Schedule Limitations

Last Update:Feb 25 2022 12:55pm • Est. Read Time:Est. Read Time: 2 MIN

Summary

Every tried to change the type of your schedule? There are some known schedule limitations described in this article to help you set up your watering in line with what the Rachio controller is able to handle. Don't worry though, 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.

    a) Rachio 3
    Accommodates up to 16 schedules per controller.

    b) Generation 2
    Accommodates up to 16 schedules per controller.

    c) 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. Hourly Schedules
    At this time, Hourly Schedules cannot be set up with Start and End times. 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. Otherwise, Hourly Schedules will do the job. For more information, please see: New Seeding Schedule.

  3. Multiple Schedules for a Zone that is part of 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, as it will cancel out the Flex Daily schedule. The zones moisture levels can be observed using the soil moisture level graphs in Flex Daily schedules.

  4. 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 ran) is =/>10 hours and it's set to "End Before Sunrise", the system is factoring the entire duration into the time it begins watering and could likely start watering the day before which may not be ideal.

    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 around Midnight.

  5. Flexible (Monthly and Daily) Schedules with too many watering restrictions
    The idea with Flexible Schedules is that Rachio will automatically adjust watering intervals and durations to offset seasonal weather changes and soil moisture estimates. If a Flexible 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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