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c/backyard-upgrades•simonp76simonp76•26d ago

Got burned by a $300 automatic sprinkler controller

I got that smart Rachio controller everyone raves about and installed it myself last spring. Thought it would save me time and water bills but it kept overwatering my flower beds even after I adjusted the settings three times. Turns out the moisture sensor was faulty out of the box and I didn't catch it until my water bill jumped $60 in one month. I ended up ripping it out and going back to my old manual timer which cost me $25. Has anyone else had bad luck with these fancy wifi controllers or did I just get a lemon?
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3 Comments
karenh56
karenh5626d ago
Read a Consumer Reports test that found Rachio had higher failure rates than cheaper models.
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sage_green
sage_green26d ago
Consumer Reports is legit but that test was from years ago. They updated it and Rachio got better ratings after they fixed the WiFi issues. I've had mine for three summers with zero problems. People forget that the early models had some bugs that got patched with firmware updates.
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knight.dylan
lol nah I gotta disagree. Those firmware updates didn't fix the core issues. My buddy's Rachio died after two seasons and their support told him it was out of warranty. $200 paperweight. Consumer Reports tested a decent sample size, not just a couple duds. The higher failure rate is a real red flag.
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