Orbit 58911 Complete Yard Watering Kit, Green…

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.

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!