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23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gilmour 9400 water timer, August 2, 2003
This review is from: Gilmour 9400 Electronic 4-Cycle Water Timer, Teal (Lawn & Patio)
I've used 4 brands of water timers over 21 years for our very large gardens here in Northern California. Only the Gilmour 9400 timer has had the fewest issues in the 10 years I've owned them. Intuitive keypad layout. Removable top for programming. Bugproof too!
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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Works well, water hammer is indeed a drawback, new(?) version is available, July 13, 2005
This review is from: Gilmour 9400 Electronic 4-Cycle Water Timer, Teal (Lawn & Patio)
(July 14, 2005) Overall has been very reliable. Works well once you figure out how to program it. Manual override is *very* easy. Ability to remove the control unit from the valve for programming is nice. Electronics are completely isolated from the water valve (internal water leaks have been the bane of other electronic timers I've owned). Biggest gripe is that the valve snaps shut during turnoff, with a resulting loud bang in the water pipe. Other valve designs using a rotating ball valve don't seem to have this issue. Longevity of the diaphragm valve remains to be seen - have only used it for 1.5 seasons so far.
ADDITIONAL INFO: (August 15, 2005) There are apparently two different model 9400 available. I found a different version at one of the major home improvement stores in late July. I originally had the version with the red/green/black programming buttons. The (new?) version is not shown on Gilmour's web site. It uses a ball type valve instead of the diaphragm type - NO MORE WATER HAMMER! This unit also has a different programming interface - I was able to figure out how to program it without having to read the instructions. It retains the easy access to manual override and program suspend, and ability to remove electronic unit from valve base for programming (great for late evening programming when you need to get out from under the house overhang to read the display). So far it's worked great. Only nits are that 1. when valve opens it consistently opens a bit past fully open, which could restrict water flow, although it doesn't seem to be noticeable; 2. when electronics are removed from valve base, valve dial can get out of sync with the electronic module, requiring you to "eyeball" rotate the valve dial into the right position so that the electronics will fit back on the base. This could be resolved if Gilmour would enlarge the keyhole on the timer motor - don't think this would be a problem because the valve always seems to turn the same way. I posted some photos of the new version in the customer images section. So far I'd rate the new model 9400 Five stars.
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Gilmour 9400 - Good Design but Other Problems, June 15, 2006
This review is from: Gilmour 9400 Electronic 4-Cycle Water Timer, Teal (Lawn & Patio)
I can confidently say the Gilmour 9400 Water Timer didn't work for me. In all I purchased 4 of them hoping one of them would work. In the end I returned them all. Each unit would work for a day and then stop. Yes, it made noise like the valve was moving to let the water run. However, nothing happened.
You might honestly wonder why I'm giving it 3 stars instead of 1. It's because I think my water pressure is too high for the Gilmour water timer. (A plumber last year told me the water pressure was above normal in our subdivision.) I did an online search to see if other people had encountered this problem, and I didn't see any reviews of people who did. It makes me suspect our water pressure is an unusual situation and for most people the Gilmour would work fine.
Here is what I liked about the unit:
- Relatively easily to set watering times.
- Have a manual override that doesn't disrupt the previously programmed watering times
- Flexibility in setting water times.
The reason I bought 4 (2 at a time) is I liked the controls so much I kept hoping it was simply I kept getting defective units. I'm almost positive the problem was the water pressure would build up over a day and the unit would stop functioning.
(You can see my review on the Claber 15 Preset Water Timer, which is what I'm now using.)
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