Smart Sprinkler Controller
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Rachio. All opinions are 100% mine.
We built our home in 2004 and had a complete irrigation system installed. It is very efficient and such a timesaver all around. We love our outdoor spaces and my husband takes great pride in his efforts.
Our lawn is looking better and better. Last year we replaced the sod in our backyard with another variety. We still have a few areas to Fix dead grass. This summer will be its second year.
Whether you are working on a young yard and landscape or something more established, watering is critical.
Too little or too much can be huge factors that can dampen your efforts. We have discovered a Smarter way to water your lawn.
We live in the country and asking someone to take care of your yard while you are on vacation is just not an option.
When we learned that a Sprinkler Controller was available to control watering from our phones, we knew this was something that we wanted to explore.
Last winter we replaced our HVAC thermostat with a wi-fi system, so we were familiar with this concept of operating the system from our smart phones.
The Rachio 3 Smart Sprinkler Controller for our irrigation system was music to our ears! It's the highest-rated, best-selling smart sprinkler controller around!
I'll be honest, I was a bit intimidated at first in thinking that this could be a DIY project!
Friends, it truly is a DIY project and it seriously couldn't be simpler. It can be installed in 30 minutes or less and is compatible with any in-ground sprinkler system.
Everything that you need comes in the box with the simplest of instructions.
It's very important that you take photos of your existing wiring so you will know where to reconnect your zones to your new controller.
Inside the old box, I also had a description of where all the zones are located along with the corresponding zone number.
We have quite a few zones that aren't used anymore. We no longer use the rain sensor so a lot less wire had to be connected as we did away with that element.
Rachio 3 comes in 2 models:
- 8-Zone Model ($249.99)
- 16-Zone Model ($299.99)
We used the 16-Zone model.
While a lot of homeowners, have their controller located in their garage, ours is located on the exterior of our potting shed pictured in the photo above.
Rachio has you covered for exterior installation.
You'll want an outdoor enclosure just like this. It houses your Rachio perfectly!
It's very important that you follow the instructions for safety! You must unplug your unit and turn off your breaker before you begin working. Then it's as simple as turning the screw and pulling the colored wire from the pole.
Don't forget to take photos first!
My son is home from college for the summer. I enlisted his help in removing the old controller.
We used the screwdriver attachment for the cordless drill to make things go more quickly. A couple of areas required a traditional screwdriver.
This is what you are left with when you remove the old controller. This is why it is important to take photos of your wiring for the zones and take any notes.
I can't get over how much more streamlined and neater our new Rachio 3 Smart Sprinkler Controller is! What you are looking at now is where I (yes…..I did all the wiring!) hardwired the exterior electrical cord. I was able to use the same cord from the old unit as it was wired separately.
You place the plate back over the electrical and plug in the Rachio 3 power source. Now it will be housed in this protective outdoor enclosure.
You will then pull all the wires through a hole into the enclosure and secure the Rachio 3 with the included screws.
You will now refer to your photos and connect the wires in the ports!
Your Rachio 3 comes with this cover plate.
It's so much more compact and neater looking than our old controller.
Remember when I mentioned about the hardship of going out of town and worrying about the yard. The sensor just never worked well with its location so we quit using it. My husband is a stickler about saving water so we never had it on a set schedule. He would just go outside and manually turn on zones as needed. Yes, it was a hassle, but worked for us. When we'd go out of town, we just turned off the system and hoped it would rain while away. We'd have someone come water planted pots, but never have them mess with the system.
This is what is so exciting!!!!
With the system being connected to our wi-fi that means that we can operate our system from our smart phones. How cool is that!!! We were at the beach over the weekend, and we even tried it out while away.
No more going to the control panel to turn it on. We can do it from the couch, 6 hours away at the beach or while out to dinner.
It has so many features like Weather Intelligence TM that automatically adjusts watering schedules based on the weather at your home. So it truly makes it a set it and forget about it system. It self-adjusts the schedule. It truly is a Smarter way to water your lawn!
You can control your system from your computer, tablet, smartphone and even through Alexa and Google Home voice commands.
We are still fine tuning our system. You can take a photo of each zone and upload it into the app which makes it even easier to operate. My husband pretty much has our zones memorized, but I want to make it look pretty and add those photos!
We are loving our new Rachio 3 Smart Sprinkler Controller. I know our lawn and landscaping will appreciate it as well!
We love it!