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Here is a good tutorial on Irritrol RainDial Programming and Schedules. It discusses how to program the Irritrol RainDial RD600, RD900, RD1200 series of controllers, provides links, videos, templates and guidelines. There’s also a link to the programming guide and a great sheet to fill in when deciding what your program should be.
Irritrol RainDial Programming Guidelines for success: RD600, RD900, RD1200
- Basic terminology: Depending on your model, the timer can control 6, 9 or 12 “stations/valves.” There are three “schedules“, A, B and C. Schedules define the days, run times for each valve and up to three times you want that schedule to start running on a given day. We will define a cycle as what the valves do when a schedule starts; e.g., run station 1 for 10minutes (the run time), then station 2 for 15 minutes, then 3, etc. The cycle always turns on the valves in order starting with #1.
- Note to turn off a start time, you select the time to ‘Off’ by clicking the + button until the time reaches 12:00 and press one more time. That will remove the start time.
- Many times people mistake the AM for PM; the difference is very subtle on the display. This is my only real complaint about the Irritrol RD controllers. Double-check that the current time and the programmed times are correct.
- MOST IMPORTANT THING TO UNDERSTAND: The 2nd start time should never start before the first cycle finishes. The length of a cycle is the sum of all the programmed run times. E.g.,
- If your start time is 7:30AM and 6 valves are programmed to each run 1-hour, then the 2nd start time must be set later than 1:31PM so the cycles do not overlap. It’s common for People to run one cycle in the morning and one in the evening.
- Here’s the calculation:
- 7:30AM start time +
- (1 hour for each valve) x (6 valves) = 6 hours of run time
- Finish time is = 1:30PM.
The 2nd start time must be set after the first one finishes, which would be at 1:31PM or later.
- The RULE: the ‘next’ start time must be set after the previous start time plus the total of the run times of all the valves.
- If you break this rule, the timer may repeat the cycle again, after the first cycle finishes.
- Avoid allowing times to cross midnight (into the next day).
- When using multiple schedules, make sure they will never overlap their schedules at all. e.g., if you have schedule A as a “skip-day” schedule running every other day AND you have schedule B running on Wednesdays, they will eventually both run on Wednesday. Thus, make sure schedule B can run and complete before schedule A runs. (e.g.., set one for mornings and the other for evenings. )
- RECOMMENDATION: Fill out the template shown below before you start – it makes things very easy.
- Convention note: The terms station, valve and zone are considered the same. Each valve has a number associated with it (e.g., 1-6 for an RD600, 1-9 for an RD900.
Important things to understand about the RD600 and other Rain Dial series timers:
- Understand the basics of Irritrol RainDial Programming and Schedules:
- The timer is specifically designed to avoid having more than one valve on at a time. This prevents the transformer from being overloaded so even if you do manage to program it for multiple valves to be on simultaneously, you shouldn’t do that. (Some people do run multiple valves at a time, but it’s not recommended).
- It always turns on valves for the programmed duration in the numerical sequence (1, then 2, then 3…) If 2 doesn’t have any time set for it, then it will be skipped.
- The ABC switch does not choose which schedule to run; it’s only used to program the schedules. Schedule AB&C always run, regardless of the program switch setting. Thus, if you do not want A to run, then you must “un-program it“
- If you don’t want a schedule to run, you must set either all the days in that schedule to off, the run-times to 0 minutes (off) or all start times to off. by putting the switch on A and setting all the start times to off. (Note that the ‘Off’ setting can be found by clicking the + button one click after 12:00.)
- When the schedule starts, it goes to the first valve with time-to-run and turns it on and waits. When that run-time duration has finished, it goes to the next valve and runs it for the time assigned. Thus, only one valve runs at a time.
- Help with skip days: This page gives you a good description of the skip days feature…
Irritrol RainDial PROGRAMMING GUIDES, Templates
For help programming the RainDial RD600-1200 series sprinkler/irrigation controllers, see the following Irritrol RainDial programming guide and then review the manuals above.
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- Irritrol RainDial Programming Guide – template
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- Irritrol Rain Dial Manual Sprinkler Controller Programming Guide – Overview
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- Irritrol Rain Dial Sprinkler Controller Programming Guide – Example and Programming Tips
Here’s a PDF of the Irritrol Rain Dial programming template. guide, and example template.
Here’s a PDF of just the blank template.
You can post a new comment by scrolling to the bottom of the page.
