Automatic Yard Watering System

I've only had this for less than a week, so I realize that this says -nothing- for the longevity of the product, but I wish I had gotten this years ago. If you've ever set all the settings on a modern digital watch (or an old-fashioned digital VCR) this thing is EASY AS PIE to set up in comparison. It saves me having to truck out to the garden faucet every morning and evening to set a manual timer, which is especially handy now that the weather has turned Summer-like. If I'd had this years ago, my plants that were sheltered from the frost over the winter would've probably survived (I didn't water nearly often enough because it was such on-again-off-again rain constantly and the unsheltered parts of the backyard were a swamp). I'm devastated over the loss of my herbs and fuscia but absolutely did not want to court pneumonia by constantly going out in the damp. This timer would have saved me that struggle entirely, and I wish I had purchased it sooner! One of the best things I love about it is that the timer itself doesn't have water running through it and, as long as you've got good washers and teflon/thread seal tape, isn't anywhere near the water itself unless it rains. I didn't want to get a timer that channeled the water because all it would take would be a tiny leak to destroy the whole unit, and I really wanted this to last. This timer just slides on top of one of the valves on the faucet, so you don't even need to do anything special to mount it, although there IS a support bracket if you need it. I used the four-way brass manifold that I already had, which is more than sturdy enough to support all three valves and a hose, and I kept the plastic one that came with this package as a backup. The only worrisome moment I had when setting this up was that the extra hose adapter I purchased, to control a total of three zones, shipped with the valve in the "open" position. I was so worried it was broken, but I ran a manual cycle on just that tap and it fixed it right up right away. All three taps are now giving targeted drip watering to our vegetables, herbs, and beautiful flowers before I'm even awake in the morning! One other happy thing I noticed about this: if you don't want a zone to get watered, you do NOT have to muck with the settings on the timer. Just turn off the valve on the manifold for that zone, and turn it back on again when you want it to be watered. We ended up doing some maintenance work on the dripline and the ability to just shut off one zone manually on the manifold was really helpful when the timer kicked in to water the rest of the garden, right on schedule. In short: so far it's working beautifully, definitely recommended!

I like this orbit watering system, I have several. I have had to replace a few due to freezing. One thing hate is the packaging. It’s almost impossible to open without very strong shears and you will likely cut or scratch yourself on the hard plastic that you have to cut to open the darn thing. Orbit you can do better

I had a similar Orbit unit about 15 years ago that worked very well. I left it for months at a time and it worked without fail. This unit is garbage. Every 2-3 days it just resets the time and forgets all the programming. These are supposedly so you don't have to attend the watering, yes? If they don't keep the programming, what exactly are they for? A fancy-looking water manifold? From other reviews, it seems that this is a common problem with this unit. Very disappointed. Likely avoid Orbit product from now on if this is an example of the current state of their quality. Beware of this unit if you need reliability. Thought it would be fair to update my review. Orbit contacted me and sent a new unit which seems to be working very well for the past 1-2 months. Thanks for the replacement.

If I could give Zero stars I totally would!!!!! I use many orbit timers and this one being the most expensive and complicated is the WORST!!!! It will NOT keep the time therefore is constantly NOT working and I am relying on it to (supposedly) control the water on 3 of my areas - worst product I have ever bought!!!! I have changed the batteries twice already (I’ve only owned it for about 45 days), just to be safe, yet it is constantly changing the current time and does not water accordingly. Example - went to look AGAIN, tonight at 820 pm but according to it, it was Sat (it’s Tues) at 1142 pm Then, when I go to fix it, all programs are completely blank to top it off. If I wanted to water by hand constantly, or let my plants die willy-nilly, I wouldn’t have bought a timer! The 3 others I have, simple single setting/ 1 outlet work fine. It’s just this one that will not do it’s job! To top it off, in case you are STILL thinking you want to give it a try since there are so few multi-outlet options out there, please know it may not work the way you think….. While it allows for up to 4 outlets/Zones, please know the package only comes with 2. You have to buy/add on to allow for 4 in total, buying each ‘extra’ Zone output separate. Also, while you have 3-4 program options (can’t remember which cuz I don’t care anymore), each set program has to be the same. Meaning Program A starts at 7am for example, then program B at 730, etc. All good so far. But the time to run each zone has to be the same for every one of those Program settings. Example - I wanted to water Zone 1 & 3 only once for 10 minutes each every other day. And wanted Zone 2 to run 10 minutes twice, on Program A & B, daily. Well, not an option. You can ONLY decide the run time and days or interval (daily, every 2 days, etc) to be exactly the same for everything whether you like it or not. So my Xeriscape plants that need less water are now forced to be watered daily because the plants on Zone 2 need daily. So, I reduced the watering times to try and compensate. Well, still screwed b/c now I have to water then ALL daily and TWICE if I want Zone 2 to water more often and longer. What a PITA!!!!! And, as I mentioned above, I have to re-set the whole dam thing every 3-5 days because it simply stops doing its job for no reason to top it all off! What’s the point in having a watering system?!?!? Apparently, there is none with this piece of cr@p……. I don’t leave reviews often but wanted to warn all buyers on this one -STAY AWAY, it’s a huge watered of time and money (and causes dead plants) !!!!!!

