Hydrawise supports 3 types of watering - Time Based, Smart (ET) Watering, and Virtual Solar Sync. Choosing which style of watering depends on a number of things, including your type of irrigation zone, if any watering restrictions exist in your area and personal preference (for example, for people who like to know that their irrigation will start on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays then Time Based Watering is ideal). Other topics covered in this article include:
Configure Program Start Times and Water Days
Configure Preconfigured Water Schedule
Adding a Zone
To add an irrigation zone, navigate to the Zones & Schedules page in your Hydrawise account and click on Add a New Zone. The Zone wizard will be displayed.
Fill in the Zone Details:
Zone Name: Name for each irrigation zone. Zone names are displayed on the Hydrawise controller and are used in your Hydrawise account to show run times and allow manual modification of watering schedules.
Zone Number: The zone number for each irrigation zone should match the number you have used when wiring the controller.
Zone Icon: Choose an icon which will be used to display the zone on the dashboard. If you have uploaded an image for this zone you can choose it to be displayed on the dashboard instead.
Watering Type: Select a watering mode for this zone. A zone can use Smart (ET) watering or Time Based watering, which are described below.
Depending on the type of watering you chose, fill in the details for Time Based, Smart (ET) Watering or Virtual Solar Sync.
Time Based Watering
Watering Type: Choose whether to set the information manually or choose from a list of preconfigured watering schedules.
Enter Time and Frequency: allows you to manually set the watering length and frequency.
Use a Preconfigured Watering Schedule: add a preconfigured watering schedule or use one you’ve previously created. If your controllers are managed by a contractor, you may see preconfigured watering schedules that your contractor has created, which you can also use.
Enter Time and Frequency: If you choose to enter the time and frequency, the following fields are available:
Watering Length: The number of minutes this zone will run for each time.
Watering Frequency: Choose how often to water the zone.
Schedule Adjustment: Choose how to adjust the watering time based on your weather triggers.
Use a Preconfigured Watering Schedule: If you choose to use a preconfigured Watering Schedule you can either choose from a list of schedules you’ve previously created, or add a preconfigured watering schedule by entering the watering length and frequency and schedule modifications as per the fields above. If your controllers are managed by a contractor, you may see preconfigured watering schedules that your contractor has created, which you can also use.
Cycle and Soak: Cycle and Soak is the ability to break the watering time for a zone into periods of watering (cycle) and pause (soak) to allow the water to soak into the soil without runoff.
You can enable or disable Cycle and Soak. If you enable it, you need to specify the cycle and soak periods:
- Cycle Time: the maximum number of minutes the zone can run for
- Soak Time: the minimum time between zone watering to allow the water to soak into the soil
Tuning: Adjust the watering time for this zone from the calculated time. This allows you to fine tune your watering if your zone appears to be too dry or wet.
Smart (ET) Watering
Watering Type: Choose whether to set the information manually or choose from a list of preconfigured watering schedules.
Enter Time and Frequency: allows you to manually set the watering length and frequency.
Use a preconfigured Watering Schedule: add a preconfigured watering schedule or use one you’ve previously created. If your controllers are managed by a contractor, you may see preconfigured watering schedules that your contractor has created, which you can also use.
Enter Time and Frequency: If you choose to enter the time and frequency, the following fields are available:
Watering Length: The number of minutes this zone will run for each time.
Peak Season Watering Frequency: How often the zone will normally run during your peak irrigation period. This frequency will be automatically adjusted throughout the year based on actual evaporation and rainfall.
Use a Preconfigured Watering Schedule: If you choose to use a preconfigured Watering Schedule you can either choose from a list of schedules you’ve previously created, or add a preconfigured watering schedule by entering the watering length and frequency and schedule modifications. If your controllers are managed by a contractor, you may see preconfigured watering schedules that your contractor has created, which you can also use.
Note that the Schedule Adjustment option in a preconfigured Watering Schedule is not used for Smart (ET) watering zones.
Cycle and Soak: Cycle and Soak is the ability to break the watering time into periods of watering (cycle) and pause (soak) to allow the water to soak into the soil without runoff. You can enable or disable Cycle and Soak. If you enable it, you need to specify the cycle and soak periods:
- Cycle Time- the maximum number of minutes the zone can run
- Soak Time- the minimum time between zone waterings to allow the water to soak into the soil
Tuning: Adjust the watering time for this zone from the calculated time. This allows you to fine tune your watering if your zone appears to be too dry or wet.
