I live in Maine and it's hard to find lawn videos that translate to a northern climate. Your tips and product suggestions have really helped our yard become one of the nicest in our neighborhood! Thanks
Great tip on a fantastic sprinkler controller! I've had one for 3 years and truthfully don't know what I would do without it! You should have touched on a big feature - connecting to a weather station! You really don't need a rain sensor any longer. But for me, who blows out my own lines in the fall, what a time saver. I don't have to run back and forth with the old controller on the wall. I just carry my phone and use the Rachio app. Always great videos! Thanks!
Glad it was helpful! Yes you are 100% correct it definitely is nice and give you a virtual sensor that even stops watering *before* a big storm which can't ever be had with a traditional sensor.
Installed the Rachio 3 at our Bonita Springs,Fla home last year.It was very easy to set up and the improvements in our lawn and landscape has been remarkable.
Just a note for fellow Rachio users: Your controller must be placed in a location you have good Wifi signal from your router. I had to reroute my cable and find a new spot for my router/modem as where the controller was mounted in the garage would have intermittent connection, resulting in it not working or connecting well. Otherwise, after I've moved my controller, it has been fairly useful and helpful as I had a lawn renovation this fall.
Yes they have a 8 and 16, I would be shocked if you don't absolutely love it. They have everything figured out and its super easy. No monthly BS fees either which is what I like. The 8 is here amzn.to/3ldaPgv with links to the 16 zone too
A couple of years ago i tested both the rachio and rainmachine side by side without actually connecting them to the sprinkler zones. I did that setup for a month. The rainmachine did a far superior job forecasting the weather and adjusting the watering schedule. At the time the RM had the feature to connect to WUnderground which gave it the edge. Rachio lacked that feature and don't know if they changed that. The benefit of WU is it allows you to connect to your own weather station in your backyard vs connecting to some remote (airport) station miles away. Where i live a mile makes a huge difference. Have had the RM running for a while now and my water consumption literally dropped by half and the grass looks great. Thx for your videos.
I have an orbit bhyve, it is essentially the same thing. I love it. It's so much easier in the spring for startup, and then in the fall for blowouts. No need to run back and forth to the unit, just use your phone.
Thanks again for another outstanding video! Your advice and reccomendations are truly the best. I upgraded to the Rachio 3 Smart Sprinkler Controller this past Spring 2020, and it's so worth it. Easy installation and controll at your finger tips. I wish I upgraded sooner :)
Very nice of you. You wouldn't think a sprinkler controller is that exciting but I am glad to see that you are loving it too, it a big deal especially for winterizing, controlling and even turn it on for fun, kids, etc. Thanks for the support!
Fully agree with you. This was one upgrade I made this year. Actually I tried the Hunter Hydrawise system, but the setup was so difficult that Hunter said my unit was defective. After trying it on a second unit with the same issue I gave up. Went with the Rachio and it was as easy as you described. My only challenge was I needed 2 controllers given the number of zones I have, but even then it wasn’t that hard to do.
That's great to hear. I bought my Rachio 4 years ago and it's still going. My buddy just called me thrilled with closing his system, now he does it sitting in his driveway. The old way was up and down the stairs to the old controller 20 times or more.
I installed The Hunter Hydrawise this past Spring as the price came down 50%, it took longer to get it out of the box, plug in, no wires, it found my WIFI and set itself up, the app is very simple and visual, comes in really handy when blowing out the system, I have a five year old Hunter system, the conversion could not have been easier. Hunter Industries invented the rotators, I like their heads, simple to change out
upgraded from Hunter Pro-C to Hunter PRO-HC this summer, it's a little bit more money but I think it's worth it. I love it. If you have a newer (2014 or newer, I think)Pro-C, Hunter makes a front panel HPC-FP that you can just swap out the front panel be upgraded to a Wi-Fi controller in under 5mins.
I actually only have a few of them installed. My existing ones are 20 year old Hunter I20's. I have been replacing them as they break (which is happening a lot these days) with the metal versions. Here is how I swap out sprinklers very easily: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Fu9rKGWbbMw.html
The Orbit B-Hyve is another reliable Wifi controller that pulls weather data off the internet and functions accordingly. I've had it for 2 years and it works great. Very affordable, about $80.
