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Works pretty well, good construction and quality
I bought this unit to water two zones of crops. I had not seen any other timers that had dual outputs, and would much prefer the integration of having to only program one unit. This unit did the trick.
I was pleased at the quality construction of the unit. The hose thread went on easily to my spigot with no leaks. I have very strong water pressure of 120psi and this unit is rated to 150psi so no problem there. There are quick releases for the lower portion, which again, is wonderful since you don't have to contort you hand to get on the hoses.
The unit is heavy, so you want to ensure your spigot portion is well supported. failure to support your unit could cause issues down the road. In my case, I had the orbit 4-port manifold attached, and this has a metal frame bracket exactly to do this purpose.
The timer itself has 6 settings, however only 3 can be used for each line. So if you have more than 3x/day water for your zone, this is not the unit for you! Fortunately I only needed 2x a day for each zone. It was a little complex at first to figure out how to program but didn't take long to master. Note the LCD does NOT detach from the housing, at least not easily.
Unit is powered by a 9V battery which supposedly will last a year. I tested by removing the 9V and replacing quickly -- the settings WERE retained, which is a blessing so you don't have to worry about reprogramming each time you put new batteries in.
The unit has a rain-gauge port and I did purchase the rain gauge unit as well. It hasn't rained so I cannot attest to the effectiveness but it was easy to install.
You might also want to know that the valves are smooth turning rather than abrupt -- this means the water cuts off slowly rather than slams the valve shut immediately. Extremely important factor for old homes with piping that hammers when the water valve suddenly closes. Very nice!
Overall, I'm pleased with the unit. It would've been nice if the LCD detached, but other than that I'm happy with it.
[Monday, October 27, 2008]
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So far so good
Although I've owned this item for over a year, I just put it into use a week ago. So far quite pleased with it.
Instructions: Like most things now-a-days the instructions are bilingual and in this case, Claber decided to cover 9 languages!!!! The english version is quite simple to follow, the programming pretty straight forward and the "daily mode"(only mode I've used so far) simple accurate and so far spot on.
Size and Construction: The size is decent (about the size of a "pop tart" box) and weight surprisingly substantial for such a small item (which is actually good since I'm quite sure it won't get blown around in a hefty breeze or torrential down-pour). The plastic housing is rather rugged and yet smooth to the touch (has already survived a fall from the roof of my wife's saturn Vue). Flip-top front cover stays open when needed and closed even after being in the line-of-fire from my sprinklers "arc" pattern.
Capabilities: I like the fact that it can control 2 lines/zones and the built-in filter I'm sure is a life savor for folks with really hard water. After reading the instructions it only took me about 5 minutes to program (3 on/off times per lines)the first time and since I've already changed the program twice since it's initial installation deleting and changing and programming new times was simple and straight to the point.
I finally put this thing to use because i had installed some new Zeon Zoysia sod and wanted to be sure it was watered properly and during it's growing cycle (early morning hours). So far it's working like a champ!!! New sod is gettig the water it needs and I don't have to get up at the crack of dawn to turn the water on - Win Win in my book!!!
I also like the quick disconnects it came with for the two lines it controls, makes it simple to take in the house or garage if I need to replace a battery or want to reprogram it out of the relentless NC summer heat.
I had also purchased a Claber rain sensor when i originally purchased the timer - it too was a breeze to install. Hasn't been put to the test yet, but perhaps once i feel comfortable that my new sod is established and I can back off the initial watering regime, I think i'll pour a cap or 2 of water in the sensor during one of the programmed cycles to see if it actually shuts it down as advertised.
[Tuesday, August 12, 2008]
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Works great! Just what I needed.
I recently had my lawn seeded and needed to run a sprinkler several times a day to keep it from drying out. I really didn't want to spend my day turning the hose on and off and moving the sprinkler all around. I found this timer to be just the ticket. I was able to program it to run at three separate times of the day for whatever length of time on any day I chose. I also had a large area and needed two sprinklers for adequate coverage. I found the timers easy to program for both the sprinklers and can tell they will not be hard to modify when I need to water less later. I have literally programmed it and left it without any problems. Where they attach to the tap does not leak and the quick couplers provided for the hose-ends are good quality with no leaking as well. Admittedly, I do not know how easy it would be to switch over to manual watering because I have not tried it. I have another hose I use for this and really didn't want to be bothered with having to fiddle with the timer. So, I never even read how to do it. Enough said, just to clarify... I would buy another if ever I had the need.
[Monday, August 11, 2008]
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