Adding Zone Images
You can upload multiple pictures of each of your irrigation zones to the Hydrawise system. To upload an image click on the Image Add button 
next to the Zone Edit button.
You can upload multiple images per zone. The total number of images that can be uploaded is based on the images size and is different for each account’s Plan Subscription.
After an image is uploaded you can select an image to be displayed on the Dashboard by editing the zone 
and selecting the image in the Zone Icon list
Configuring a Master Valve (Sensors and Valves Section)
A master valve is an automatic valve that is installed at the point where the irrigation system connects to the water supply. (Sometimes this circuit is called a “pump start circuit.” Both types of circuits work similarly and can be used for a pump and/or a master valve.) The controller turns the master valve on and off.
Zone valves are the individual valves that operate a group of sprinklers or drip emitters. Typically one zone valve is turned on at a time, and controls the irrigation in a specific area of your garden. Whenever one of the irrigation zone valves is told to open by the controller, the controller also signals the master valve to open - the master valve acts like a back up valve, or a fail-safe valve. The purpose of the master valve is to shut off the water to the irrigation system when none of the zone valves are operating.
The image below shows a master valve operating connected to Zone 12 on a Hunter HC controller.
Different Hydrawise-Ready controller models have different options when selecting a master valve. With a Hunter HC controller, any one of your ordinary zones can be configured to act as a master valve, with all other Hydrawise-Ready controller models there is a dedicated master valve.
The master zone is configured on the Zones & Schedules page underneath your list of irrigation zones as highlighted in the image below.
Configuring Master Valve - PRO-HC
With the Pro-HC, setting the master valve (MV) is similar. All you need to do is select whether you have a MV as shown below.
You no longer have to select which zone the MV is connected to, as the option will be different depending on the controller you select when setting up your controller for the first time.
Initially there is no master valve configured.
Configuring Master Valve - HPC-FP (Panel for PC-400 controller)
The default is for all stations to have the master valve/pump start circuit ON. The master valve/pump start can be set ON or OFF by station, regardless of which program the station is assigned.
Please follow the steps for initializing the P/MV for each zone.
- Click the
icon for the zone in "zones and schedules"
- Click Next three times to enter the advanced section or programming.
- You can now choose either of the following:
- Use Global Master Valve Setting (Turns the P/MV circuit ON)
- Use Disable Master Valve (Turns the P/MV circuit OFF)
Configuring Program Start Times
Your controller's watering Program Start Times specify when your controller is permitted to do any watering. If multiple zones are using the same Program Start Time, then they will be started in sequence (only one zone can run at a time).
To add a program start time, navigate to the Zones & Schedules page in your Hydrawise account and click on Add Watering Time.
Start Time: Enter the time for this Program Start Time.
Watering Type: Choose the watering type for this Program Start Time. For example, choose odd or even weeks.
Watering Days: Choose which days this Program Start Time applies to. For example, choose odd or even days, or select specific days of the week.
Then select the zones to which this Program Start Time applies. Either apply it to all zones or select from a list of zones or Preconfigured Watering Schedules.
Configuring Preconfigured Schedules
Preconfigured Watering Schedules allow you to group together zones with identical watering properties.
Each Preconfigured Watering Schedule determines how long a group of zones will run and how the schedule should be modified based on your local weather. Zones will water only at your defined Program Start Times.
To add a preconfigured watering schedule, navigate to the Zones & Schedules page in your Hydrawise account and click on Add Watering Schedule.
Schedule Name: Give the schedule a name.
Run Time: Choose how long each irrigation zone associated with this Preconfigured Watering Schedule will run.
Run Frequency: Choose how often each irrigation zone associated with this Preconfigured Watering Schedule will run.
Schedule Modification: Select how the watering schedule for this Preconfigured Watering Schedule is modified based on temperature and rainfall. Note: if you apply this watering schedule to a Smart (ET) Watering zone, the schedule modification is not used.
Viewing Preconfigured Watering Schedules
You can see all your preconfigured watering schedules on the Zones & Schedules page.
If your controllers are managed by a contractor, you may also see preconfigured watering schedules that your contractor has created. These will have a group symbol next to them as highlighted below. You can use these preconfigured watering schedules but you can’t edit or delete them – only the contractor can do that.