Skydrop Smart Water Controller Installation

I mentioned in my previous blog that I had purchased a Skydrop irrigation controller.  I am very handy and have done many household repairs and construction, but I am always sensitive to working around water and electricity.  Installing an irrigation controller means working with both.  I first reviewed Skydrop’s installation video, which was very informative and short.  I then reviewed another video, which was a bit longer and equally informative. 

I prepared by doing two things.  First, I took my laptop into the garage, where my irrigation controller was located.  I accessed the installation video so that I had it there to work from and to test the strength of WiFi signal.  I had full bars – this was good as it meant that I did not need to install a WiFi range extender.  Second, I found a pad of paper and a pen to write everything down.  If you are like me, then you will want to prepare a map (which the irrigation installer should have prepared for me along with all of the necessary information) and a spreadsheet outlining the number of sprinkler heads, the type of sprinkler heads, gallons of minute throughput and location.

With all of this ready, I started up the video again and began the step by step installation.  I first opened my existing controller and took pictures of the wires and connections with my iPhone.  I would use these photos if needed as a backup.  I disconnected the controller from the electrical outlet.  I then disconnected one wire at a time, labeling each with the number of the corresponding water zone.  I have 12 zones.  The Skydrop controller only has room for 8 zones (controller is approximately $250, which may sound expensive, but if you need to replace your existing one with an updated model, you will pay the same or more depending upon the features).  However, Skydrop offers an expansion panel for an additional 8 water zones for a total of 16 zones.  This extension costs about $50.  So, your all in cost is $300 plus your time and labor.  Check your local communities and utilities to see if they have any rebates.

The controller mounts to the wall with 4 screws (included).  It also includes a level to level the mounting panel.  Once leveled and secured to the wall, plug the power cord into the panel and then into the electrical outlet.  Connect the common wire (usually white) to the C on the panel.  Then, take your numbered wires and consecutively connect them one by one.  This control panel includes a Hot position marked H, which is used to test each zone.  This was perfect because I walked to each zone to see if the connection turned on the zone and if it did, I diagramed the number of sprinklers on my map and put the information on my spreadsheet.  After testing the zone, I inserted the wire into its corresponding numbered connection.  I did this for all 12 zones.  From watching the videos to finally connecting the LCD screen of the controller to the mounting panel and expansion panel, it took about 90 minutes.  I have lived in the house for 16 years and this was the first map and spreadsheet that I had of the irrigation system. 

The moment that I clicked the LCD screen to the mounting and expansion panels, the Skydrop logo light turned on and the jog dial turned on – yellow.  The jog dial turns a different color for a different action.  There are 5 different colors: 

Yellow – controller will need to be connected or reconnected to the WiFi for Smart Watering and remote access, or controller can be setup (as-is, no WiFi) using Custom Scheduling or Interval Watering.

Red – error with the valves or wiring.  Usually, the faulty zone is indicated within the user interface of the controller, web app or mobile app.  Once the zone is determined, a thorough investigation of the valve and wiring will help resolve the problem.

Green – controller is ready to receive and execute instructions.

Blue – controller is watering and edits cannot be made without ending the current water cycle.

White (no glow) – on controller, you can disable the green glow while idling, which turns off the jog dial.  On the web or mobile app, this indicates that watering is currently disabled.

The yellow glow was present as it was searching for a WiFi signal.  Once it lists the signals, you rotate the jog dial until your WiFi is highlighted and press the jog dial to accept.  The controller then guides you through several instructions to setup the controller to your protected WiFi.  It asks you to download the iPhone or Android app and type into the app – a code.  Once the controller recognizes the receipt of the code, it moves to the next set of instructions.  After inputting the zip code, I declined to set up a watering schedule and hit finished.  I could have stood there and entered all of the relevant information for each zone, but using the jog dial would have taken too long.  I took the laptop back inside, accessed the web and logged in.  Setting up the schedule was very straight forward.  It asks for the type of soil, sunlight exposure, type of watering sprinkler, number of water sprinklers per zone, etc.  I was able to give a name to each zone, which will be easier to trouble shoot any problem should one develop later.  There is also a provision for water restrictions that may be set at the community, city or state level. Once everything was saved on the web, I tapped the iPhone app and voila, all of the information that I had typed into the website populated to the app.  I tested both the app and the website app to remotely turn on one of the zones and everything worked. 

The total amount of time to connect to the internet and program the apps took about 30 minutes.  Add this to the above 90 minutes of actual installation of the controller and testing of the zones, you need 2 hours for 12 stations.  All of this was easier and quicker than I expected.  The software was far more robust and much easier to navigate than I expected.  So far, I would give this a 5-star rating.   The next blog will cover the actual operations.