Wednesday, June 1, 2016

New Scheduling Options with App v2.6




The latest version of our app now provides four distinct scheduling options to address your needs. And after listening to customer feedback, we’re happy to reintroduce Flex schedules, now called Flexible Daily schedules, in addition to a few updates that streamline the user experience.

What’s New

Flex schedules. Flex schedules are back, permanently and out of beta. We buffed them up with a new name, new description, more flexible minute adjustments, and new creation wizard. Also, Flex schedules will not be going away in November.



Schedule creation start screen. The schedule creation process now starts with a screen that provides an easy comparison for the options.



Schedule creation detail screen. Each schedule option now includes a detail screen about the option.



New names. We’ve tweaked the names slightly, as there are now four scheduling options to choose from:

  • Intervals > Fixed Interval
  • Specific Days > Fixed Days
  • Water As Needed > Flexible Monthly
  • Flex > Flexible Daily

Add / remove zones from Fixed Interval and Fixed Day schedules.

As always, we love hearing from our users - particularly on our community site!

  • The Rachio Team

Thursday, May 5, 2016

Tightening the LA Water Belt

Angelenos use a huge amount of water -- especially for the outdoors. It’s estimated that just the homes in L.A. proper use over 28 BILLION gallons each year for their yards and pools. That’s equal to the daily drinking water needs of the entire U.S. population for almost 6 months.

Even more surprising is that only 20% of these homes use almost 60% of the 28 billion gallons. These homes are in a series of 20 neighborhoods that we’ll call the Water Belt. It literally stretches across the middle of L.A. from Pacific Palisades to the Hollywood Hills to Sherman Oaks to Woodland Hills. Some of these neighborhoods use over 2 BILLION gallons annually by themselves. The challenge is that many of these homeowners just don’t want to reduce their water as they don't want to compromise their yards.

We here at Rachio have a few suggestions to reducing water use without compromising. The biggest impact? Smart sprinkler controllers like oursWe’ve estimated that it could save 2.9 BILLION gallons annually for these neighborhoods alone.

So, check out our infographic to learn more about the Water Belt and our suggestions. Want to cut your water use or tell someone else who needs to? Visit rachio.com today.


Thursday, April 28, 2016

Rachio + Southern Nevada Water Authority


We are proud to be working with the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA), which serves the Las Vegas metro area, on an innovative way to redeem rebates for customers in their district. Rather than the traditional process of customers submitting rebate forms after purchase, we have implemented an instant rebate that takes the rebate amount off the selling price on our online store.

For SNWA customers, this means the Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller, Generation 2 will be 50% off at the time of purchase. SNWA customers can visit www.rachiovegas.com for more information on how to get a Rachio controller for 50% off today.

We hope this becomes a new model for how companies and municipalities can work together to promote smart irrigation to homeowners and make saving water simple. It’s a win-win for everyone--especially customers that are looking to get the most savings on their watering.

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Improved Scheduling With Rachio v2.5 App



We've released the 2.5 update to our apps (iOS, Android, and Web). Look for the update!

What’s New

New Schedule Creation and Edit. The biggest update is that we simplified how you create, edit, and review schedules. You can now view your watering schedule on a month-by-month basis to understand when watering will happen.

Climate Skip. Watering times will be skipped based on past and future weather conditions, so you can save even more water and make every gallon count.

Freeze Skip. You can now set a custom temperature to activate a Freeze Skip.

Seasonal Shift. Schedule durations will be adjusted each month based on local weather data to make sure your yard is getting the right amount of water.

Start and End Dates. You can now schedule start and end dates for individual schedules. This can be used to set up schedules for specific needs like new grass seed.

Flex Schedules Coming Out Of Beta

This update merges our existing schedule types, Fixed and Flex, into one simple but powerful schedule. Flex schedules will be retired and removed from beta, but will be accessible for the remainder of the watering season for existing users. This means new Flex schedules will not be able to be created in 2.5 and beyond. Don’t worry Flex fans, we’ll continue to support Flex Schedules until the end of the year, so you have plenty of time to switch over. Flex schedules will not be forgotten!

