcome home.

We replaced our Hunter controller with a Rachio. The Rachio connects to the internet and I can control from my phone and easily set schedules. It can also stop irrigation if it rains so you’re not watering while it’s raining. It has worked great so far!

The Hunter controller with the wifi module can do the same thing.

The decision probably comes down to price. The Hunter wifi module alone may be cheaper than the Rachio controller. but if you first need to upgrade your Hunter controller to accept the module then the Rachio may be the less expensive way to go.

Thanks to all for the help...
 

That's exactly what I was looking for - thanks very much for all the replies!

Irrigation has rain sensor, it’s supposed to shut water off when raining or if rained enough to alter schedule. Don’t get no simpler than that.

The rain sensor in reality is not very effective because it will not predict rain. All it does is if it rains, it will disable the controller for a certain period of time until it dries out delaying any additional watering. How many times have you seen everyone watering in the morning only to find we get torrential rain in afternoon. Total waste of water. Also, after 5 years or so the sponges in the rain sensor will dry up causing the sensor to stay stuck open. With the irrigation controllers like the Rachio, it's connected to the weather service so it tries to predict when it will rain based on that service and manage the watering accordingly.

I see more watering while it’s raining. Predict a stretch along with tries. Nobody can predict rain down to address’s. It precentage guess like any weather forecast.

Irrigation Controller
 

We had the Hunter controller and it was cumbersome to use with wi-fi and never worked very well. It would run even when rain was predicted or it had rained that day.

We switched to Rachio and found it to be a MUCH better system for us. It ties into our local area weather forecast in TV (and will soon be connected to the weather station we’re installing) for even more accurate performance.

We saved over $1,000 in irrigation bills our first year (and > 100,000 gallons of water) vs the Hunter system. No more $200/mo. irrigation bills for our 1/4 ac property. They’re now between $0 - $50/mo with Rachio.

We’ve saved even more ($ and water) this year with the new AI features they’ve downloaded to the system, making it even more efficient.

I think the 8 zone Rachio system controller was $160 and was very simple to install, taking about 20 mins.

BUT, that sensor is totally worthless for future precipitation. If the controller is set to run on say early Monday mornings and there is rain forecasted for Monday afternoon you’ll be needlessly watering and wasting water and money. The Rachio controller will skip a programmed schedule if rain is in the forecast. The Hunter can probably be configured to also work that way but I found the Rachio controller to be so much more user friendly. My Rachio paid for itself in water savings in a little over a year.

Why would anyone water in the morning?

I am on my second home with rain sensor and they are a basic shut off if it’s raining and that is all. I have the Hunter with smart controller and it’s nice for when heavy rain is predicted the next day and the watering is scheduled for the night before it will skip based on that weather prediction. The above comment on the Hunter not working was because it takes some adjustments in the settings for the weather prediction to get it right. Example, I rolled back the no watering trigger based on weather forecast to 50 percent vs 70 percent default.

Our Hunter does exactly that. You can set the % of rain in the weather forecast and allow it to override when the forecast is above the % you
Set. Most of of these complaints about Hunter are due to operator’s lack of knowledge in not setting the
Advanced settings and features. It does everything the Rachio does.

When you first move in you’ll need to keep an increased water schedule with new grass until its roots get established. St Augustine needs DEEP watering. In the summer most people I know water 50-60 minutes twice a week, and for these hottest months add a third day of 15 minutes to help get through those long gap days. You’ll see St Augustine stress by wilting and folding its blades which causes a shadow on your lawn in that area. Ultimately if that keeps happening it kills the grass. St Augustine also gets stressed if cut too short. Unfortunately most grass services cut too short. Don’t cut under 3.5”, preferably 4”. Also, fungus brown patch and chinch bugs can kill your grass within a week if you aren’t proactive on insecticide and fungicide. Services are reactive instead of proactive. Don’t wait until you have a problem.

Watering in the morning is optimal.

Watering any later in the day and more water would be lost to evaporation than what gets to the roots.

Watering at night leads to mold and fungal issues as the blades of grass are constantly wet.

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.

I've never had a problem but I always use the simplest, cheapest Orbit one that you can get on Amazon or Lowes. I do agree, that Hunter one that came with the hose is a problem.

Simply throw out the Hunter controller and install a DIY Rachio controller. It doesn't use a rain gauge, it listens to the weather radios plus has seasonal adjustments, etc