This is an update to 3 zone Orbit model 56082 which lasted 5 years and was currently replaced with 4 zone Orbit model 58911 with 2 additional valves. I have purchased the 3 outlet programmable and the 2 outlet programmable versions which have both produced excellent results and ease of programming. I modified the installation to cure some annoying problems which may be troubling other users. My system is a drip and soaker hose irrigation system with poly hose supply lines. The Orbit “complete kit” packaging requires purchase of 2 additional solenoid valves part number 58874N to make it a true complete 4 zone system. I used a 4 outlet brass hose valve manifold instead of the supplied plastic one. It is more durable and has better shut off valves. I installed a water hammer arrester (at bottom of picture) with a quarter turn ball valve on the water supply line T off the hose bib to prevent water hammer when the valve closes. To prevent dripping at the top inlet hose connections, I wrapped Teflon tape on the threads. I also used silicone hose washers with stainless steel screens at every connection to keep sand and debris out. I modified and painted the supplied bracket which attaches to the back of the brass manifold securing it diagonally to a steel stake driven into the ground. I also added an adjustable water pressure regulator set to 50 psi to reduce pressure on the valves and seals to improve longevity and reduce water hammer. My incoming water pressure was 120 psi at the street reduced to 80 psi into house with a water main regulator valve. The pipe manifold system I put together keeps a free hose bib at the top and allows for future expansion with another capped hose bib at the bottom near the arrestor. A separate top metal hose bib for a dedicated hose keeps pressure and pulling away from the Orbit system. Stainless steel hose clamps secure the assembly to the steel stake. Painters and deck demolition work above failed to break this arrangement. I installed 2 long life AA Energizer lithium batteries to improve long term reliability. Back flow preventers (vacuum breakers are required by code) were installed on outlets to protect against both back-siphoning and back-pressure of contaminated water into the potable water supply. A scrap piece of vinyl 40 mil bathtub liner secured with cable ties protects the controller from sun and rain and folds out of the way to program. In California we are rarely concerned with freeze, only the occasional frost. These modifications have kept the system moderately trouble free over the last 16 years of use and allows for easy future zone expansion with no digging.

Key feature for me was battery operation. The garden is not near any power source. Set it up as instructed -- and it seems to be working fine (after 2 months of operation). Have not needed any battery renewal yet. Programmed for daily watering operation. Water source is a well with lots of iron and particulate in source. So far the valves have worked fine -- no leakage. The fact that they are plastic valves seems to be an advantage. The mounting arrangement for the manifold is not very sturdy. The weight of the assembly with hoses hanging off required more than the supplied hardware -- but all in all, it was a lot easier to install and a lot less expensive than an inground system.