Thank you to all the Flex beta users - we learned a lot from the beta. Many of the best parts of Flex schedules are now features that you can enable or disable for any schedule. For example, Climate Skip and Seasonal Shift are direct descendants of Flex schedules.

New Scheduling Options

Our new schedule has three modes to set up watering times: As Needed, Interval, and Specific Days. If you want Rachio to determine your schedule, use As Needed. Use Interval or Specific Days if you have a preferred schedule or restrictions.

If you would like to learn more about these changes, please read about it on the 2.5 app release support article.

Thank you!

Monday, April 25, 2016

1-Day Offer - Santa Margarita Water District + Home Depot

1-Day Offer for SMWD Customers at Home Depot

Rachio is working with the Santa Margarita Water District and Home Depot to increase water conservation in the Mission Viejo area. Santa Margarita Water District customers are eligible for a $195 rebate, and the Mission Viejo Home Depot is putting Rachio controllers on sale for $195 for 1 day only. This combination makes a Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller free (except sales tax) when purchased from the Mission Viejo Home Depot on Saturday April 30th only.

Come down to the Mission Viejo Home Depot this Saturday to grab your Rachio controller and representatives from SMWD will help you fill out the rebate form on the spot. A few folks from the Rachio team will be there as well to help answer any questions, so come say hello.

See you Saturday!!

Monday, March 14, 2016

Using Greywater for Your Sprinkler System



You may not realize it, but greywater is one of your household’s most valuable resources. However, in most homes it’s sent into the sewage system where it immediately becomes useless—even dangerous—for both humans and the environment. From there, it undergoes expensive and energy-intensive treatment at a sewage plant. That’s unfortunate as Americans use 80 to 100 gallons of fresh water per person each day, or nearly 4,000 gallons per person every year - much of which becomes greywater.

Fortunately, you can solve the problem by recycling greywater for your own needs. Doing so saves money and waste, especially when you use greywater for irrigation.

What Is a Greywater System?

Greywater is any water that’s been used in your home without coming into contact with human waste. Showers, laundry machines and bathroom sinks are typical sources of greywater. Water from a kitchen sink often contains high levels of food and other organic matter, so its runoff is often labeled “dark greywater” or even “blackwater” by many local regulations, though it’s considered appropriate for greywater systems by many experts.

Because it’s filled with biomaterials and certain plant-safe household chemicals, greywater can be a fantastic source of fertilizer for plants. While those nutrients would harm the environment (and technically become pollution) if released directly into an ecosystem, they’re a feast for your landscape plants.

How Does a Greywater System Work?

A greywater system is broken down into three main stages: collection, storage and use. At its simplest, you can set up a greywater system by saving your bathwater in buckets and then using it to water your plants. Similar principles work for rudimentary greywater systems that divert laundry machine runoff into a barrel, where it’s stored temporarily before exiting via a hose or bucket into the backyard.

However, nobody expects you to get excited about a lifetime of hauling water buckets around, so most greywater systems rely on simple, tried-and-true plumbing technology to keep everything running safely, smoothly and automatically.


Using a Greywater System for Irrigation


One of the easiest ways to recycle your greywater is to use it for irrigation. Even better, setting up greywater irrigation is relatively simple, and should require very little maintenance if it’s done correctly.

One of the most common types of greywater irrigation systems uses a three-way valve to connect your laundry machine to existing irrigation pipes. Simply turn the valve to send your greywater into the irrigation system, then turn it back to send greywater into the sewer system when it’s not required. This type of system is an especially good fit for our smart sprinkler controllers, since they help ensure you're being as efficient as you can be with your water. Runoff from all the greywater sources in your house can also be added into the system with a bit of additional plumbing.