Hi – I have 7 zones on my system, with 2 of them having limited sprinkler heads. When these 2 limited zones are activated, my irrigation pump cycles every minute or so. Someone suggested that I run the two zones simultaneously to avoid the pump cycling. I have read that the RD controllers can be programmed to run 2 zones at the same time, but it is not advised. Is that something you would recommend, and if so, how do I program the 2 zones to run at the same time? Thanks – Dave
Hi Dave,
You could put valve 1 wire and valve 2 wire on the same screw terminal so they both come on at the same time. If you need different run times on each valve, that’s a little more tricky. I don’t know if it would work, but you may be able to set schedule A to valve one and schedule B to valve 2 and let them both have the same start time. I generally don’t recommend this because the timer was not designed to turn on two valves at the same time.
If the pump is cycling because it builds up pressure and then turns off, it’s likely the pump will just cycle more frequently if you have two valves turned on at the same time. I am not too familiar with the pump systems and how they work, so that’s all I can offer as an explanation.
Hope that helps,
Brian – The RainDial Doctor
I have an RD 900. After a long time of not watering because of the rain, I started a few days ago and noticed that the first two stations seem to run together and they run for a long time to where they flood the sidewalk. Each station is set to run either for five minutes. II tried to adjust them while they were running and they would not stop even after I turned the timer off. So I unplugged the timer from the wall. Still they continue running. I finally had to shut the water off so they would stop.
What do you recommend?
Hi George,
You did all the right things. If you’ve removed the timer power or unplugged it and the water still runs, it’s a valve related issue. Take a look at the DIY page for a lot of good information on that topic. Look for some topic related to what to do when the water won’t turn off or comes on when it shouldn’t. It should really help. If not, let me know.
Regards,
Brian – aka the Irritrol RainDial RD600 series repair doc.
I have an RD-900. I just added a drip and needed to add another zone. I just realized that all 9 zones are being used. The box has slots for 12 zones. I’m guessing these are for the RD-1200. Is there anyway to use zones 10-12 on the RD-900?
Hi Bryce,
You’d have to buy an RD-1200 timer to use the additional 3 valves. If you only need one, I can modify your timer to add one more station if you’d like. I do that occasionally for people. You’d basically have a 10 station timer.
If you’re interested in that, use the contact us page to reach me, or send email to rainDialDoctor@gmail.com
Regards,
Brian
Good morning I just bought a new house with a system RD-600. Can this system be set to evening watering, because I see that the clock only runs in AM. Thank you for you help.
Hi Jorge,
It should show AM and PM both as an option. sometimes the display indication gets messed up and it’s hard or impossible to tell the difference. I can repair that for you if you’d like, just send it in. Before you do though, try following the reset instructions and see if that helps.
Let me know either way what you find,
Regards,
Brian – the sprinkler timer specialist
My Rain Dial 1200 -ext-r has a new problem. One of the stations fails to work manually. I manually try to run it and it immediately shuts off. This is a new problem and happens regardless of he amount of minutes I want it to run. I program it to run for say 6 minutes and about 10 seconds into the program it just shuts off and says “off” on the box. What is causing it? All of the other 5 stations work just fine on manual.
Hi Ray,
It sounds like maybe you have a shorted valve. Try swapping the valve wire with one that’s working and see if it seems like the valve is bad or not. If the valve does not seem to be bad, send the timer in for repair. Otherwise, you should replace the solenoid with the bad valve. Let me know what you find.
Meghan – the RainDial Doctor in Training
Thank you! This was the best and easiest way to explain to a manic mom!
Hey, you made my day. Thanks for telling me; I work really hard to explain things and it’s nice to hear that it’s worth it.
Brian – aka – the Sprinkler Timer Doctor
Have a RD-900, power went off for 9 hours, reset time,water ,etc.water still comes in at around 8:00 am as well as for set days ?
hi Frank,
the default sprinkler timer schedule is schedule A, 7am, every day, for 10min. It’s possible that you still have that default schedule programmed. I’d suggest going through all schedules A, B, C and look for something unexpected.
additionally, when the water is running and not supposed to be, put the dial on the station that is operating. It should tell you A:03 or something similar that indicates the schedule that’s running as well as the number of minutes remaining. this will tell you what schedule you need to change.
If you see water running, but no number shown in the top row of the display, it’s likely a valve problem since the timer is not turning it on.
does that help ?
Brian
I have purchased a new home with an existing system set up. How do I see what the current schedule is for each zone ?
Hi Jeff,
I’d suggest you look at the DIY Programming information page on this site. It’ll walk you through how to program it and in doing so, will show you how to figure out what the program is set to.
Regards,
Brian
I’m trying to set the valves to come in at different times. Is there a way to tell which valve I’m setting at which time?
Hi Ross,
You don’t start a valve at a certain time. the start times are when the “schedule” runs and the schedule is a sequence of valves that run in order based on how many minutes you sent each valve to run.
