VeraPlus : Automatic watering

Community Playground Getting Started & Initial Setup
#1

Hello,

I just bought the veraplus model and I would like to know which automatic watering programmer can be integrated to. I already have four solenoid to connect to.

I was looking for a gardena programmer, but i’m not sure to be able to connect it to the vera?

Thank you for your answer.

#2

I personally use OpenSprinkler, but other systems have plug-ins as well (ie. Rachio). Just take a look at https://community.getvera.com/c/other-devices-amp-integrations/water-pool-amp-irrigation-control

I alwsay prefer separate and specific hub for very different things, just to avoid any problems (ie: Vera busy doing lights and a valve missing its close command).

#3

I use the Rachio and the plug in and have had very good experience with it. Installed beginning of last year plus some of the features available with Rachio you don’t have in Vera.

#4

I programmed my 6-zone garden-watering myself using 1 valve.

Because of possible restarts of the Vera, the code has to be restartable.

Saving data in “multistring” or a file survives restarts.

And a UPS / power-backup is advisable when having your garden watered when you are not at home.

NB: one zone at a time should be watered because of the water-pressure.

Necessary

  • to be able to program in Lua

  • Gardena-part 1197-20 to be able to handle a max of 6 hoses

(it switches to the next output-hose when valve is closed)

  • 1 valve
#5

+1 for Opensprinkler (and Opengarage too). For critical applications such as this you probably want to maintain the reliability by not linking to Vera though. Opensprinkler doesn’t need any help from Vera. It would be a bummer to find that your sprinkler cycles aren’t happening or are stuck open because it is linked to an aleady-busy Vera. Vera does all sorts of stuff, but none of it perfectly. This is exactly the opposite of what you need for watering.

If you really want to use Vera, just get a z-wave socket for $20 for each solenoid and plug a $5 24 VAC transformer up to each socket for an ultra-cheap solution that is steered by Vera. But experience teaches this would be nothing but problems if you want faithful execution of your watering schedule. I have tried it, and it was a complete waste of setup and troubleshooting effort. You really need to get something reliable for watering if you have a measurable investment in landscaping.

#6

i got my OpensprinklerPi fully functional took a while but Rachio is a good option

#7

OpensprinklerPi, which you mentioned above, is a hacker device for people that know electronics and programming. If it took you a while, it probably wasn’t for you. Above we are suggesting Opensprinkler which is a completely separate product and is designed for consumers who are not hackers. The non-pi consumer version is based on the ESP8266 chip and does not run Linux. Please note the difference and help us to avoid creating confusion about the multiple products intended for different types of users. The fact that hackers and hardware/software people (e.g. my day job is hw/sw development and I have high standards with respect to home automation gear performance) embrace the pi version is a testament to the well-done methodologies under the hood that makes the consumer-oriented Opensprinkler work so well and reliably.

Consumer version: