Rainmachine Forecast Sprinkler User manual
RainMachineUserManual
RainMachine
The Forecast Sprinkler
USERMANUALv.1.6h
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RainMachineUserManual
1. INSTALLATION
1.1. Fasteningunit
1.2. Electrical
1.3. Powerup
1.4. Setup
2. HOWITWORKS
2.1. BaseWateringDuration
2.2. Protectingyourplants–HiandLowtemperatures
2.3. MissingInternetweatherdata
3. USERINTERFACE
3.1. Homescreen
3.2. StatisticsScreens
3.3. WaterNowScreen
3.4. Settingsscreen
3.5. SystemSettingsscreen
4. SMARTPHONEAPP
4.1. Installingmobileapp
4.2. ConnectingtotheRainMachine
4.3. Login
4.4. Howtheapplicationworks
4.5. ZonesManualwatering
4.6. Programs
4.7 Zones
4.8 RainDelay
4.9 Security
4.10 Date/Time
4.11 Units
5.Specification
5.1. Controllerfeatures
5.2. Programmingfeatures
5.3. Zonesfeatures
5.4. Mechanicalspecs
5.5. Electricalspecs
5.6. Warranty
6. Appendix1
6.1. Evapotranspiration(ET)
6.2. QuantitativePrecipitationForecast(QPF)
6.3. CropCoefficientKc
6.4. TheRainMachineAlgorithm
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RainMachineUserManual
1. INSTALLATION
1.1. Fasteningunit
●PlacetheRainMachinecontrollerclosetoanelectricaloutlet.Werecommendplacingit
indoors(i.e.garage).
●Thequickinstallguideisalsoafasteningtemplate.Placetheprovidedtemplateonthe
wall.Markanddrillthroughtheholeslabeled“DRILLHERE”.
●Usingprovidedscrewsfastentheunittothewall.
● Indooroperatingtemperaturerange*:32Fto122F/0°to50°C
1.2. Electrical
●Removethewhiteplasticterminalslidbypressingonthe2edgedimpleswhitepullingup
thetabsbelowthem.
●Connectyourvalvewirestothegreenterminalslabeled1through12.
●Youcancontrolupto12valveswithoneRainMachineunit.
●CisCommonterminal–allvalvesshare2commonterminalslabeled“C”.Thecommon
terminalsareelectricallyconnectedtogether.OneorbothCommonscanbeused.
Note:OKtouseonlyoneCommonterminal(eitherone)forall12valvesasthetwo
Commonterminalsareinternallyandelectricallyconnectedtogether.
1.3. Powerup
●Replaceterminalwhiteterminallid.
●Connectthe24VACpowercablestotheterminalsmarked“24VAC”.
●Plugtransformer(includedinthepackage)intoACwallsocket.
●Systemwillboot(12minutes)andlaunchthesetupwizard.
1.4. Setup
ThesetupwizardwillwalkyouthroughthebasicRainMachineinformation,suchas:
machinename,WiFiconnectionandlocationinformation.
Note:Inordertocompletethesetup,youneedaworkingInternetconnectionandWiFi
AfteryoucompletedthesetupwizardyouneedtoaddwateringProgramsandeditZone
Properties.
Congratulations!Yourunitisupandrunning.
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2. HOWITWORKS
Anirrigationcontrollerisadevicetooperateautomaticirrigationsystemssuchaslawn
sprinkler.Controllershavemeansofsettingthefrequencyofirrigation,thestarttime,andthe
durationofwatering.
Whilemostsprinklershaveafixeddurationofwatering(e.g.5minutesperzone,asdefined
bytheuser),theRainMachineautomaticallyadjustsyourbasewateringdurationbylowering
itonrainyorcolderdaysandincreasingitonhotsummerdays.
BecausethesystemdynamicallyadjustthewateringdurationtheRainMachinenotonly
saveswaterbutitalsoprotectsyourplants.
2.1. BaseWateringDuration
TheBaseWateringDurationisthedurationofwateringrequiredforeachzone,duringa
normal,summerday,asdefinedbytheenduser.