This is regarding item #58911 and a particular problem I am having. Periodically, every few weeks, I will lose all settings. This happened last year with that 58911 timer that I purchased, so I bought another this summer. Same problem is happening. I have replaced the batteries twice this year and batteries were tested(are good). I purchased this item twice, once on May 18, 2018 and June 11, 2019. I use the June purchased 58911 to run my four (4) irrigation stations for my community vegetable garden. I cannot trust this timer for when I go on vacation nor can I fully trust it to water in my community garden. I had this model 6 years ago and it worked fine for 4 years with no problems till the LCD panel was no longer readable from sun damage. So now what? How can I trust this device to not lose my timings? This is critical in SoCal semi desert heat where if it does not water for a few days, the garden can be killed off. So, review ultimately is a "fail". I guess, twice a "fail" since I bought two of them. Even the website for submitting an email to Orbit was a fail, "Processing" and never completed with 5 attempts and two different browsers. I can say that the timer is easy to program, used to be robust, easy to install, and extremely convenient to run on batteries particularly for remote location watering. It just fails, so ... really should be a one star rating but when it worked, it was great so... Sept. 3, 2019 Update: I have received new timers from warranty service (6 year warranty). Process was fast and no issues, you just need to provide when purchased and the "Date Code" on the back of the timer. The website fails, chat fails, but phone service works well and also has callback so that is good. Since I have two of these timers and both were replaced under warranty, I have a backup when something goes wrong. Glass half-empty. So, I have bumped the rating up to 3 stars from 2. Will see how it lasts through the rest of the growing season here, will update in October. J

The timer stopped working properly after a few months. The symptoms were time time of day was incorrect and timer control did not trigger the valves to open. Performed the corrective action maintenance" reset the timer, changed baterries, reset connections to the valves and the timer woud then resume function but then the problem reappeared after a short period of time ( 3 weeks). The valves worked perfectly, just a timer problem. Contacted Orbit customer support and filed a warranty claim. They immediately provided a complete replacement of the 58911 unit. I understand unexpected events with equipment occur but it's the mfg'r response that is important to make it right. This unit does have a 6 year warranty. I will continue to purchase Orbit products for my watering systems.

Facile à installer et efficace

Have had an identical system for many years that is still working well. However, the LCD screen has become so faint it is virtually unreadable, but can’t really complain as it has been out in the open for all those years. As I couldn’t find the controller as a single item I had to purchase the complete system - now I have a controller you can read plus a couple of spare solenoid valves and the multi-outlet adapter. Hoping for many more years of happy reticulation.

Resistencia, fácil a programar,

I did not realise that all the glowing reviews for this where from Canadian users. I put it on our standard uk outdoor tap. Programmed it with ease and then was extremely disappointed when I turned the tap on. Water spewed from every seal. In desperation I tried plumbers tape which helped a bit, but given that I needed to leave the tap on all the time so that the orbit could work its magic, it meant that this system was useless. Even when the orbit wasn’t in watering mode, significant amounts of water would have been pouring out. After frantic googling, and learning of orbit’s dire/non existent after sales help. I found a number of unfavourable UK reviews for another of their water timers. I believe that there is something different about British taps that make this system useless in the UK in its current form. However I have seen a couple of British reports that say otherwise, and given that it’s a pain to return the product, I’m not giving up, I’m going to try to modify the tap to make it work. I’ll post a follow up when I have more info.

I still have the older model if the same thing, easily ten years old and has been heavily used and still works just the same as well as all the four valves! Im a landscaper so i need multiple timers. I will say the older models manifold is way sturdier, and although i disagree with the other reviewer who is upset that you cant attach this newer timer to the manifold, because i always felt that spot was too close to the faucet and as a result i always attached to valves anyways…I do agree that this timer barely holds on to the mounts on these valves for some reason, and the timer is only there by gravity - any unexpected force and this fancy timer is either hitting pavement or falling and yanking on its wires, it just doesnt click into place or anything. This manifold is also way more light and “plasticy” than the old one. Who knows might last a long time but looks way cheaper than the old one, that thing is a beast! (And has lots of metal in it lol). I have experience with several other brand timers, and this one us by far the easiest to use, designed with an easy-to-understand control logic, that doesnt take a lot of time to set up, and wont let you do anything stupid like run multiple valves at once(hey melnor and yardworks hows it goin?) other timers will offer more advanced options like setting up 4 different program(letters) with various different run times for each zone, but they also take way more time to program. So i easily give my old ten year old orbit timer 6 stars, would give this thing 5 stars, but the cheapening in the manifold and fact that the mount is super loose means i give this badboy 4 stars. Still well worth it but room for improvement there. They probably wont change or fix because wifi timers are the next thing…