Installing a Rain Sensor

You’ll want to mount the rain sensor where it will be exposed to direct, unobstructed rainfall (but away from sprinkler spray), as close as possible to the Orbit device. If using a wired sensor, this will cause the wire run to be shorter, minimizing the possibility of wire breaks.

The mounting location should be taken into consideration as it will affect how quickly the sensor engages and disengages. For example, mounting the rain sensor on a very sunny, southeastern end of a building may cause the rain sensor to dry out sooner than desired. Similarly, mounting on the northern end of a building with constant shade may keep the rain sensor from drying soon enough. Some experimentation may be needed.

Once the rain sensor is mounted, run the wire to the Orbit device, using wire clips every few feet to fasten it. If an extension to the wire provided is needed, refer to your user manual to determine the wire gauge needed.

At the Orbit device, you’ll need to remove the existing jumper wire from the SENSOR terminals and then connect the common wire (often white) and secondary wire (usually yellow) to them. Please place the jumper wire in a safe place in case you need them again.

Some sensors may also need power, if your Orbit timer has 24 VAC OUT terminals, you can connect the wires to those terminals. If your device doesn’t have 24 VAC OUT terminals, you will need to wire a transformer to provide power.

Check out this video showing a WIreless Rain Sensor being installed with a B-hyve Timer:

On the B-hyve Indoor/Outdoor device, you will need to turn on the Rain Sensors by turning the dial to Auto and then holding the RAIN DELAY button for five seconds or until SENS ON appears on the display.

Other Orbit devices may have a rain sensor switch that will need to be turned on. These are usually located near the wiring terminal

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Tags: rain, rain sensor, videos, wire, wiring