Initialcalibrationeffortsusingcomplexformulasthattakeinconsiderationsoiltype,inclination
andhypotheticalsolarirradiationamountsarepossible,buttheyarenotpractical.Variable
citywaterpressureaswellasunevenwaterdistributionamongallsprinklerheads,coupled
withlocalshadingconditionscreateanimpracticalandinaccuratemodelingaugingwhat’s
bestforyourgarden.
Note:Ourdeviceguaranteesseasonallyanddailywatersavingsbasedoncalculationsthat
takeinconsiderationvegetationtype,variabilityoftheweatherandtimeofyear,butitcannot
preventwaterwaste,shouldyousettheBaseWateringDurationtosomethingmuchhigher
thannormal.
GivenaBaseWateringdurationpereachzone,asdecidedbyyou,theRainMachinewillthen
dynamicallyadjustthewateringduration,upanddown,asneeded.Theseadjustmentsare
theresultofEvapotranspirationcalculationsbasedonyourvegetationtype(Lawn,Bushes,
Flowers,Vegetables,Citrus,etc)andfeedbackfrommeteorologicaldatasuchas:
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RainMachineUserManual
● ForecastedTemperaturefromNationalWeatherService.
● QuantitativePrecipitationForecastfromNOAA’sNationalWeatherService.
● SolarRadialLevelsadjustedtoEarth’srotationandinclinationduringtheyear.
Note:SeeAppendix1foradetailedexplanationoftheEvapotranspiration(ET),Quantitative
PrecipitationForecast(QPF)algorithms.
2.2. Protectingyourplants–HiandLowtemperatures
WhilesavingwaterisoneoftheRainMachine’smaingoals,growingahealthylawnorgarden
isequallyimportant.RainMachineprotectsyourplantsagainstextremeweatherconditions,
likefreezingtemperaturesorunusuallyhotdays.
NavigatetoSetting>Hi/LoTempsandyoucaninstructtheRainMachinetoavoidwatering
whentheminimumtemperaturedropsbelowacertainlevel,ortoaddmorewaterinextreme
hotconditions.Inaddition,youcanselectindividualmonthsoftheyearwhenthecontroller
preventsstartingofanywateringcycle.
Note:BysettingupfreezeprotectyouinstructRainMachinetonotstartwateringcycles
underaspecifiedtemperatureoronspecificmonths.Thatdoesnotprotectyourpipesor
otherpartsofthesystemagainstfreezing.Ifyouliveinazonewherefreezingoccurs,please
winterizeyoursystem.
2.3. MissingInternetweatherdata
TheRainMachinecanproperlyworkevenwhenyourInternetconnectiontemporarilygoes
down.Thecontrollerdownloadsforecastdataforupto7days;therefore,itcancontinue
normaloperationseveraldayswithintermittentInternetfailures.
Note:YouneedaworkingInternetconnectionwhenyousetupthecontrollerforthefirst
time.DuringthefirstsetupanduntiltheconnectionwithNOAAweatherdataserversis
establishedanddatadownloaded,theNOAAlogoisred.
Inaddition,RainMachineusesahistoricaldatabasewithyourlocalweatherconditions,and,if
noInternetweatherdataisavailable,itstillssavesyousomewaterbyusingalocallystored
historicalaveragestable.
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Note:UsingForecastdataand/orHistoricalaveragescanbedisabledforanyspecificzone.
IfbothForecastdataandHistoricalaveragesaredisabledforaspecificzone,the
RainMachinewillactasaregularsprinklercontroller,wateringtheamountyouprogrammed
(theBaseWateringDuration)foreachzone,withoutanyadjustment.
3. USERINTERFACE
IMPORTANT:AvailabletouchactionstonavigateandmakechangesontheRainMachine
applicationare:onefingertapandonefingerswipeleft,right,topandbottom.Whenthe
screenentersintosleepmode,onefingertapwillopenitbackupinto“Home”screen.
OntheRainMachine6.5"glasscapacitivetouchscreenthereare5backlitilluminatedtouch
buttons,3ontheleftsideand2ontherightsideofthecolorLCDscreen.
?Helpthisbuttonwillopenacontextual“Help”screen
WaterNowtappingthisbuttonitwillopenthemanualwateringapplicationscreen.
