I have a RainWave 4-zone device that works very well, but is not ‘smart’.
It does have an input for a remote moisture sensor that is supposed to prevent it from watering if the ground is still moist enough.
I was considering coming up with something where, instead of the moisture sensor, I have a wire connected to something that gets weather forecasts and status - and turns it on/off on that basis.
But then I procured, for $50, a brand-new SkyDrop controller.
After the RainWave device gives out, which these things do eventually (though this has lasted well beyond the Melnor and other single-zone controllers I’ve owned), I will get new valves and hook it up.
What I don’t get is the need for backflow prevention. My inground sprinkler lines are all auto-draining; the moment pressure in the line decreases beyond X, the auto-drain valve in the line releases and all water drains out (the valves are at the lowest point in those lines). This also has the happy effect of eliminating freeze issues, so the lines only have to be a few inches below ground.
So there is no instance where there would be pressure forcing water back into the spigot, and even in the unusual circumstance of a siphon effect there would be no water in the lines to backflow. In essence, those auto-drain valves do the job of preventing backflow.
Yet the code for the system demands a backflow preventer.
i read your README. it references Orbit Model HT8-ZB. i did a google search for that product but it didn’t return anything. what obit timer is this DTH compatible with?
i’m new to this automation stuff. what does DTH stand for?
DTH means “Device Type Handler”. (DH means Device Handler.) Since not all devices are ‘SmartThings out-of-the-box capable’ of communicating directly with the SmartThings hub, a ‘Custom Code’ DTH can make such communication possible. That’s one of SmartThings advantages, apps and DTH’s that allow wider flexibility in such cases.
I think I can’t get it to work because I have the ADT hub which is on firmware version 000.020.00201. Should it work with this version of the firmware?
I tried that. It didn’t work. I happen to have my old v2 hub laying around so i paired the sprinkler to it and your dth works perfectly with it. So it has to be something with the ADT hub.
New to this thread and was hoping for success with this device, but not luck yet.
I was able to pair the Orbit timer with my Connect Home hub (FW 000.020.00053) but I’m not seeing any messages coming from the device. I can’t get it to respond at all using either this DTH or the power outlet handlers.