Rain Bird ESP-me controller question

[maliolani]

Can someone please clarify something for me about using the Rain Bird ESP-me controller?

Suppose you have the system programmed to have only one Program (A). B, C, and D have no start times and no run times. Suppose you have 3 stations on program A with run times of 45 minutes each, supposed to start at 12 noon, and for the sake of argument let's say that it is set to come on every day. But your timer is set to OFF. So at 1:30 pm you go out and use Manual Program to run all 3 stations on program A (and you set the dial to Auto while it is running), which works fine. But then, about 4 hours later, you go out and find that station 3 is still running. So here is the question:

When the manual run of the program finished, it was about 1:30 pm plus the 2:15 run time, or about 3:45 pm. Is it possible that the sprinkler timer then decided to run the programmed run that should have happened at noon that day (but the timer was set to OFF at that time)? In my mind, first of all the timer should not run programs for which the timer was set to OFF when the start time came around, plus it seems to me that since I ran a manual program, I had already watered according to the program that day.

But if the timer did NOT decide to start the "missed" auto program after the manual program, then why would it still be running long after the manual program should have finished? I have confirmed that there is NOTHING for programs b, c, and d, and that there is only one start time, at noon. I'm confused why the timer ran ANOTHER program after my manual program started. Obviously there is a 99.99% chance that I'm not understanding something and a 0.01% chance of an equipment malfunction. So please clear up my misunderstanding.

 

[WorthFlorida]

Without reading over the user manual, each manufacture runs a little different in manual and auto mode. What I think happens in your model the auto program runs after any other program had run at the time of its start time. The manual mode is just another program running without an auto start time. It’s not a manual override of the entire system.

If you had two auto start programs and one was still running while the start time of the second came and went, it would start after the end of the running program. I do know that a Hunter commercial controllers will run two programs at the same time as if it were two separate controllers.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[WorthFlorida]

I looked over the manual. First the obvious that the program clock is the correct am/pm time. For Program A look at the start times. There should only be one start time programmed for A but you can program up to six different start times. You must walk throught each of the six possible start times to be sure they are clear. Also check the seasonal adjustment. Normally you want it at 100%. If by chance it is set to 150%, a 30 minutes watering time for a zone will run 45 minutes.

If you do not have this problem in normal Auto program mode and Program A only has one start time you might have found a software bug. But you sometimes have to think like a programmer the way it works. It's possible that for it to start in manual mode that the program checks for any other program during that time. It may see that a zone in Program A should be running during the time period but the programmer may not have tested that the system was in off mode during the program start time. I've tested software and little thing like this can be missed. I do have a similar Rainbird model and the programming looks the same. When I do run manual mode during a programmed time from the off position I do not experience this issue.

The Rainbird ESP-Me manual. and it is clearly written.
http://www.rainbird.com/homeowner/support/timers/ESP-Me.htm

From the Rainbird web site FAQ
http://www.rainbird.com/homeowner/support/FAQ/ESP-ME_SystemWatersOneCycleComesOnWatersAgain.htm