Note:TheWaterNowbuttonwillstartflashingwhenawateringactivityit’stakingplace(i.e.
programstarts,manualwateringisset.
Tapthisbuttonanditwillopenthe“Settings”applicationscreen.
Backtappingthisbuttonitwillgobacktothepreviewsapplicationscreen.
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Hometappingthisbuttonitwillalwaysopenthe“Home”applicationscreen.
3.1. Homescreen
Fromtoptobottom:
● Topscreen5weatherforecastdays,startingfrom“TODAY”,showingtheaverageHigh
andLowtemperatures.
● Middlescreeninpercent,averagewaterthatcouldbeconsumedforeachday.
● BottomscreenLastweatherupdatestatusforthesetuplocationandNOAA*status.
(*NOAANationalOceanicandAtmosphericAdministration).
Note:Untiltheconnectionisestablishedandweatherdataissuccessfullydownloadedfrom
NOAAservers,theNOAAlogowillshowinredcolor.Itmighttakeupto1hourto
synchronizewiththeNOAAservers.
If,foranyreason,RainMachinedoesnothaveinternetconnectionandthelinkwithNOAA
serverscouldnotbeestablished,theNOAAlogoonthescreenwillturnred.
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3.2. StatisticsScreens
Tappinganywhereonthe“Home”screenitwillopenthe30daysaveragewater
consumption.Tapingagainonthisscreenitwillshow1yearstatistics.Toreturntothe
“Home”screen,tapagainonthegraph.
Ontherightsideofthescreenyouwillseeanindexwiththeaveragewaterconsumption
forthespecificperiod(inthisexampleitis74%).
3.3. WaterNowScreen
TappingthisbuttonwillopentheManualWateringscreen.Thisactionallowsyouto
startwateringononeormorezones.
Note:IfZone1issetas“MasterValve”itwillnotshowupinthemanualwateringzonelist.
OnlyZone1canbesetas“MasterValve”fromtheZone1propertiesscreen.
Tapthezonecardyouwanttowaterandthensetthewateringtime,inminutes,bytapping“
+”or”–“.Thevalveassociatedwiththezonewillstartwatering.Cancelanytimethisaction
bytaping“Cancel”.
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RainMachineUserManual
Startingazonewhileanotheroneisrunning,itwillautomaticallyplacetherespectivezonein
“Pending”modeuntiltheactivezonefinisheswateringoritiscancelled.
Anytimeyouwanttocancel/stopallthemanualwateringactivitiestapthe“STOPALL”
button.
3.4. Settingsscreen
Tappingthisbuttonwillopenthe“Settings”applicationscreen.
Note:Thisbuttonwillstartflashingifsomethingit’snotcorrectlysetupintheRainMachine
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settings.(i.e.theWiFiconnectionit’snotactive,orincorrectlysetup)
3.4.1.Programs
Tappingthe“PROGRAMS”carditwillopentheProgramList.
TapaProgramcardtochangeitsproperties.
Tapping“AddNewProgram”cardtoaddanewprogramandthe“ProgramSummary”
screenwillopen.
Note:Thereisnolimitofthenumberofprogramsyoucanset.
Active/Inactive:UsethisfeaturetoenableordisableaProgram.
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Example:Ifyouhaveaveggiegardenonzone6,andyouwanttowaterthatonly
fromApriltoSeptember,youcandefineaspecialprogramforthatandmarkitActive
inApril,whenyouplantyourvegetablesandyoucanmarkitInactiveinSeptember,
whenyouharvest.Youdonotneedtoreprogrameverythingtoaccommodatethat.
Just2touches,asdescribed,willdoit.
ProgramFrequency:tapon“Runsdailyat06:00am”tochangethestarttimeandthe
programfrequency.Availablesettingsare:daily,specificweekdays,odd/evendays,every
2ormoredays.
Daily:Watereverydayataspecifiedstarthour,7daysaweek,365daysperyear.
Specificweekdays:Wateronspecificdaysbyselectingcheckboxesforindividualormultiple
daysoftheweek,365daysperyear.
Odd/Evendays:WateronlyonOddorEvencalendardays,365daysperyear.
Every2ormoredays:Waterevery2daysorwaterevery“N”days,asdesired.
