Upgrading from mechanical sprinkler system

post by joe9487cool on Jun 12, 2019

Hi,

I have an older timer and can’t just swap out the wires. Any guidance/suggestions?

post by Pinnaclescapes on Jun 12, 2019

@joe9487cool The timer looks like a mess, but the basics are the same. You should have one power wire going to each valve and one neutral wire.

post by DLane on Jun 12, 2019

@joe9487cool, @Pinnaclescapes is right. The wiring legend is in the bottom picture:

• White goes to Rachio C
• White with orange (if connected) goes to Rachio M terminal
• Brown goes to Rachio 1
• Red goes to Rachio 2
• Orange goes to Rachio 3
• Yellow goes to Rachio 4

Check for an in-line rain sensor in the common wire as that can play havoc with you. I’d suggest making a quick run on the old controller to make sure everything works and then labeling the wires.

post by SalisburySam on Apr 9, 2020

@DLane, thanks for the info and specifics. I’m removing a 6-year-old RainBird controller and replacing it with the Rachio 3. My Step 1 was to have the entire system turned on for Spring, replacing broken heads, repositioning some for ground and landscape changes, and verifying the rain sensor works.

My Step 2 has begun: labelling each and every wire with what it is connected to today. I’m using stick-on labels that come in large sheets, are easy to write on, and easily wrapped around a wire to stick to itself.

post by DLane on Apr 9, 2020

@SalisburySam - two other comments:

1. Take pictures of the current wiring in the event a label falls off or is mis-labeled.
2. You can configure the Rachio early while disconnected from the wiring. I’d recommend starting with Fixed schedules instead of Flex.

post by SalisburySam on Apr 9, 2020

Great tips, and I didn’t know about configuring the device while not installed. Thanks for the kind welcome.