Customer Reviews:
 Easy to install; works great June 13, 2009
xxx (Bellevue, WA United States)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I was somewhat skeptical of these rain sensors but was pleasantly surprised at how well this one works. We live in a climate where springtime has alternating days of rain and hot, dry weather. In the past, we just took the hit on the water bill and overwatered on the days it rained. Now, that problem is solved.
The installation was very easy to just connect the wires to the controller box. The instructions were clear and provided alternative wiring diagrams depending on the type of controller you have. With the main unit connected to the controller box (it isn't shown in the diagrams--what you see is the sensor and not the other part), I had to decide how far to put the sensor and still have the communications work wirelessly with the main unit. I placed the sensor on a gutter about 50 feet away from the main unit and the two could still communicate with each other fine. This surprised me given the main unit is inside the garage and the sensor was outside at the other end of the house.
The next day it rained and the sensor worked perfectly. There is an indicator light on the main unit that indicates rain detected so you know when it is working. Overall, very happy with the unit and I know it will eventually pay for itself and then some in water bill savings.
Everyone should have a rain sensor August 14, 2009
J. Dodds
I can't believe more people don't have a rain sensor. I don't consider my self an environmentalist, but I do what I can to reduce waste. Why water your grass when it's raining? This unit measures rainfall and turns your sprinkler system off when it's not needed, saving water and reducing your water bill.
Installation of the exterior portion of the sensor was a breeze and the interior portion that connects to the sprinkler control unit wasn't bad either. The sensor itself comes with hardware for 3 different mounting applications, the easiest of which simply attaches to a rain gutter. The interior receiver has a few wires that need to be connected to the control unit. Most modern control units are set up to easily accept a rain sensor, but I could see that if you have an older sprinkler system, you might need to call an installer to answer some questions, as the older units aren't as "plug and play." After you hook up the wires to the control unit, you simply press a button and the two units begin talking to each other. No wires to run. How easy is that?
The unit claims that it has a 5-year battery. I hope their claim is accurate because I hate changing batteries, although it appears that changing the battery will be easy.
Overall, I think it's a great product and it has lived up to all of the manufacturer's claims.
 Works Well, Easy Setup May 26, 2008
NKC, MO
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I selected this product as an alternative to running wires to a 4 year old control panel. The receiver portion (small white square device not shown in product pictures) was very easy to connect taking less than 10 mins as my control panel (Non Toro brand) had sensor terminals available. Instructions were fairly easy to follow, two wire connections to the screws for the sensor, then 2 wires for power (also inside the control panel). Mounted sensor with 2 screws on edge of deck handrail and first test worked as expected.
The next morning it rained and after the first 10 mins of rain the sensor set to the 1/4 inch setting activated correctly. Approx 24 hours after a 0.75 inch rain the sensor cleared the interruption to the schedule as had dried out.
While more expensive than similar wired models, worth the extra cost due to ease of installation on a pre-existing unit. I would recommend as an approach to limit your scheduled irrigation from running during or soon after rain.
 Toro Wireless Rain Sensor July 21, 2007
APB (NJ)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
This rain sensor replaced an older Toro wired rain sensor which failed after about 10 years of use. Although this unit functions reasonably well, I did not rate it 5 stars (when the previous model definitely was) because it takes much too long to react. In some cases it required 4-5 hours after a 2 inch downpour to turn off the sprinklers when set at 1/2 inch. My previous unit, which was also set at 1/2 inch would react within minutes of reaching the 1/2" mark and would, in fact, turn off the system while in mid-cycle. I e-mailed Toro customer service to inquire if this was normal and never received a response. I may reset to 1/4" to see if it reacts any sooner.
Dries out too quickly January 4, 2010
Granddaddy (Virginia)
This will stop your sprinklers if it starts raining or has rained in the past few hours. But the sensor dries out in a day or so, so I still have to use the manual delay to prevent the sprinklers from coming on while the ground is still plenty wet.
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