Customer Reviews

Two Zone Timer

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

I have had two of these timers for several years, since they first came out: one for the front, and one for the back. They are the only multi-zone timers using batteries I have ever found and have been great, especially when I go on vacation (I live in a desert area). I have had to replace them occasionally (e.g., if left outside in freezing temperatures, residue water can freeze and crack the plastic, allowing water to get with the batteries). Also, set the devices in a dry place and don't let water splash them repeatedly on the outside. The original instructions that came with the first timers I bought had instructions for HOW TO DELAY/CHANGE THE START TIME. I relay them here to help others who buy these. When you insert the batteries, that becomes the start time. If I put the batteries in at 8:00 am and set the frequency to 24 hours (once per day), the timer will come on at 8:00 am the next day. But what if I want it to come on at 10:00 am each day? I can either wait to reinsert the batteries at 10:00 am, or I can use the Delay/Change Start Time feature (creating a new program will not change the start time: it only changes the duration and frequency). Above the words "Zone 1" and "Zone 2" is a small, mysterious, black button. The button is what is used to delay the start time. To do so, press the button once for each hour you want to delay the start time. If you put the batteries in at 8:00 am but want each daily cycle to begin at 10:00 am, then press the button for that zone two times (8+2=10). If you later decide you actually wanted the start time to be 11:00 am, then press the button for that zone one more time (up to eleven times: at twelve times you are back at your original start time). This feature has a second benefit: you can have a DIFFERENT START TIME FOR EACH ZONE, and with only one valve open at a time, you have greater water pressure to cover more area in each zone. I have low water pressure, so I set my start time for the second zone two hours later than the first, then I can water each zone for up to two hours with maximum coverage without any overlap and loss of pressure. So that is the added feature many of you will want to use. I just wish they would put these instructions back with the operating instructions you now receive!

My main complaint about this timer is that it waits for the wait interval to expire before turning on for the first time. IOW, if you set it to come on every 24 hours for 30 minutes, it will wait 24 hours before turning itself on the first time. I would have expected it to turn on immediately, then delay before turning on again. Other than that, it does what it's supposed to.

I purchased one of these at a big-box store (after purchasing a cheaper model and having it fall apart when I tried to attach it to the spigot) and it worked fine for a spring and summer...I left it off all fall and winter...next spring it worked for a few days, then something broke internally and the valve wouldn't open, just kept clicking. I contacted Melnor and confirmed their return policy, (they answered the phone and talked to me!) and I mailed the broken device to them. They mailed back a brand new one. This is a year after purchase. I imagine anytime you combine plastic, electricity, and water under pressure, you're going to have some problems unless you spend hundreds of dollars. This device seemed very simple to use, and the compay is responsive if you have any problems within 2 years after purchase.

I bought two of these at a local store to regulate my lawn watering. I liked the idea that the one unit could control two schedules independently, and that the unit also served as a Y-splitter so I didn't have to buy one of those. But it seemed to only hit one or two waterings before it would miss the next one. This happened more than once, and I was never really able to trust it to do the job.

This one worked perfectly last year, then I couldn't get it to come on at all despite fresh batteries, not rusted, etc. I could hear the batteries engage when I set it manually to come on, but when I set the Frequency then the Duration as the instructions stated, it never worked. I even tried programming to come on in just one hour to save as much time as possible. This issue really underlined the other problem with this unit, that you don't know it is going to work till the time elapses that you state for the frequency, as the first time it comes on is that amount of time! The instructions state to set the Frequency first and says it doesn't matter if you turn the dial clockwise or counter clockwise. It sounds so easy, but nothing worked! I finally re-read everything on the short instruction sheet, including the Q&A. I finally saw that it said to change the settings, to turn the Frequency to NOW and the Duration to OFF (both arrows straight up). This worked then when I set the left zone first, frequency then duration, and then I waited the duration time to set the right zone dials. Now they come on in sequence, so as to have optimum water pressure.

With the drawbacks, if you can get it programmed, they will work all summer on one set of batteries and if you take care of the unit, it should last more than one season.

I bought this water timer last month to handle critical watering of my garden while on vacation. It is difficult to be sure of correct setup as mentioned in other reviews, but I did verify operation before leaving on vacation. At some point, the timer completely quit working and no watering occurred at that point. Batteries were new, and all directions were followed. It is waste of money to buy this product. Worse, you can suffer damage to plants that did not get watered.

I have been using these for several years without any problem. I bring them inside in the fall and I do NOT let them freeze. One set of batteries will last all summer, even with several operations a day. I also try to keep them out of pooling water, since one of mine sits on the ground at the end of a short run of garden hose. Once I get them set like I want them, I leave them alone. If it rains, I just turn the faucet off and let the timer continue to cycle, without any water flow. Melnor has a good website with instructions for their products and they have an excellent return/repair polity. These timers may not be perfect, but I have tried several different timers and these are the best I've found.

It kind of did what it was supposed to do at first. Quit working without warning while trying to start grass seed. Bad deal and may have ruined 3 hard days of work and grass seed and manure costs. If you want water the first day, you have to manually water first and then go back and set time for next day (or whatever period). If you have a non critical area to water and will be home to check to make sure it gets done, great. Don't depend on this for serious watering or while out of town.

We bought six of these units for our gardens and within three days, half of them were leaking constantly out of the two weep holes near the outlet ports. These units are used on an elevated, pressure regulated, 25psi system, using filtered water, so I can't even blame pressure, sediment in the water or dirt on the ground. I thought it very strange that they would purposefully design a unit that has the ability to leak.

But then the unthinkable happened, within 1 week two of these units popped off their spigots and flooded our entire grounds, wasting thousands of gallons in the process and destroying valuable plants! Mind you the plastic nuts did not crack or break, the threads did not strip because of too much tightening or water pressure, and no weight of any kind was supported by these plastic units, they just popped off! OUTRAGEOUS!

I GIVE IT ZERO STARS AND CALL IT WORTHLESS!

Simple two zone timer that will work for one summer, after that it is dicey. Mine froze up and kept trying to close the valve. If you want to buy a new one all the time, I like how this one is easy to set.