Take a look over the notes in the programming tutorial page and watch the video, it should help.
regards,
brian
Hi Brian,
My landscapers came today and installed some new plants, so they ran a cycle in manual mode. When I checked the controller, I noticed the function switch was in the middle position. I asked the landscaper about this and he said the unit still runs all the programs with the switch in that position. I thought it had to be in the far right “Run” position. Is the landscaper correct? Many thanks in advance.
Michael
Hi Michael,
I had a lengthy debate with a customer about this once; he thought it would not run in the set_position setting.
I have tested several different versions of timers from Hardie to the RD-R series and from what I can tell, they all still operate normally when in either the run position or the set_programs position.
With that said, it’s usually best to do what makes sense in practice. I.e., when you’re done programming, move it to the run position. This keeps you from inadvertently changing the programming by accident when perform manual operations and forget to move it out of the set-programs position.
And of course, if you don’t want it to run, set it to ‘off’
Does that answer your question?
Brian
P.S., consider leaving us a little donation if you’re able, we’d greatly appreciate it
Hi
I set my timer to the skip day function but now I need them to run everyday and can’t seem to get the skip day function off. They do not seem to be running at all now.
Hi Jessica,
you can leave it in skip days and set the skip days number to 1; this will run every day.
or you can set the skip day value to 0/ Off to make is use the days of the week again.
See infor on teh DIY page and search for skip days; I have a good write up on how that works.
Does that help?
Brian – aka the irritrol RD-600 rainDial Doc
P.S., consider leaving us a little donation if you’re able, we’d greatly appreciate it
I woke up (it’s 3am) and one of my settings is running and has been for about an hour. The entire system is set to OFF because of the rain we’ve been having. I tried manually shutting it off, but no go. The time display is wrong and nothing happens when I try to reset it. How can I turn it off?!
Hi Maggie,
if you remove the ribbon cable from the back terminal board and the sprinklers are still on, it is a valve problem and not a timer problem. You will probably have to turn the water off to the irrigation system and repair the valve.
Look at the DIY Troubleshooting section for the information on what to do if valves don’t turn off, it should help you further.
Thanks,
Meghan
Hi Brian,
I’m having the same problem as Maggie, in that when I have the sprinkling system’s water line for the house turned on then I can’t get the RD-900 to turn it off.
You suggest the valve could be the problem. Where is this valve located? Is it the one hooked to the control box? Or do you mean somewhere else? How can I determine the location of the problematic valve?
Thanks,
David
Hi David,
try turning the water and see the sprinklers run.
Look at the timer. if no numbers are showing on the top row of the display, it’s unlikely the timer is causing the problem and it’s a valve issue.
I have a good writeup on the DIY page, look for the section that says something like What to do when the water is running and it shouldn’t be. It’ll have several suggestions…
Let me know what you find out,
Brian
Hi, Joe again display is blank without a battery
trouble shooting says to check the transformer; how ?
model RD900-ext-r
system only seem to work with a fresh 9 volt battery; will not work with out a battery on when the battery dies.. Electrical outlet works fine and put in a new fuse. My model is the RD900 ext-r. I would also like to see a copy of the wiring for this model. My booklet shows the RD-1200 which is not the same as my unit.
Thanks,
Joe
Hi Joseph,
Unfortunately we do not have any sort of wiring manual to share, but I do have instructions on how to check the transformer on our website here. Let me know what you find out.
Meghan – RainDial Doctor in Training
Hi.
I have a RD600, that normally work. But when I tried the push reset button on the power outlet, ( because it was out),the the clock kept continue spinning the time with no stopping.
When I pressed it towards the off or the run manual, the time stopped.
But when I press it to the middle for set program, the time spins again, and I cannot make it stop.
What could be the problem?
Hi Maja,
It sounds like the button(s) are stuck, causing the + or – to always be pressed.
you might be able to take it apart and clean it up and re-position the plastic button, but it might just need the button’s replaced. If that’s the case, I’d be happy to repair the button for you as well as replace other components that can fail. That way you’ll know it’ll last a long long time.
Just drop me an email at rainDialDoctor@gmail.com
Regards,
Brian
Hi there,
I have RD-900. Program is starting at the set time but, stops when changes from one channel to another. This stopping pattern is not always the same. For example it stops at channel 3 once and it might stop at channel 6 after reset the program.
Please help me how to get this sorted.
Thanks.
Dhanushka
Hi Dhanushka,
That sounds like the timer is failing, I would recommend sending it in for repair. I have repair instructions on my website here.
Brian
I am trying to figure out how to program “program B and C…” Help?
