SPRINKLER TALK FORUM - You Got Questions, We've Got Answers

Hello-

I am glad to see this forum. I have been looking all over the internet to try and figure out how to set my automatic sprinklers-- I live in Arizona.

I am renting a house right now that has a yard. I have never had a yard before! I didn't have any problems with the sprinklers until it started to get cooler out. I noticed that my yard was getting wet and staying wet all the time, and then I noticed that water was sometimes pooling up in the corners of my lawn. So, then it dawned on me that I needed to change the settings of my sprinklers for the colder seasons. That might seem obvious to all you sprinkler geniuses, but I really don't have a clue! I turned the sprinklers off for awhile to let things dry out, and since then I have been messing around with the system trying to get it to work right.

That is where my trouble started. I don't know how often my lawn needs to be watered during the winter. I cannot find the answers on-line. The ground is very wet. However, I am afraid that the shrubs and bushes will dry out. The yard is framed by large pebbles in which shrubs and trees are planted and I am worried that these will dry out because there is one shrub that has turned brown and looks like it is just about dead. The shrubs and bushes are all on drip waterers.

Any guidance on how often and how long my lawn should be watered would be much appreciated. Right now, I have the system to go off at 5 am and to water the shrubs and bushes for 25 minutes and the lawn for 10 minutes. Its on an interval of 15 days. Unfortunately, although this is what the system is set to do-- I went downstairs the other morning at 9:45 am and the lawn was being watered! UGH.

PLEASE HELP ME!!!
Thank you!! Haley

Quoted from "Wet_Boots"

Well, I have read the instructions several times. I really have devoted quite a bit of time trying to solve this issue. I have researched quite a bit on-line as well. Unfortunately, the instructions aren't that ...descriptive. There are 4 stations, and each has an a, b, and c program. I have a 5 am start time set on the "a" program for each of the stations. There are no start times programed on the b and c stations because I don't want the lawn watered more than once per day during the winter. You're right, I probably have messed something up. If I can figure out the correct watering times for my lawn, I will restore the timer to the factory pre-sets and start over.

I was watering my lawn once per week (during these winter months), but found that the ground is staying very, very wet. The water is pooling up in the yard and the soil is never drying out. So I changed it to once every 2 weeks (or, 15 days). Again, I don't know what it the CORRECT interval for winter watering for Arizona lawns.

>>>

Lawns watered at 15 day intervals in Arizona are dead lawns. It's likely you have programmed additional watering cycles, or otherwise screwed up the programming. Step one is to read the instructions. Find them online if you don't have a printed manual.

Thanks for responding.

I am not exactly sure how many start times I have programmed on program A for the 2 stations that are being used- I can't figure out from the instructions if you can set more than one start time on a program. I think I have only one start time set, at 5 a.m., but I think you bring up a good point-- I need to look into this more to see if I have more than one start time set. I know I don't have any set on programs B and C because they are set to "off".

The timer is a Hunter XC.

Quoted from "hi.todd"

I think I hear what you are saying. I must ask you a seemingly simple question. How do you know that you don't have any other start times on Program A,B,C? This answer may explain a lot. Are you sure that you have seen all of the start times on program A,B,C? Or are you coming from the position "I didn't set any start times so there must not be any start times". What is the Brand and Model of the Clock?

Some clock are inherently customer unfriendly, and if you have one of the few particularly unfriendly clocks you will have it set wrong and think that it is right.

The great thing in your situation is that you understand that there is a problem and are in the right place to get help. I can't speak for Arizona drip. I am Texas, but I have seen far too many people not familiar with their Timers think that they are programmed for one situation and the clock will reveal its own issues, but you have to go through the step by step. Maybe you already did all of this and my comments are a waste of your time, but in my humble experience the problem is going to be with the programming of the clock and the difference in what you think the clock says and what the clock says.

Bottoms up in Houston.