Wait action not working as expected

[Allan]

I am trying to set a up an irrigation cycle that includes a run of all of the zones followed by a soak period and then another run of all of the zones.

 

To do this I have a 'Cycle' program that runs the cycle for all the zones in addition to a 'Controller' program that runs the Cycle program twice with a wait in the middle.

 

The trouble is that the wait in the Controller program appears to start counting when the Controller program starts and not when the first Cycle program is finished. Is this by design? If so, how do I make the wait occur after the first cycle is finished?

 

Here are simplified versions of the programs that demonstrate the problem:

 

Controller Program:

If
  - No Conditions - (To add one, press 'Schedule' or 'Condition')

Then
       Run Program 'Irrigation.Cycle.Test' (Then Path)
       Wait  20 seconds
       Run Program 'Irrigation.Cycle.Test' (Then Path)

Else
       Run Program 'Irrigation.Cycle.Off' (Then Path)

 

Cycle Program (Irrigation.Cycle.Test):

If
  - No Conditions - (To add one, press 'Schedule' or 'Condition')

Then
       Set 'Sprinkler Zone 1' On
       Wait  20 seconds
       Set 'Sprinkler Zone 1' Off

Else
       Set 'Sprinkler Zone 1' Off

 

 

In the example above the two Cycle programs run back to back. If I put a 40 second wait in the Controller I get the desired outcome (20 seconds on the cycle, 20 seconds soak, and 20 seconds on the cycle again).

 

Note: I want to run this for more than 60 seconds but I am just using small time periods to test the programs quickly.

 

I am running 2.7.5 beta.

[fitzpatri8]

The ISY multi-tasks, so a WAIT command doesn't pay attention to any other processes the program starts.

 

 

I think you can get the effect you want just by using the REPEAT command in the second program, and removing the WAIT and second program call in the first program.

 

See REPEAT details here:

 

http://www.universal-devices.com/mwiki/ ... EON:Action.

[Allan]

Thanks fitzpatri8.

 

That explains the behavior I am seeing.

 

I previously tried the repeat and it works but it means I end up with a lot of duplication in my programs.

 

Based on the weather I want to run different amounts of cycles (1, 2 or 3) so I would need a program for each of these scenarios that would duplicate all of the individual sprinkler zone timings.

 

Probably not a big deal as it is not a major program but the programmer in me is trying to avoid repeating myself.

[fitzpatri8]

Do you really want to triple the wear and tear on those electric valves by cycling them that much? Seems like you'd be better off to run separate programs based on the conditions so that you'd just leave each on longer to allow the water a chance to soak in.

 

Also, using a simple x2 or x3 multiplier might also work better for some plants than others--overwatering can damage plants, too.

[Allan]

The numbers provided above are just for illustration. The actual cycle would be about 5-7 minutes.

 

We have a lot of clay in the soil here and I start to get run-off at around 8 minutes. By pausing for an hour or so between cycles a lot of water can be saved. Running constant for 15 minutes results in much less water getting soaked in than running twice for 7.5 minutes. On most watering days there would only be two cycles. The solenoids in the current valves are still running fine after 8 years and they are pretty cheap to replace if they wear out.

 

This setup is only for the lawn. Plants are on a different cycle.

[fitzpatri8]

What condition are you using to decide between 1, 2 or 3 cycles?

[Allan]

I am currently using temperature but I am working on a more sophisticated way to use ET (evapotranspiration) calculations to compute watering requirements.