Hi Kevin,
I’d suggest reading through my programming page; it explains a lot of key concepts, and then watch the video on that page too. It’s very well done.
Regards,
Brian
Morning,
We have an RD 900 and are trying to blow the water lines out. What are the steps that we need to take or is there a phone number we could call for help.
Hi Don, I don’t know much about the line blowing steps but you can simply slide the timer switch to the off position to keep the timer from turning any of the valves on during the winter. Sorry I don’t know more but I live in Phoenix and we don’t have to do that.
Brian , the irritrol RainDialDoctor
I can get the time or year to change.
Hi Valerie,
Do you have the bottom center switch in the middle (set programs) position? Tell me more about how you’re trying to change it and I can help more.
Brian
aka the rain Dial Doc for Irritrol sprinkler timers.
How can I run my drip for 8 hours? I need a deep slow soak but can’t figure out how to run more than 59 minutes.
Hi Sharon,
The first way I can think of doing it is to use schedule A for 5.9 hours and schedule B for up to another 5.9 hours. Just make sure you leave at least a little gap between when one schedule finishes and the other one starts, to avoid any overlap.
Does that help?
Brian – aka the RainDial Doctor for Irritrol RD600, rd900 adn rd1200 timers.
can you set up the RD900-INT to start in a different sequence? example; instead of it starting on zone 1 the to 2 and so on like 1 thru 6 can it be programmed to start on zone/station 6 and go backwards like 6 thru 1 or any other sequences (6,4,2, 5, 3, 1..ect ect).
-Thanks so much. Chris.
**FYI** My yard has 6 zones and 2 valves(ha if there’s a 3rd i haven’t found it) and was installed by previous owner and i have no contact to find out anything so I’m just learning as a go)
Hi Chris,
The only way I can think of to change the order of which valves come on is to change the wiring. e.g., if you want valve 3 to water before valve 2, switch wires 2 and 3. Otherwise there’s no way to change it, the timer always follows the numerical sequence.
I hope that helps,
Brian
I have an RD 600-R, and have 3 zones. I only want to water 1 zone, so I set the other 2 zones to zero minutes, and set the days of the week so they were all scheduled off. But when the zone I want to come on all the zones go through there cycle.
Hi Bruce,
When this happens, it’s almost always due to something getting programmed in an unintended manner. I’d suggest first doing a factory reset sequence following the instructions on the DIY Troubleshooting page – see the link on resetting the timers.
Always go back and review what you’ve setup after you’re done programming; sometimes that catches problems. Also recall that the three schedules all have to be cleared. Sometimes schedule B is causing the problem when schedule A was thought to be the culprit. See the programming tips page for lots of good information.
Regards,
Brian – the Irritrol Rain Dial Irrigation Timer “doc” for RD600 rd900 rd1200 timers.
Let me know if that helps.
How does one workaround the single-station limitation with Rain Dial kit? I do not think it is as simple as wiring multiple zones together (power issues?). Very often i want to water two zones for 2hrs say but am restricted to doing them in sequence. In effect, my pumps and valves must then operate for 4hrs in total which is not acceptable.
Cheers
pops
Hi Pops,
I’m not familiar with the model you mentioned. If you want to email me a model number I may be able to help more. With that said the limitation is usually due to the transformer’s capability. The systems are usually designed to support one valve at a time, although I’ve done two with my systems quite often. It’s probably a try it and see, but be willing to accept that you may need to buy another transformer if it doesn’t work out.
If you have a meter, you could measure the current with one valve on and then see what your transformer is rated for. If it’ll support twice the current of one valve then you’re probably OK.
There is some risk that the timer itself isn’t designed to support two, so that could be a problem.
Bottom line: it’ll probably work, just weigh the risk and give it a try. If you want a more definitive answer I’d need to know more about the model, your transformer, solenoids, etc…
Regards,
Brian
Hi,
my display on my RD-900 is flashing continuously and does not run the programs. I can reset the time and start it up again, but it goes back to flashing as soon as the program starts and quits the program.
Thanks for your help,
Lesley
Hi Lesley,
That sounds like a problem we typically see, I am confident we can repair it. I will send you a separate email with the repair instructions.
Thanks for commenting,
Meghan – RainDial Doctor in Training
Hello,
I have an RD-900 and when I try to set it to water a particular station it always starts with the first station and won’t water the station I want it to.
Any ideas??
Thank you,
Steve
Hi Steve,
It sounds like there could possibly be a programming error or that the set programs switch is going bad. I would look at the programming information on my website to make sure that everything is set correctly. The link for that is here. If you think that something is wrong with the set programs switch, go ahead and send it in and we can repair it.
Thanks for the inquiry,
Meghan – RainDial Doctor in Training