If you’re planning a greywater irrigation system, there are three points to keep in mind:

Plant suitability: Greywater is typically alkaline, so it’s not always a good fit for plants that prefer acidic conditions, like lily of the valleys or pine shrubs. Additionally, greywater may not provide all of the nutrients present in your local soils, so some plant species will require supplemental fertilizers.

Water management: Greywater should never be stored for more than 24 hours to avoid nutrient decomposition and bacterial overgrowth. Accordingly, you’ll need to find a solution for those times when you produce more greywater than you require for irrigation. Fortunately, a smart sprinkler controller can handle the excess for you.

Water usage: To keep your family and landscape plants safe, greywater should never contain human waste (including runoff from rinsing diapers), chlorine bleach or harsh detergents to prevent dangerous bacteria and salt levels in the soil.

While there’s no limit to how complicated and high-tech greywater systems can be, a simple three-way valve, a smart sprinkler controller and a bit of plumbing is usually all that’s required to start irrigating with greywater. Once you realize you’ll save money and conserve water while reducing your environmental footprint, the math does itself!

Want to learn more? Visit our sources below.

Sources:
http://oasisdesign.net/greywater/
http://greywateraction.org/contentabout-greywater-reuse/
http://www.treehugger.com/green-home/how-reuse-grey-water-home-and-yard.html
http://www.doh.wa.gov/CommunityandEnvironment/WastewaterManagement/GreywaterReuse/PlantIrrigation
http://water.usgs.gov/edu/qa-home-percapita.html
http://www.almanac.com/content/ph-preferences

Monday, February 1, 2016

Introducing Our Generation 2 Smart Sprinkler Controller



We’re excited to launch the Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller, Generation 2. Rachio already makes running your sprinklers easy and convenient while saving you water and money. Generation 2 makes it even easier and more affordable. Plus, Rachio now directly integrates with Amazon Echo and Alexa.

Our Generation 1 controller is currently the highest rated and reviewed smart sprinkler controller on the market. It accesses the latest local weather patterns through your Wi-Fi, and automatically optimizes a watering schedule to the specific needs of your yard. The only smart controller that’s both EPA WaterSense certified and SWAT tested, the Generation 1 controller can save users over 50% of their outdoor water use. Plus, the mobile app gives you access to your sprinkler system from anywhere.



This newest version improves on the Generation 1 controller by incorporating customer feedback from our tens of thousands of users. Highlights include:
  • Smaller, easier-to-install design. It takes up less space on your wall while allowing more space for wiring in the controller.
  • Easier Wi-Fi setup. Simpler connection process that no longer requires the ‘blinkup’ protocol.
  • Run zones directly from the controller. Manual access on the box for local control for you or your landscape professional, and LED lights that give a visual indication of what’s happening.
  • Additional sensor ports. You can now connect rain and freeze sensors for additional data while we provide a flow sensor connection for future functionality.
  • Easier diagnostics and troubleshooting. Auto-detect wiring will automatically detect when wiring for zones is connected to the controller for better diagnostics and troubleshooting. (Coming soon)
  • New custom outdoor enclosure option. Custom-designed weatherproof enclosure that protects your controller in all weather situations. Hardwire option included.



New Amazon Echo Integration



We are also announcing our direct integration with Amazon’s Alexa cloud-based voice service to allow for weather delay and zone control commands, simply by using their voice. This is the first direct integration of a smart sprinkler with Alexa and complements our partnership with Amazon’s IoT platform for simple and secure integration with the Alexa platform.

This adds to our list of connected home integrations including Nest, Xfinity, IFTTT, Nexia, Control4, iControl and more. It’s also compatible with our Generation 1 Smart Sprinkler Controller and demonstrates our continued dedication and upgrades for our current Rachio customers.

Available Today for only $249.99

The Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller, Generation 2 is now available for only $249.99 and available today on rachio.com as well as Amazon and at Home Depot.

The customer outdoor enclosure for the Generation 2 is also available for only $29.99 on Rachio.com and Amazon.

Buy Now

Interested in learning more about why we created a Generation 2, check out our community post by CTO Franz Garsombke.