Nexttentativerun...isthedaywhentheRainMachinewouldtrytoruntheprogram.Ifthat
specificdayisrestricted,by“Freezecontrol”or“Nowateringmonths”,orifweather
conditionsdoesnotallow,theprogrammightnotrun.
AssignedZones:Assignzonestothisprogramandspecifywateringtimedurationforeach
zone,inminutes.Thelongestwateringtimeyoucansetazonetowateris300minutes.
Note:Bydefaultyouwillseethe“Activeand“Inactive”zones.Ifyoudon’twanttohavethem
onthelist,uncheck“Showinactive”checkboxtohidethem.
Cycle&Soakallowsyoutoavoidwaterwaste.Eachsoiltypecanabsorbaspecificamount
ofwaterinatimeinterval.Inordertoavoidrunoffs,youcansplitthewateringintervalin
multiplecycles,allowingasoaktimebetweencycles.
Example1:InsteadofrunningZone3,whichhascompacted,claysoil,for15
minutes,youcansplitthatin3cycles(5minuteseach),allowing30minutessoaktime
betweencycles.Thiswillprovideabetterwaterabsorptioninthesoil.
Example2:WateringProgramexample:
Zone1with20minutesandZone2with10minuteswith2cyclesand30minutes
soaktime:
Cycle1:
Zone110min(20mindividedby2cycles)
Zone25min(10mindividedby2cycles)
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Soak:30minutes>hereiswherethewatersoaksin.
Cycle2:
Zone110min(20mindividedby2cycles)
Zone25min(10mindividedby2)
Note:Althoughthewaterrunningtimeisonly30minutes(Zone1+Zone2)thetotal
programdurationis60minduetoadded30minsoaktime.
Cycle&Soakisrecommendedforcompacted,claysoilorforslopedsurfaces.However,on
anysoilorsurface,soaktimeallowswatertopenetratedeeper,growinghealthierroots.
Delaybetweenzonesallowsyoutospecifyanamountoftimebetweentwoconsecutive
zones,toaccommodatespecificirrigationsystemsthatrequiretimetofillupwatertanksor
buildupwaterpressure.
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3.4.2.Zones
OntheSettingsscreen,tappingtheZONEScarditwillopenalistwithyouravailablezones.
Swipewithyourfingertotheleftandthereisabandwith12cards,eachcardcorresponding
toazone.
Note:Bydefaultallzonesarenamedwiththeword“Zonex”followedbythecorresponding
valvenumber(see1.2Electrical).
Taponanyofthezonecardtoeditzoneproperties.
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Active/InactiveZones:allthewateringzonesareactivebydefault.Markthem“Inactive”if
youwanttodisableaspecificzone.Thisfeatureallowsyoutotemporarilysuspendwatering
onazonewithoutreprogrammingallyourwateringschedules.
Tap“Name”buttonandgiveeachzoneafriendlyname,easytoremember.Examples:"Front
YardLawn","RoseBushes",and“MyTomatoes".
Tap“Vegetation”andchooseeachzone’svegetationtypefromalistcontainingfollowing
types:Lawn,Fruittrees,Flowers,Vegetables,TreesandBushes.Choose“Other”ifthe
vegetationtypeinyourzoneit’snotonthislist.
ForecastdataenablesordisablesyourRainMachineabilitytoautoadjustwateringduration
forthiszoneaccordingwithweatherforecast.
HistoricalaveragesallowstheRainMachinetoadjustwateringtimebasedonhistoricaldaily
averagesforyourarea.
RunNowallowsyoutostartwateringthisspecificzone.
MasterValve.OnlyZone1canbeprogrammedasMasterValve.Useitonlyifyour
irrigationsystemhasamastervalve,andconnectthemastervalvetoterminal1.
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MasterValvecanbeprogrammedtoopenbeforeyourprogramstarts(preopen),andto
stayopenafteryourprogramfinishes(postopen).
Note:IfyoudefineZone1as“MasterValve”youwouldnotbeabletoassignthiszonetoa
programortomanuallystartthisvalve.
3.4.3.Weather
3.4.3.1Hi/LoTemps
Gotothe“Settings”screenandtapthe“Hi/LoTemps”card.
