Is a smart irrigation controller worth it?

EPA WaterSense labeled controllers adjust watering to weather or soil moisture instead of a fixed clock, and EPA estimates a home can save up to 15,000 gallons a year compared with a standard timer. The savings depend on the sensors and field hardware working, so fix leaks and coverage first.

How often should I change the irrigation controller schedule?

AMWUA advises adjusting irrigation schedules at least four times a year, because plants need far less water in the cool months than in summer and new plants need more frequent water than established ones. Keep a photo of each program so the next change starts from a known setting.

Irrigation Controller Repair

Find out why a zone skips, repeats or fails to run before replacing the timer.

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Separate a programming fault from a hardware fault

An irrigation controller that skips a station, runs twice or waters at the wrong hour is not always broken. Many problems are in the program: a second start time left from summer, a seasonal adjustment set to zero, a rain hold that never cleared after a storm, or a clock reset by a power cut. Others are real faults in the wiring, the transformer, a sensor or a valve solenoid.

The quickest way to tell them apart is a manual test. If a station runs from the panel but not on its schedule, look at the program. If it will not run either way, the trouble is in the wire, the solenoid or the valve. Write down the make, the number of stations and every start time before anything is changed, so the old schedule is not lost.

Repair the fault, then give the schedule a reason

A controller that works but runs the wrong program still wastes water. The Arizona Municipal Water Users Association advises adjusting irrigation at least four times a year, and treats new plants and established plants differently. In the warm months it suggests watering turf very early, between 1 and 7 a.m. In Glendale, a start time well before 6 a.m. also avoids the morning demand peak, when the city says pressure can drop.

After the repair, run each station once, confirm the clock and the season setting, and keep a written copy of the final program, taped inside the controller door where the next person will find it. If the controller is past saving, the smart controller page explains what a replacement involves. For Glendale's seasonal settings, read the run-time guide.

Source: Arizona Municipal Water Users Association, Watering Schedules, Checked Oct 1, 2026