Why You May Need an Orbit Sprinkler Timer
The Orbit sprinkler timer is a device that turns an ordinary hose faucet into a programmable sprinkler system.
One of the things you learn very quickly when you have a lawn or a garden is that you need to water the grass and plants as often as it’s needed. There are proper ways of watering your garden and lawn, and you need to know how to do it properly. One crucial factor to keep in mind is for how long you need to water the grass and plants.
If you don’t do it long enough, your plants may die. They may begin to change to a sickly color and then start to wilt. When you also water frequently but only to a shallow depth, you may encourage the germination of weeds. The grass may also have roots that grow shallow, so they’re more susceptible to drought and some types of plant diseases.
But if you use too much water, your lawn turns soggy and unattractive. And the roots also don’t grow deep when your lawn is always soggy. That’s because there’s no longer any oxygen at the deeper depths of the soil and roots also need oxygen to thrive. And besides, using too much water wastes water and money.
Now one solution to this is perhaps to buy a programmable sprinkler system, but that may be a rather expensive and complicated solution. What you really need is a programmable timer device so that your regular hose faucet or nonprogrammable sprinkler can be programmed to activate only when it’s suitable.
In other words, you need the Orbit sprinkler timer. Its outstanding features can really help you with watering your plants for just the right amount of time. No more dead plants and no more soggy lawns.
Here are some of its more noteworthy features which have led many to consider it the best sprinkler controller around:
It’s Easy to Use
A quick look at the manual makes it fairly easy to see that you won’t have any trouble using this gadget at all. You just need put in a couple of AA alkaline batteries, and the display will show a low battery icon when you need to replace the batteries. Replacing the batteries won’t happen all that often, because the device uses power sparingly. Those two batteries are enough to power through 4 to 6 thousand on/off cycles.
You then just attach the device to the end of the faucet, and you do it quickly and simply. You don’t even need tools to install it. Then you attached the hose to the other end so that the device is effectively in between the water faucet and the hose.
Then you set the set the Orbit sprinkler controller dial so you can program it. The dial lets you set the clock, the time when you want the sprinkler to start, for how long the water should flow, and how often you should water the plants. You won’t have any trouble with the programming because the LCD screen is quite large and the text is large enough to be very readable. The duration can last anywhere from a minute to 4 hours, and the frequency can be every 6 hours to every 7 days.
It even accommodates any sort of interruption to the programmed schedule. You just press a button and you can interrupt your programming for the smart sprinkler controller.
Programmed Schedule Rain Delay
For example, if it’s been raining for a while you can set for rain delay for the programmed schedule instead of manually reprogramming the schedule you’ve set up. You can pause the programmed schedule for 24, 48, or even 72 hours if it happens to rain for three days straight. You can even just turn it off if it’s raining for the whole week.
If you think that your plants or a specific area is not getting enough water, you can also just press the manual button and use the faucet at any time you want. This doesn’t affect the programmed schedule either.
And when it’s time to remove and replace the batteries, you won’t have to program the schedule all over again. The programming is retained even when you take the batteries off.
It’s Very Affordable
A device like these doesn’t have to be expensive. It doesn’t cost hundreds of dollars. In fact, the original price is just $43. And some sellers are offering discounts so you can buy them for less than $26.
But what if you’re using 2 or 3 sprinklers or hoses? Does that mean you need to buy 2 or 3 of these devices? That won’t work when you only have one handy faucet near your lawn.
Actually, these Orbit controllers can be bought with 1, 2, or 3 valves so that you can get the particular model you need.
The Quality of the Build is Exceptional
The LCD screen is nice and readable, and the dial works flawlessly so you can program various functions. Connecting it to the faucet and to the hoses does not result in leaks. And you can leave it outside because it’s resistant to the weather.
And just in case you’re still worried, there’s also a 6-year limited warranty on the device, so you can expect it to work for a very long w
Conclusion
If you’ve read a lot of sprinkler timer reviews, you’ll notice that not all of these timers are as easy to use. Many of the other brands come with overly complicated programming procedures. And some of the older models don’t even come with LCD screens.
In contrast, on Amazon the Orbit timer has accumulated more than 1,300 reviews and two-thirds of them give it the full 5 stars in the ratings.
All in all, the Orbit seems quite suited for older folks who may be intimidated by some of the more modern sprinkler timer designs. The LCD screens are very easy to read, and the setup is very simple. Just bring it in back to your home for the winter when you don’t need to water the lawn and the garden, and come spring you can trot it back out to help you care for your grass and plants.