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Alright, so today we'll be installing the Smart Rain controller. I've already taken the old controller off the wall and marked where we'll be screwing the new controller into the wall. The Smart Rain controller has four ports for securing it to the wall, and I've already marked those out. Let's get the screws started.
With the controller secured on the wall, we open up the front panel to see a nice LED touchscreen. We'll power that on once everything is connected. Inside the front panel, we have all the ports for the controller. This controller is set up for 48 zones, with zones 1 through 16 on one side and up to 48 on the other. The top and bottom ports are for the common wires, with a total of 12 common wires for this 48-zone controller.
On the left side, we have ports for two master valves, two flow sensors, a rain sensor, and auxiliary power for a pump or other needs. The power input for the controller includes a ground, neutral, and power wire, along with an extra earth ground wire. When I removed the old controller, I labeled the wires, which is crucial. Each zone has a number from the previous controller, ensuring the zones remain the same with the new controller.
The bottom of the controller has a hole for wire management, where all the zone wires will go. Starting at zone 1, we'll connect each wire. This controller only has 12 zones, so we won't use all the ports. Slide the zone wire labeled number 1 behind the screw and secure it, then continue with the remaining zones.
Now that we've connected all the zone wires, we have the common wire in its port. This controller also has a master valve and a flow sensor. We'll bring the master valve wires through the same hole as the zone wires, connecting the common wire to the bottom port and the power wire to the top port.
The flow sensor allows us to see flow in real time and helps detect and monitor flow rates. If there's a mainline break, the software will shut off the controller to prevent issues on your property. Connect the ground and power wires for the flow sensor.
With the wiring complete, we'll plug in the controller and see the display power on. This is a cellular or Wi-Fi-based controller, so we're waiting for the signal. Once we have a green light for cellular and the cloud connection, we're good to go. From this screen, you can go through each zone, turn it on, and start a five-minute countdown.
If you have any questions about installing the Smart Rain controller, give us a call, and we can help you out.
