Premium Software Features
Premium Software Features
Last Update: Apr 13 2026 4:57pm • Est. Read Time: 3 MIN
Rachio Premium Features are optional, one-time purchase enhancements designed to give you greater control, diagnostic capabilities, and weather responsiveness beyond the standard smart controller functionality. These features ensure your system's hardware is healthy and your schedules remain optimal during extreme weather.
Contents
- Heat Wave Boost Overview
- How Heat Wave Boost Works
- Valve Monitoring Overview
- How Valve Monitoring Works
Heat Wave Boost Overview
Heat Wave Boost dynamically adjusts your watering schedules based on real-time extreme temperature forecasts (both hot and cold), ensuring your lawn gets the right amount of water without constant manual changes.
Overview and Cost
- Cost: One-time purchase of $29.99 per controller.
- Compatibility: Available for all Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller models.
How Heat Wave Boost Works
Heat Wave Boost uses custom, customizable weather rules to modify your watering schedule when certain conditions are met. It checks the 7-day forecast every 6 hours and updates adjustments accordingly.
| Rule Type | Function | Default Behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Heat Wave Rule | Increases scheduled watering time (runtime) when the forecasted high temperature exceeds a set threshold for a specified number of consecutive days. Can also add additional watering days. | Adjusts based on 8°F above your area's average July–August high temperature. |
| Cool Wave Rule | Decreases scheduled watering time (runtime) when the forecasted high temperature falls below a set threshold for a specified number of consecutive days. | Adjusts based on 8°F below your area's average daily mean July–August high temperature. |
Setting Up Adjustment Rules
Purchase: In the Rachio app, tap on your controller's Home tab and select “+ Add Heat Wave Boost” to purchase and enable the feature.
Edit Rules: Navigate to Heat Wave Boost and tap "Edit Rules."
Define Conditions: For each schedule, you can create one Heat Rule and one Cool Rule.
You define:
- The temperature threshold.
- The number of consecutive days required to trigger the adjustment.
- The percentage by which the schedule's watering time will increase or decrease (default is 20%).
- Applying Adjustments: When a rule is triggered, you will receive a notification and can choose to Apply or Ignore the adjustment, or select “Automatically apply in the future.”
Compatibility
- Heat Wave Boost works with Fixed, Flex Monthly, and Flex Daily Schedules.
- It respects local watering restrictions, provided you do not enable the "Water Every Day During a Heat Wave" setting.
- It does not apply to manual Quick Runs.
- It works in conjunction with other Weather Intelligence features like Rain Skip.
Valve Monitoring Overview
Valve Monitoring is a diagnostic premium feature that monitors the electrical health of your irrigation system's solenoid valves and wiring, helping you troubleshoot system failure points.
Overview and Cost
- Cost: One-time purchase of $29.99 per controller.
- Compatibility: Supported only on Rachio 3 (R3 and R3e) and newer controllers.
How Valve Monitoring Works
1. Activation: After purchasing, you will be prompted to perform a calibration reading for each zone.
2. Calibration: This process runs each valve for 10-15 seconds to measure the electrical current in milliamps (mA) generated to open the valve. This reading is stored as the baseline for that valve.
3. Monitoring: The controller then measures the current every time a zone runs and compares the reading to the baseline.
4. Health Status: The health status is refreshed with every zone run.
In-App Functionality and Alerts
Valve Monitoring protects your controller from valve shorts, helps troubleshoot non-running zones, and identifies valves that are wearing out.
| Detected Status | Threshold | Alert Mechanism |
|---|---|---|
| Disconnected/Dead Valve (Open Line) | Below 30 mA | In-app notification and email alert. |
| Short (Damaged Valve/Wiring) | Above 400 mA or 200% of baseline | In-app notification and email alert. |
| Check (Unusual Readings) | Higher or lower than a reasonable percentage of the baseline (default is 25% tolerance). | In-app warning on the Zone Tab and individual Zone detail screen. |
What Valve Monitoring Can Detect
Disconnected or Dead Valve: Current is too low for a working valve (below 30 mA).
Short: Very high current that could indicate damaged or shorted wiring.
Wearing Out: Unusually high or low current compared to the baseline, indicating potential hardware degradation.
Note on Multiple Valves:
Valve Monitoring measures the current in the wires connected to the zone terminal. If two valves are wired to a single zone, the current (mA) reading will essentially double.