Summary

This article details limitations with Rachio schedules to help you better understand your controllers capabilities, and set up your watering schedules to meet your needs. Not to worry, our three types of watering schedules have got you covered in almost every scenario.

Schedule Limitations

1. Multiple Schedules
   For different reasons, you may need to use more than one schedule. In this case, please be aware of the schedule limitations for each controller generation.
   
   Rachio Smart Hose Timer
   Accommodates up to 19 schedules per valve.
   
   Rachio 3
   Accommodates up to 16 schedules per controller.
   
   Generation 2
   Accommodates up to 16 schedules per controller.
   
   Generation 1
   Accommodates up to 8 schedules per controller.
   
   More than 16 Schedules?
   We hope to support a greater number of schedules in the future.
   Until then, please use one of  Rachio's many IFTTT recipes for any complex schedules that need multiple start times per zone. You can also create your own custom recipes to suit a variety of needs. Explore the possibilities!
   
   
2. Can I change the type of my schedule?
   Due to the complexity and unique characteristics of each schedule type's algorithm, it is not possible to change your schedule type from a Fixed to a Flex Daily, for example. If you have a Fixed schedule and want to experiment with Flex Daily, you'll need to create a new schedule from scratch.
   
   
3. Can I change the days my schedule runs?
   If your schedule is set to run on specific days, then yes, you can. Simply go to the Schedules tab, select the specific schedule, and go to Interval. There you'll be able to choose which days your schedule will run.
   
   If the Interval chosen when creating the schedule is an Even/Odd interval, you'll only be able to choose between these two possibilities (considering the day of the month). For Daily intervals, you'll be able to modify a specific frequency between everyday and every 21 days, which will not consider the day of the month or week specifically. 
   
   

4. Hourly Schedules
   Hourly Schedules cannot be set up with both a Start and End time. Currently, you can choose a Start or End time only. If you need to water multiple times within an hourly time frame, the recommendation is to set up multiple Fixed Schedules. For more information, please see: New Seeding Schedule.
   
   

5. Multiple Schedules which include a Zone that is also included in a Flex Daily Schedule
   While any zone can be scheduled to run on multiple schedule types, we do not recommend running a zone on a Flex Daily schedule in conjunction with other schedule types. Doing so will nullify the benefits of a Flex Daily schedule (which monitors and regulates a zones soil moisture), as that zone's moisture level will be increased every time a schedule containing that zone is run. The zone's moisture levels can be observed using the soil moisture level graphs in Flex Daily schedules.
   
   

6. Flex Daily Schedules running the day before it's scheduled to
   If the total duration of your Flex Daily Schedule (if all of your zones were to run) is greater than or equal to 10 hours and it's configured to "End Before Sunrise", the system must factor the entire duration into the time it begins watering in it's attempt to "End Before Sunrise"; this will likely lead to the schedule commencing watering the night before.
   
   How to fix it?
   To ensure your Flex Daily schedule doesn't start the day before, you should edit your schedule to "Start at Specific Time" and choose a time at or slightly later than Midnight.
   
   

7. Flex (Monthly and Daily) Schedules with too few allowed watering days
   Flex Schedules allow Rachio to automatically adjust watering intervals and durations to offset seasonal weather changes and soil moisture estimates. If a Flex Schedule has less than 4 allowed watering days per week, you might want to consider using a Fixed schedule instead. Flex Schedules do not perform optimally if you have 3 or less allowed watering days per week.

   
   

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