Troubleshooting

What’s the difference between online mode and offline mode?

Online mode is where you have a WiFi network available at the control unit location. You will configure the control unit so that it knows your home WiFi details, after which it will communicate with the Harvst server via the internet. You will manage settings using the web app. The control unit will collect these settings each time it sends data.

Offline mode is used when you don’t have a WiFi network at the control unit location. The control box needs to be configured as offline so that it does not hunt for a WiFi network. You will manage settings using the device control panel and will not need to use the web app.

Watch videos about online and offline mode on our setup page.

How do I connect my phone to ‘harvst-wifi’ while configuring online mode?

The goal is to connect your phone to the wifi network that is being transmitted by the control box. Usually this means going to your phone WiFi settings, looking for the harvst-wifi network, and choosing to connect to it.

The harvst-wifi network does not have internet access; it is purely for the purpose of telling the control box your hone WiFi details.

Different phones connect to WiFi networks in different ways, so we recommend you seek help for your specific phone.

Control box makes no beeps when turning on

Mains powered

Check the power plug connection is secure, and the fuse in the mains plug is OK. Check the mains power socket on the wall is working, using another known device. Is the light flashing on top? If you have a light but no beeps, it’s possible the beeper has failed. Return for a replacement, if under warranty. If there is no light flashing on the top AND no sound when the box is turned on, something else in the control unit or power supply is at fault. Return the control unit for a replacement, if it is in warranty period.

Solar powered

If there is no light flashing on top and no sound, it’s probable the battery is dead. Ensure the solar panel is in good sun and well connected. A full day of sunshine will charge the battery sufficiently to turn the control unit on. Alternatively, you can buy a wall charger to bring the battery to full charge in the house.

Solar control unit will not charge properly

If you are always getting the “low battery” warning when turning your control unit on (falling tone) then either your solar panel is not positioned well enough for full sunshine, or your pumping times are too long for the amount of sun you are getting. If after a full day of sunshine you are still getting the low battery warning, bring it indoors and use a Harvst wall charger to top up the battery.

Watering does not happen at expected time

Mains powered control boxes are awake all the time and should water within a minute or so of the scheduled time.

Solar powered units are asleep mode of the time and will water on the first automatic wake-up after the scheduled time. The boxes wakes every 30 minutes, but not necessarily at 00 and 30 minutes. So if your watering time is 9am, and the box wakes at 9.12, it will water then. The “wake time” (minute of the hour it wakes) is different for every control box.

To check whether your system is watering automatically, put a jar or container under the drippers or sprayers and check within an hour of the scheduled time.  Reasons it may not be watering:

  • You have set “don’t water over X” for a moisture sensor. This is to save water when soil is already damp.
  • Temperature is below the minimum temperature set for watering. You can choose this in settings.
  • Battery may be critically low. The control box will return to sleep before draining the battery further with pumping.
  • The clock is incorrect. You can check and set the clock time via the device control panel.

Why can I not find “harvst-wifi” in my list of networks?

If the control box is not beeping slowly, it is not transmitting the harvst-wifi network. This network is only for setting up your control box for the first time, where you give it your home wifi details. Once it knows your home wifi details, when it turns on it will connect to your home network and won’t need to be set up again.

Why does the “harvst-xxxx” network disappear as soon as I connect to it?

Check that the control box has not gone to sleep. Solar boxes will sleep a few seconds after first being turned on. If you press the “wake” button the box will wake up and will remain on for ten minutes, or for as long as you interact with the control panel.

When I click the black button in the wep app to “water now” or “access control panel” I get a “page not found” message.

  1. Your phone will need to be on the same WiFi network as the control box. Sometimes you will need to turn off 4G data to force your phone onto WiFi. If your phone has found another, stronger WiFi signal, you will need to use your phone settings to ensure it’s on the same network as the control box.
  2. If your control unit is solar powered, make sure it’s turned on and is awake (light on top is flashing once a second)
  3. If your control box is mains powered, light is flashing and you are on the same network, it might be that your router is not letting the control box serve the dashboard on your network. First try turning the control box off and on; when you hear the double beep indicating “network connected” then you can try the black button again. If that doesn’t work, we have found that restarting your home router can solve the problem.

The black “device control panel” button in the web app will take you to the last known IP address for the control unit. If the control unit IP address has changed (perhaps you have changed your home WiFi hardware, or sometimes this happens from time to time by itself on some networks), you’ll need to use the device WiFi network to connect directly to it instead.

The device WiFi network is “harvst-XXXX” where the Xs are replaced by a unique value for your control box.

My control box makes a high/low/high/low beeping sound when the pump is running

This is the “low water” alarm- the control box is detecting that the pump is using less power than normal (pumping air).

If your system is definitely pumping water, then it’s possible your irrigation pipes network isn’t putting enough pressure on the pump. You can turn the low water alarm off using the settings for that watering zone on the control unit dashboard.

Note that if you use a soaker or seep hose, with the WaterMate Pro pump, the pump will turn off when the pressure reaches 35psi, and turn on again when the pressure drops. This will cause the pump to cycle on and off, which will trigger the low water alarm. With this setup, turn the low water alarm off on the control panel.

Pump is running but no water is coming out of the nozzles

If you have a water valve in your system, ensure it’s connected to the right socket on the control unit. Check the connections are secure. Hold the water valves with your hand and run manual watering for ten seconds. You should feel and hear the valves click just before the pump turns on. If the valves do not click, they are faulty. If the valves do click, you have a blockage somewhere in the system. In rare cases, the orange submersible pump will get an air lock. Unplugging the hose from the valves while the pump is running will get it working again, and will confirm that water is getting to the valves OK.

Device clock is locked to a time and not changing

To determine if your clock has locked, open the device control panel by accessing the device WiFi network, and view the time on the settings screen. Refreshing will show the seconds increasing, unless the clock has locked.

If a control unit clock goes out of sync and the box is in online mode, it corrects itself from the server.

In offline mode, a locked clock will not correct itself and you will need to update your control unit to the latest firmware version (2022051700 or above), which self-fixes a locked clock.

Not watering when scheduled but does water manually

This might be due to the low temperature setting, which tells the Watermate not to water if the temperature is less than a certain value.

  1. When it’s cold and overcast, plants need less water.
  2. When there’s less sun, battery life is preserved by watering less.
  3. Not pumping below a certain temperature prevents damage due to ice and frost.

The default setting is 8 degrees C.

Pump Fault

If your device control panel shows ‘pump fault’, your pump is drawing too much power and has likely failed. When the pump draws too much power, it is turned off and the alert is set. The next time it needs to pump, it will try again. The alert is just a notification that there is a fault condition. To clear the notification, click ‘clear’ on the device control panel. 

Air temperature sensor not showing data

To determine whether you have a hardware problem:

  1. Turn the box off and on again
  2. Are the sensors are plugged into the right connections? The 4-pin soil sensors are unambiguous but the 3-pin air temperature/humidity sensor must be plugged into the correct port otherwise it may be damaged (The water valves are also a 3-pin port).

If the air temperature sensor still does not show data, it’s possible it has become damaged, usually by plugging into the wrong port. Spares are available online.

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