Orbit Yard Watering System #62032

List Price: $96.03 Discount Price: $56.81

Features:

• Connects to standard hose faucet to provide 4 hose outlets with 4 independent controls
• 3/4 In. National Hose Thread manifold connection to hose faucet
• Preprogram up to 4 stations with 3 start times of up to 99 minutes each
• Installs in minutes; no digging required
• For outdoor use with cold water only

Customer Reviews:

Great Watering Device - saves time and money [Posted on 2008-06-01]
This is my second season using this timer with 3 zones on a 30' x 50' garden. It helps me utilize my low water pressure well. I water each zone in series for 1/2 hour each morning. The orbit fits the bill great for what I need.

I gave the timer 4 instead of 5 stars, because the LCD interface isn't bad, but it isn't easy, especially when you first pull it out in the Spring.

Poor Design, poor quality [Posted on 2008-06-07]
We purchased a unit last year to water our back yard (due to severe watering restrictions which made us water between 12am and 4am). Bought two extra units to have four watering lines. Not overly difficult to set up, and get to run accurately. But, and it is a big but, it will break within (or less than) one year. All four of the valves consistently leak due to the pressure of the hose being on (wasting a ton of water). They just do not hold up, and are not worth the money. Bought another unit this spring, within one week, unit now leaks. Bottom line, don't buy...

Needs work to be acceptable [Posted on 2008-06-11]
The 4 way manifold included reduces the water flow to about a 1/4" opening. One of my sprinklers I thought was broken and would not even run properly. The other sprinkler had much less distance then before. Before returning it I decided to not use the manifold and sure enough everything was back to normal. Now I bought a better 2 way splitter that does not restrict the water flow. 2 outlets is really all I need since this set up only includes 2 valves. Should have been better out of the box. Programming is not as bad as some describe although it's not simple as with some other timers.

So far So good [Posted on 2008-06-27]
I have had this system for about a year. I have had no problems thus far and this makes me very happy because I have used several other water timers and they all have stopped working well under the year mark.

Pros: Battery life has impressed me, I use rechargables and have only replaced them a couple times in over a year. Of course I don't really use it in the winter but still I leave it hooked up and turned on. Which reminds me to mention it survived the winter outside in Oregon, hooked up and on the whole time. Hence, the reliability of it has very much impressed me so far.

Cons: The metal part you attach to the faucet is VERY heavy and so hence you need a very sturdy faucet to connect this to. I am not sure why they didn't use a lighter material. You also better be clear headed when you program it because it is fairly confusing to figure out how to get different watering station to come on for different times for different durations etc. Directions don't help a lot either but once you figure it out, it does what it is supposed to do. I suggest taking notes and saving your own version of the instructions on your computer somewhere because by the time you change the programming again you will have to figure it all out again.

From the reviews I looked at the people who seem unhappy are the ones who take off and on the system a fair bit. I am not sure why one would take the thing on and off but I just leave mine hooked up all the time and when I just need the use of the hose I turn it on to manual mode. It's almost as easy and turning a faucet handle anyway. However in really cold winter areas I suspect you probably really whould at least remove the electronic parts in the winter. Though I have a hard time believing this would really cause any problems if it was done with a little TLC.

Great product IF it's what you need [Posted on 2008-07-12]
There was a similar Orbit package offered at Costco (spring only?) that costs less and has three valves instead of two and included two quick disconnect couplings as well. At their price it would be economical to buy a new one every year (I've found that many non-commercial grade sprinklers only last a season or two any way, so why expect more from this particular item.)

Now, this system allows you to have up to three watering sessions per day, with each outlet timed for an independent amount during the session -- but that same time is used for each session -- so it's great if you have a number of stations and you want to repeat the same program several times a day. It won't help you if you want to operate different stations at differrent times of the day (but if it's cheap enough, just buy two).

Haven't had any problems yet. They are made of plastic so I could see how tugging strongly on a hose connected to it could probably break a valve. Also probably a good idea to bring them inside for the winter. Really hot direct sunlight might be a problem too. But in a moderate climate I think they'll be OK.

Programming and changing the program can be a headache until you get the hang of it. This probably seems like a negative review, but if this is the sort of timer that you need and your environment isn't too hasrsh, it should work quite well. All in all, an adquate product (if your situation fits in with what I described above) and if you get it for a good price.

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