I recently installed a unit by Hunter called Hydrawise, which is also wifi digital and operates from the smart phone. Sounds like it has all the bells and whistles that you mentioned as well.
Very cool. I was surprised Hunter didn't buy Rachio when they were smaller, Hunter is a massive company and I love their sprinkler heads but they were slow to get into this space but its good that it sounds like they have come out with newer controllers too now.
@@SilverCymbal I probably would have purchased the Rachio since it appears to be the better, installation friendly unit, but my contractor installed this one . He also will do the Fall blow out, and will not need to enter my house or garage to do so. He has the password and all neccessary info on his phone, along with those of his other customers. All I need to do is make sure water valve is turned off in my basement. I have 12 zones.
Great controller overall. Does what it suppose to do. Things I would change on this controller is add a screen to help navigate a little bit more efficiently and if the WiFi was out. Than you can come and add more time and see how many minutes your adding and what zone your adding it too. Hopefully there next generation, they come up with a LED screen
This is a great video and will put this new knowledge I have to upgrade a very old Rainbird controller to the Rachio. A question: You say to match wiring, e.g., if red is on #1 terminal on the old unit, put red on #1 terminal on new unit, if 2 is blue on old unit, put blue on 2 in the new unit. However, the zones in this video were wired to terminals 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8 on the old unit but you put them on 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 on the new unit. Why is that? Thank you again for your great content. Cheers!
Great video. Does the Rachio log into weather stations to see forecasted weather? I upgraded my hunter pro-c controlller to a hunter hydra wise. It s based on an Australian system where it logs into my nearest airport weather station and you can set parameters based on temp, wind, and forecasted rainfall. I can control thru the app or thru the touch screen on the controller. Been very happy with it.
I have a rain bird. I think I am totally going to upgrade mine. I love the smart phone feature. That’s hot. Is it truly a no brainer or are you just super techie?
My hunter system is connected to pump as I use an alternative water source, I use an 8 pin relay using the master valve output on the hunter control unit. I see there is a M output on the Rachio, would this be master valve output?
They do have a cabinet to mount the clock inside. However you must have consistent wifi signal in order for a Rachio to operate properly. Just about all irrigation manufacturers have a some type of internet accessible clock these days. I would suggest going with a product that's not dependent on internet access and something more versatile with wifi access and the "old school" interface access as well. You won't be disappointed in the long run
The Hunter Hydrawise is a much better system, easy to install, about the same price, in any case a WiFi connected controller is a must. My original controller, about 5 years old has a dial and 2-3 buttons to control 48 functions what could possibly go wrong? And let’s face it, rain gauges are like Sasquatch, everyone has of of them, no one has seen one actually working. The Hunter WIFI connects to your local weather service, no fees
Yes, almost every controller uses the same wiring pattern like these. If you have any doubts check out your existing one to make sure you see similar letters on the wires and then you should be good to go. But almost all controllers have very similar or exact wiring.
Yes no problem at all. If you chose: amzn.to/3ldaPgv After installing, you just leave them without being connected to anything. You won't include them on schedules, etc. But its good in case you add a zone in the future too.
You would have to use two Rachios amzn.to/2U86GPi but they don't combine but you can run both of them through software. Many people will use this if they have a econd house, etc. For your own sanity it would be good to try to split the system by front/back yard to make it easier to manage
@@SilverCymbal thank you very much I will definitely look into that set up for upcoming spring. Recently bought my first home, so all of your videos are really helpful. Thank you for all the great content!
It's seriously the best thing I ever bought for irrigation. I still recommend this amzn.to/3kzAAZK without any regrets, its as close to perfect for a controller as it can get.
Terrible clock. Go with a Rain Bird with the wifi module. The down fall the Rachio is there's no access to the controller clock itself you need to have the app to access the system. The clock is dependent on wifi to maintain operation. For examle, let's say you go on vacation and your wifi experience some type of outage for several days this clock will quit operating and leave you with a dry lawn when you return. The Rain Bird or any other wifi clock for that matter will still operate regardless if connected to the internet and keep the last programed scheduled until otherwise changed plus you can make changes directly at the clock itself. All in all this control clock is way overrated in my opinion. Until Rachio allows access without the app and has an outdated 1970's lcd screen with dials and buttons so you can program directly at the device itself go with something else.
