Irrigation schedule was skipped or watering is inconsistent

Use this flow when a scheduled event did not happen or a zone ran for less time than expected. It separates an intentional weather/sensor decision from a schedule, clock, or physical fault.

Category: IrrigationPlaybook: PB-IRR-002Triage: caution
Safety first: do not bypass, jumper, disconnect, or rewire a rain, freeze, leak, pump, or other safety sensor. Do not open energized enclosures or continue through an electrical, pump, leak, or unsafe-pressure warning.

What this flow is for

A schedule was skipped or a watering duration changed unexpectedly. The first split is whether the controller intentionally delayed the event, the schedule/time is wrong, or a safe manual run also fails.

First safe checks

  • Record model, event date, program, zone, expected runtime, and the actual result.
  • Verify clock, timezone, program days, start time, runtime, seasonal adjustment, and rain delay.
  • Check for rain/freeze sensor, weather skip, delay, or offline status.
  • Compare the app schedule with the controller after saving through normal controls.
  • If safe, run one zone manually to separate a schedule decision from a physical fault.

Capture this before editing

Event record

Event date, program, zone, expected runtime, actual runtime, and any error or delay.

Schedule state

Clock/timezone, days, start time, runtime, seasonal adjustment, and rain-delay state.

Sensor state

Whether the app/controller reports a rain/freeze sensor, weather skip, or offline condition.

Most likely problem buckets

Intentional skip

A rain/freeze sensor, weather service, or delay prevented the event.

Schedule or clock

The controller time, timezone, days, start time, or zone runtime is wrong.

Seasonal adjustment

The base schedule remains but an adjustment changes the duration.

Stale or offline state

The app and controller are not synchronized or the controller is offline.

Take one step at a time

ACT-IRR-010

Capture the event record and message before editing the schedule.

ACT-IRR-011

Verify clock, schedule, seasonal adjustment, delay, and sensor state without bypassing controls.

ACT-IRR-012

If safe, run one zone manually and record the result.

ACT-IRR-013

Hand off wiring, electrical, pump, valve, plumbing, leak, or pressure faults.

Best follow-up ask

Was the event skipped completely, or did it run for a shorter duration than expected?

When to stop and hand off

Escalate when safe schedule and sensor checks do not explain the result, or when forcing a run would require bypassing a sensor or doing physical work.

Reviewed against official vendor guidance

This vendor-neutral flow uses common, low-risk checks from Rain Bird and Hunter material. Product-specific menus and repair instructions still take precedence for the installed model.

Map the equipment

Record the controller, schedule, sensor message, and evidence privately for a technician.

Open private discovery

Continue in support chat

The support assistant can ask the next question and create a handoff without placing account secrets in public chat.

Open support chat