They come wired and wireless. The wired models are cheaper but then you have to run a wire for the controller up to the sensor. The sensor needs to be in a location on the house so that it was not blocked by anything. The best place to put your sensor is up high and in the same conditions as your landscaping if possible. If the landscape is full sun, you want to have your sensor in the full sun area. If your landscape is in a more shaded area, you will want to have the sensor in a shaded area as well.
So basically what the rain censor does is measure the solar gain, is it cloudy or sunny. It measures the temperature and it uses this to change the controller by percentage of watering time already programed into your controller. For example, if it is June, full sun, and super hot, it will be at 100%. If it is October with clouds and cooler temperatures, the controller could be at 65%. The Solar Sync does this on a daily basis and saves you energy to manage the watering times and saves you tons of money.
The Hunter Solar Sync only works with newer brand Hunter controllers. It does not work with older Hunter controllers, XC models or with other brands. Other brands of controllers to have their own Smart sensors that you can combine with that particular brands to make it work. Most of our experience is with the Hunter Solar Sync. We prefer them because it’s simple and it is very localized. It uses the immediate weather conditions at your house versus tapping into a weather station somewhere nearby. Plus, there are no ongoing maintenance fees. Some of these sensors are designed to gather data from nearby weather stations. Which means you’re sensor may be slightly inaccurate due to microclimates around your home versus the conditions at the weather station. In Flagstaff that can be a big difference.
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