With the Rachio app and controller on a Heinen irrigation system (Rachio is also available for retro-fit on most existing irrigation systems), your lawn can be set to water 2, 3 or 4 times a week – your choice, and you can even select on and off watering on a zone-by-zone basis if you like.
Heinen Landscape and Irrigation recently received some interesting feedback on a customer’s new Rachio Irrigation Controller and Smartphone app. With the customer’s permission (we’ll call him Jerry), we were able to share a little of it. We’ve added a few explanatory notes for clarity.
“I love Rachio. What Sonos is to whole house wi-fi music, Rachio is to whole yard irrigation mastery. With one app (Sonos), my indoor environment is at peace, with another (Rachio), I easily nudge my outdoor environment into obedience.
“An example. The lady of my house planted flowers and requested watering assistance. With 2 taps on my smartphone using the Rachio app, the sprinklers were on and I got on with the day!”
Heinen will usually set the irrigation system to turn on in the early morning hours before the sun comes up – so evaporation is not a major issue for your valuable natural resource. Better yet – the app is tied into the national weather service station closest to your property and is constantly monitoring local rain conditions.
If it rains a half hour before your scheduled irrigation, the Rachio app knows to skip a cycle, saving you money and conserving water. It even knows how much rain fall has accumulated in your area over the last several days and does its own calculations on whether watering is necessary. You can even select your own weather stat
ion to tie to the app, should you prefer a different forecast. Notice one part of your lawn in the sun is looking less verdant than the shady spots? No problem! Pull out your smart phone, pick out the sunny zones, tap them, and get on with your day!
Whereas old school rain measurement gauges were mounted on rooftops and gutters and were prone to miscalculation (often because of high winds or trees blocking the inlet), Rachio gets it right every single time.
Going on vacation? Rachio’s got your back! Wanting to spend a little less on watering? Skip a day or two. Whether you’re 16 or 60, this app is a cinch to install and learn to use! If you’re confused about which zone is which, take a quick snapshot of the section of your yard the zone covers, and just tap the photo to begin custom watering. Best of all, Rachio’s pricing is within a few dollars of standard controllers without smart technology.
Back to Jerry: “The Rachio app is simpler to use than your cable TV remote – and unlike cable, there’s no monthly fee associated with owning it! I water when I want, as much or as 
little as I want! My new Heinen irrigation system has given me back the hours I used to spend dragging a hose around – and has provided me endless personal satisfaction as I kick back and watch the Royals game – and then glance out the window and notice my neighbor Mark, continuing to spend his ‘free time’ lugging his old school sprinkler around the yard.”
If your property does not have an irrigation system, be sure to call Heinen and see how you can actually save money on your water bills by installing a system. If you already have an irrigation system, give Debbie a call at (913) 432-5011 and ask her to have one of our Heinen irrigation specialists come by and give you a no obligation quote to upgrade to a Rachio smart irrigation control system!