“Hi/LoTemperatureControl”screenwillopen.
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Extrawateringforhotdays(recommended)enablesRainMachinetoaddextrawatering
timebasedonETalgorithm.Maximumallowableincreaseis200%.Howeverinmost
situationstheextrawateringamountactuallyneededisinthetherangeof1030%.
NowateringUnder:TheRainMachinewillnotstartanyprogramiftheforecastedminimum
temperaturegoesbelowthislevel.
3.4.3.2RainSensitivity
RainSensitivityallowsforanarbitraryattenuationoftheforecastedrainfallamount.Asaresult,
particularitiessuchasnonuniformity,runofforoverallrainforecastingconfidencecanbeadjusted.
Consideringonly80%oftherainfallamountisaconservativeapproachthatwillcovermostsituations.
Decreasingrainsensitivitywillincreasetheamountofirrigationwaterusedbecausealoweramount
ofrainwaterwouldbeconsideredinthealgorithm.Inanidealworld,rainsensitivityshouldbe100%.
FieldCapacityisameasureoftheamountofrainfallthatyoursoilcanstoreintherootareaofthe
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plants.Aneasywaytounderstandthisparameteristothinkofhowmanyregularsummerdaysyou
wouldnotwaterafteraheavyrain.Defaultissetto2days.Colderclimatescansetto3or4days.
Remember,thisthreshold(2days,3days,etc)occursonlywhenheavyrain(0.25inchorgreater)
accumulatesintheground.
ModifythisnumberonlyifyouthinkthatyourRainMachineisoverwateringafterheavyrains.
Note:Duringsummerandifheavyenoughrainsarepresent,RainMachinewillskipwatering
uptothenumberofdaysyousetup(example:2days).Duringspring,fallorwinter,
RainMachinewillautomaticallyextendthisnumberbasedonEvapoTranspirationcalculations
(colder=moreskippeddays).Example:Iffieldcapacityissetto2days,inacoldtimeofthe
yearthiswillbeautomaticallyextendedto3ormoredays.
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3.4.4.Restrictions
3.4.4.1RainDelay
RainDelaydelaysallwateringactivitiesforanumberofdays.Whenthesystemisin“Rain
Delay”modeallwateringcyclesaresuspendedforasetnumberofdays,oruntilyou
manually“Resume”normaloperation.
TurnOffdisablesallwateringactivitiesuntilyoumanuallyturnitbackon.
UnlikeRainDelay,TurnOffisapermanentaction.
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3.4.4.2Nowateringmonths
Nowateringmonths:Allowsyoutosuspendallwateringactivitiesforspecificmonthsofthe
year.
Note:Thefeaturesinthisscreendonotprotectyourpipesorotherirrigationsystem
componentsagainstfreeze.Ifyouliveinanareawithfreezingconditions,pleasewinterize
yoursystemwhennecessary.
3.5. SystemSettingsscreen
Inthe“Settings”screentapthelastcard“System”
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RainMachineUserManual
3.5.1.WiFi
Tap“WIFI”cardtochangeyournetworksettings.ItwillopenthelistofavailableWiFi
networks.Searchforyournetworkname(SSID)andtaponthatcard.You’llbeaskedto
enteryournetworkpassword,enteritandthentapConnect.Ifyournetworkisnotpassword
protecteditwillautomaticallyattempttoconnect.
Attheendofthelisttherearetwospecialcards:AddnetworkandStaticIP.Usethemifyou
manuallywanttoaddspecialnetworksortomanuallyallocateanIPaddress.
3.5.2.Location
LocationscreenallowsyoutochangeyourRainMachine’sname,tosetupUnits(Celsius/
Fahrenheit),tochangeyourAddressandtosetupyourLocalTime.
Note:AddresssetupisbasedonGoogleMaps.YouneedaworkingInternetconnectionin
ordertosetuporchangetheaddress.
Date:SystemtimeisautomaticallyadjustedifyouareconnectedtoInternet.Manualchanges
arenotrecommended.
3.5.3.Password
Tap“PASSWORD”cardanditwillopenthe“REMOTEMANAGEMENT”screen.Thisisthe
Administratorloginandpasswordinformation.
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