Quick verdict
A wired sensor that mounts on an eave or a post and connects to the sensor terminals of an Orbit, Hydro-Rain or most other sprinkler controllers, with water-absorbing discs that expand when it rains and open the circuit so the controller skips its cycle, and a thermistor that does the same when the temperature nears freezing. The rain threshold adjusts by turning the cap. It is the cheapest, simplest way to stop a timer watering a lawn in a downpour or icing a path in a cold snap, and it needs no batteries or app.
Strengths
- Suspends watering automatically after rain
- Freeze sensor stops cycles that would ice paths and plants
- Adjustable rain threshold by turning the cap
- Wired; no batteries or app
- Works with most controllers that have sensor terminals
Weaknesses
- Needs a wire run from the controller to an open spot
- Discs take time to dry, so watering resumes a day or two after rain
- Not for controllers without sensor terminals
The overall YardToolLab Score is out of 100. Section scores are out of 10.
Sprinklers Running in the Rain
Everyone has seen a lawn being watered in a downpour because the timer said so. A rain sensor stops it. Orbit’s 57069 is a wired sensor that mounts on an eave or a post, connects to the sensor terminals on the controller and opens the circuit when its discs swell with rain or its thermistor reads a near-freezing temperature. The controller skips its cycle until the sensor dries or warms.
This review is based on the maker’s specifications and on how hygroscopic rain sensors perform with irrigation controllers generally. We have not used this sensor ourselves.
Installing It
Pick a spot that catches rain openly and is out of the spray of every sprinkler head, usually the edge of a roof or a fence post. Screw the bracket on, clip the sensor in, run the two-core wire back to the controller and connect it to the two sensor terminals, removing the jumper wire between them. Some controllers have a sensor switch to set to active. Turn on a zone, press the sensor button, and the zone should stop. Twenty minutes.
Setting the Threshold
The cap turns to set how much rain must fall before the sensor trips, from a light shower to three quarters of an inch. Sandy lawns that drain fast want a higher setting so a brief shower does not skip a needed cycle; clay wants a lower one. The vent ring on the cap sets how fast the discs dry and so how long the skip lasts.
The Freeze Side
A thermistor opens the circuit near freezing so sprinklers do not ice the path or coat shrubs on a cold night. In climates with spring and autumn frosts it is the half of the sensor that prevents the most damage.
Why Wired
No batteries to fail in July, no app to lose its connection. A wired sensor either works or it is visibly broken, and this design has been working on lawns for many years.
Limits
The wire has to reach an open spot, which on some houses is a long run. Controllers without sensor terminals cannot use it. It overrides the whole controller, not individual zones.
Who Should Buy It
- Anyone with a timer-run sprinkler system.
- Homeowners in frost-prone climates.
- Water bill watchers.
Common Owner Complaints
Long wire runs and slow drying. Mount it close; open the vent ring.
Alternatives to Consider
A wireless rain sensor for a controller far from an eave. A smart controller with weather data for zone-level control. Turning the timer off by hand, which is what this replaces.
Verdict
For a sprinkler system that waters by the clock, this sensor is the cheapest fix for the rain and the frost, and it has no batteries to let it down. Mount it in the open, set the threshold for the soil and remove the jumper.
Full specifications
Orbit 57069 Rain and Freeze Sensor for Sprinkler Controllers FAQs
Mount the sensor where rain falls on it and sprinklers do not, run the two-core wire to the controller and connect it to the sensor terminals, removing the jumper. Set the controller to use the sensor if it has a switch.
Turning the cap sets how much rain, from about an eighth to three quarters of an inch, must fall before the discs expand enough to open the circuit. Set lower for sandy soil, higher for clay.
When the discs dry and shrink, which takes a day or two depending on sun and wind. A vented cap dries faster.
Most smart controllers have sensor terminals too and use the sensor as a hard override. Check the manual for the terminal names.
