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

you should consider installing a rain sensor (wireless models are easiest) and you will never have to worry about running to the timer to delay again. The sensor can be adjusted for diff. depths or rainfall. i use the Toro GK-212 timer. It allows for rain delays up to 7 days if you like and will also do an odd/even schedule for those who have watering restrictions.

Mark Cardarelli
RI Master Irrigator #000003
Ocean State Lawn Sprinkler, Inc.

There are controllers that allow you to set a delay until watering. Understand that many parts of the country can have watering restrictions that allow watering only on certain days of the week, so controllers will adhere to a rigid schedule, and sensors will either work to allow a controller to adjust watering times, or to skip the entire watering program.

I currently have a 25 year-old controller. The schedule is set by inserting little plastic pieces into a rotary dial, each prong on the dial representing a day of the week.

I would like to replace it with a modern electronic controller, but I would like it to have at least the same features as my current timer.

The feature that seems to be missing is a "rain delay" -- at least the rain delay that seems most simple (and best). On my current manual timer, if it rains I can just manually rotate the schedule dial for the desired delay. If for example, it rains on the day my sprinkler was set to come on, and I decide the amount of rain was fairly light, I can delay it one day, and my sprinkler will come on the next day. If the sprinkler was scheduled to come on in 2 days, and I delay one day, then the sprinkler will come on in 3 days. In other words, it does -not- skip a watering "program", but truly delays it.

The new electronic timers seem to simply skip (deactivate) any programs that were set to activate during the delay. So if the rain was light, and I chose to delay 1 day, then that days watering schedule would be completely missed, and therefore no watering until the next scheduled day, which might be 6 days later! Further, if the sprinkler was scheduled to turn on in 2 days, and I delay one day, then there will be no effect whatsoever! I guess I don't understand why this is desirable, as opposed to actually delaying all the programs a certain number of days.

Can someone explain why this is better, or why I don't need the delay feature on my current manual timer, or give me a timer brand and model that will do a true "delay" instead of "skip". I'm just really puzzled over this!

Thanks in advance.