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Lines & schedules

An irrigation line corresponds to exactly one solenoid valve and draws from exactly one fixed water source (no per-line source switching).

Creating a line

Panel → tab Lines+ New:

Field Meaning
Controller + valve The valve output (output id A5).
Water source The cistern or mains supply the line draws from.
Blocking sensor (optional) Rain/soil sensor; blocks the automatic schedule while wet.
Default manual duration Preset for a manual start. Accepts m:ss (e.g. 0:18 = 18 s, filling a watering can), otherwise minutes (5).
Skip settling time For cisterns: a manual start without the measuring settling time (drawing from a hose → immediately free again).

Every line gets a stable line id L<n> (numbered per controller), separate from the valve's output id A5.

Schedule

Any number of entries per line, each with time + duration and an active/inactive toggle; on top of that, the automatic mode can be switched on or off per line.

Run time vs. emergency shutdown

A run's duration (from the schedule or the manual default) should end at least one minute before the valve output's emergency_shutdown_min — the rule is run time ≤ emergency_shutdown_min − 1. Otherwise the on-device emergency shutdown fires on every full run, practically at the same moment as the regular end, and the run is logged as a fault (emergency). The panel shows a yellow warning for this (but does not block saving).

Manual start & stop

From the dashboard via the icon (stop with ). A manual start always ignores the blocking sensor (rain) — the source's level and dry-run protection stay active. A manual stop logs the actual duration (to the second) and the measured consumption.

What protects you in the background

  • Emergency shutdown — runs on the device, in the ESPHome firmware, independently of Wi-Fi and HA. When a valve reaches its emergency_shutdown_min, the controller switches off by itself. A counter "emergency shutdowns total" is incremented.
  • Source lock (queue) — a source is locked while a run is in progress; further runs from the same source wait (no overloading the pump or the pressure).
  • Per-line safety stop — if the target switch goes unavailable (controller reboot, Wi-Fi loss), the run stops and is marked interrupted.

Status & faults

On the dashboard a line shows its live status (resting, active with remaining time, "Settling · measuring" for cisterns, blocked). A disturbed run appears inline on the "Last" line (in yellow) and is cleared as soon as a clean run follows. Details in Troubleshooting.

Controls

Generic switched outputs (a fountain, a camera …) are created as a control on their own tab — same run engine, but without source, level, settling time or consumption. An empty or 0 duration means continuous operation (on until stopped).