HomeKit and Sprinklers

Configuration
1

I’ve been using the (fairly) new

type: sprinkler

in the HomeKit component but somehow it does not bring up any timer options in the Home App, as opposed to the way Rachio sprinkler controller or Eve Aqua do when added to HomeKit. To make things worse, HomeKit does not allow to set up scenes or automations with sprinklers; that would allow to turn off the sprinklers after X minutes. No native timer + no turn-off automation = risk of flooding your lawn.

So my question is, can the sprinklers HomeKit component be modified in anyway to allow for turn-off timers, like this:? Thanks!

homekit-sprinkler
homekit-sprinkler647×1229 85.1 KB

1 Like
2

Replying to myself. As I said, you can’t create scenes or automations for sprinklers/faucets on iOS Home app, but turns out you can do it in the Fibaro or Eve apps. So you can actually create a scene to turn on the sprinkler, another scene to turn it off, and then use Shortcuts to create a flow:

Spriklers On – Wait for X minutes/seconds – Sprinklers Off

That will work until native HomeKit timers are enabled for sprinklers/faucets.

3

It’s gonna be the official home app timers in future releases?

4

uspino, would you be willing to share your config for your Rachio? I have mine set up as a switch, but am not finding documentation for as to how to make it appear as a sprinkler.

Mine currently is set up as:
rachio:
api_key: ############################

switch:
platform: rachio

5

Do you mean in HomeKit or in the Home Assistant frontend?

6

Your Home Assistant config.yaml, in particular the part specific to your Rachio. Thanks!

7

Sprinklers and valves always show up as individual switches in Home Assistant, but you can easily customize the icon and group, and make it look like a comprehensive irrigation controller. If you want those switches to appear as sprinklers in HomeKit, you have to add this in the homekit section of your configuration.yalm:

homekit:
  entity_config:
    switch.sprinkler:
      type: sprinkler

Let me know if that’s what you are looking for.

1 Like
8

That did it! Thanks so much @uspino

9

Hello,

Just a short question: i am right that this means i can integrate it into HA and switch on/off (manually, automations,…)?
Thanks!

/ Ralf

10

Rachio, yes. In HA and Homekit.

11

I meant the Eve component.
Because i want to stop irrigation when it’s raining…

/ Ralf

12

I use rachio, not eve.

13

trying to get raspberry pi GPIO relay switch to show up as a sprinkler in HomeKit

I see the switches in HA. I can flip them on/off via the web interface.

I pair HA with HomeKit. The devices are seen, I can flip them on / off also.

But they are switches. I need sprinklers with a timer via homekit. I read the post above, no luck.

switch:
-platform: rpi_gpio
invert_logic: true
ports :
5: Relay 1

Homekit configuration

homekit:
entity_config:
switch.sprinkler:
type: valve

what am I doing wrong, I have been running HA for less then 24 hours…

14

It’s likely you have format errors in your configuration. I’m not familiar with the rpi platform, but I’d look at spacing issues first.

15

no, I checked that. it passes. it’s the formatting from MacOS to html editor…

How does HomeKit know what switches are switches and what switches are valves?

16

switch:

  • platform: rpi_gpio
    invert_logic: true
    ports:
    5: Relay 1

Homekit configuration

homekit:
entity_config:
switch.sprinkler:
type: valve

17

This is awesome!! I’m currently working on an irrigation controller and just stumbled upon this. Now I have my zones in Homekit. Didn’t think to do this, but now it’s awesome to be able to get Siri to dow it for me.

It would be nice to be able to group the zones into one Homekit device like the Rachio system does.

One bug I had was asking Siri to “Water the Lawn”. She turned all zones on. Change it to Grass and it’s fine. LOL. No idea why that was happening, but it’s not a problem.

18

Yeah, Siri is very picky when it comes to turning on valves and sprinklers. I don’t use this workaround anymore, I ended up buying a Rachio, so I don’t know if the HA developers ever got into including a turn-off timer in the HomeKit sprinklers controllers. Glad it helped!

19

Any new ideas on how to include the timer function for HomeKit sprinklers?

2 Likes
20

Still no updates of timer function for HomeKit sprinklers? I really hope somebody will develop this area.

1 Like