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Rachio flow meter 1004-EX wired installation guide irrigation contractors

Rachio 1″ Flow Meter Installation Guide: 1004-EX Wired vs WM-1000 Wireless for Irrigation Contractors

When a single leaking lateral line on a large residential property can dump 5,000 gallons per week, the math on flow metering gets simple fast. The Rachio 1″ flow meters — the wired 1004-EX and wireless WM-1000 — transform your irrigation system from a timer into an active water management platform. Here is the complete contractor installation and configuration guide.

What the Flow Meters Do

Both Rachio flow meters measure water in gallons per minute (GPM) and report to the Rachio Pro Series controller in real time. When the controller learns each zone’s baseline GPM, it flags deviations as alerts:

  • High Flow Alert: A zone exceeds its baseline GPM by your set threshold — indicates a burst head or broken lateral.
  • Continuous Flow Alert: Water is flowing when no zone is scheduled — indicates a stuck open valve or broken main.
  • Low Flow Alert: A zone runs below baseline — indicates a clogged emitter, closed valve, or pressure loss.

1004-EX: Installation Walkthrough

  • Shut off the main irrigation supply
  • Cut the 1″ supply line and install the meter with the flow direction arrow pointing downstream (toward the valves)
  • Run two-conductor 18-gauge wire from the meter’s terminals to the controller’s S1 sensor port
  • In the Rachio Pro app: Settings → Flow → Enable Flow → Learn Flow (run each zone 2–3 min)

WM-1000: When to Go Wireless

Use the WM-1000 when the supply line is in a remote vault, under a long driveway, or in a location where running wire to the controller would require major trenching. The WM-1000 pairs wirelessly with the Rachio Pro Series controller within 500 feet — set it and forget it, with 1–2 year battery life on a single CR123A cell.

Compliance and Reporting

The Rachio Pro Properties dashboard logs every zone’s water usage and generates exportable monthly reports. For California Commercial properties, Arizona HOAs, and Texas accounts subject to TCEQ reporting, this log is the documentation you need for water district audits — produced automatically, no manual tracking required.

Shop Rachio Pro Series controllers and flow meter bundles at Big Irrigation. Contact us for contractor volume pricing.

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