Orbit 57899 9-Station Outdoor Swing Panel Sprinkler System Timer

Our Old Orbit box had failed (buttons not responsive anymore) after 7 years, so I purchased this unit to replace it. I have no background in setting up irrigation systems but was able to install this one easily with the excellent instructions. It was a simple matter of removing and labeling (VERY important) the wires leading to the station valves, removing old unit, mounting new unit, and connecting the common white wire and the 4 station valve wires. The old unit used small Philips screws to insert and secure the wires, but this one has much easier push-tabs that require only a small flat-head screwdriver to open/close. I didn't even have to re-strip the wires - they went right in place. The programming process is extremely intuitive - set date/time, days of the week to water, start time, and duration for each station. I tested it and everything worked perfectly. The large dial and buttons make it quite easy. The unit itself is built like a tank with a large, keyed, heavy-duty box around the electronics, presumably to be weatherproof if installed outdoors. The box is much larger than my old one, but that was not a problem - it just required more wall space. The only part that was a little awkward was routing the wires into the box, because the hole is on the bottom right of the box and the connections are in the bottom center. I don't see why they couldn't have placed the hole directly underneath the connections to make it easier, but it wasn't that much of an issue. Longevity remains to be seen, but so far everything looks great.

I just got done replacing an old water controller for my sprinklers that was requiring a Transformer and a 9 volt battery that was always corroding and the plastic hinge pins were broken and every time I open the outer door the inner door fell out and I said hey it's time to get a new one and I want one it's easier to read and program I did my research for days and I didn't want to spend too much money on the Wi-Fi ones because I have 5 gigahertz not the lower 2.5 that they're running at so I had to go with the old school non-smart version and here we are at the best one that I think I found. I like the fact that this came with a plug because I have gfic circuit with a in use electrical cover to keep water out for that and that way if I ever need to replace it it's as simple as unplugging it and taking two screws out and then sliding the new unit on the same screw location and plugging it in the same way no more hardwire no more turning off electrical 110 volts. The wiring was super easy I made a a bundle with a knot on my sprinkler Zone wiring so that pulling is strain relieved through a knot inside the enclosure and not just a loose pull from the wire to the actual terminal input. Speaking of terminal inputs this one has ones where you can push a screwdriver on the top and teeter totter and open and push the wire in or you can kind of fingernail out from the underside and lift it up and push the wire in like you know the back of audio speakers I tend my stranded wiring to create a nice solid one piece input connection without fraying wires and if you're an electrician I use the Western Union splice on all my connections from calm to create one wire in a straight line soldered with a heat shrink tubing over the Junctions. Instalation was easy and programming was even easier. I looked at all the button options on this and intuitively started with the rotating button like you get on a thread on hose water timer and I kept hitting the triangle enter button in between the up and down choices on in that same right side of that rotating button there's those rubber buttons to the side I did not touch any of the buttons on the left nor any of the program button options just stay on program a setup time and date and the watering time and the zones and and voila we had it. The box also has a simplistic key lock so it doesn't get opened by someone without a tool or that special key you get two keys. Another difference in the newer models are it takes a coin battery the back keep the programming versus the 9 volt battery much better much safer because 9 volts turn into an explosion mess... every time. And it's nice to have something that matches my color of my house which is gray and not some gross looking cream straight up white. So I've never used one I am considering picking up a rain sensor cuz it has input for that so it can Auto delay when it's wet because there have been times when you're watching it rain and then your sprinklers kick on and you just think wow that's not good. Lol And from what I can see I will get the same model again in the future if this whenever it stopped working and it wasn't its fault. Meaning if it lives a reliable life I'll get another one. Also I'm only using three of the zones out of the four for my sprinklers and I'm considering looking into a option to hook up something that can go to a water tap for the 4th and become just the garden sprinklers and not be part of the main abs framework. But this is as good as it gets for a water controller timer without Smart App features. And I made one day in the future get into smart watering units when they get to 5 GHz catch up to the infrastructure that's in place

The Orbit 57899 Outdoor Swing Panel Sprinkler is easy to install and provides even, reliable water coverage for lawns and gardens. The adjustable swing panel lets you customize the watering area, helping reduce waste while keeping plants healthy. It’s sturdy, simple to use, and a great value for maintaining a lush yard.

I bought this to replace an old 12-station timer that stopped working. The timer is mounted on the outside of our house (which is stucco). It was very difficult to install the box -- I went through several drill bits, including masonry bits, and even then the supplied anchors would not slide all the way into the holes. That means the timer sits away from the wall a bit. Worse, though, is that the opening at the bottom of the box where the sprinkler wires come through is way too small! It's half the size of the opening in the box I replaced. AND, the old box had a hole that was threaded so the wires could be run through PVC pipe and securely attached to the bottom of the box. Not the case here. Once installed, it is very simple to operate and has been reliable so far, especially for the price.

I took a chance and I bought this irrigation timer from Amazon to fix a timer issue that I had with my irrigation system. I sought advice from Chuck on the Orbit Support team as to whether this Orbit 4 station timer model 57894-20 can replace a faulty mechanical Intermatic timer on my existing single indexing valve, 3 zone lawn sprinkler system and the logic to use when setting it up. I emailed their support and received a reply in 1 day -- I also called with a follow[on question and Chuck picked up the phone on the 2nd ring! He was very informative and willing to help get me going! Great customer service experience!. It's programming is simple yet effective and does all that I need a 4 zone timer to do (In my case I actually only needed to set up 3 zones --> hint: you just don't set up the 4th zone and the timer skips it). Pro: - Seems well made and of good quality - easy set up - the panel swings out of the way to access the wiring - Plug n go -- I ran a 2 conductor, 18 Gauge thermostat wire through the cinderblock and mounted the unit in the garage away from the elements and simply plugged it into a 110V outlet (you could also wire it for ourdoor use if so desired) - operation - helpful and timely customer support - Fair price for what you get Con: - A slight negative is that you have to hold down the up or down arrow to get to the start time that you want (the clock time change starts slow and while it does speed up, it still takes a while to get from the default 12pm to the start time you want. If you set the start time for 4 zones your finger will get tired -- luckily you only have to do this process when initially setting up the timer. Not a show stopper but an area for improvement. - Uses a CR2032 battery to hold memory -- would be nice if there was circuity built in to remember the time in a power outage scenario - You get a fold out paper with quick start info -- good enough for most straight forward installs, but there was not a lot for one off kinds of situations like mine -- The manual is online in .pdf format but again, did not answer my unique question. If it helps others, here are my existing components, irrigation system operation (from a non technical layman's perspective :-} and question to Orbit: Single Hydrotex 4000 Indexing Valve (covers 4 pipes) What looks like an Irritrol 205 Series Valve with flow control knob (shows " richdel " on the valve relay, but label is worn away) Original intermatic mechanical timer model T8845PV 24 hr, 1r day skipper and transformer with bad timer unit (sprinkler system works when timer is operated manually) but wanting to replace with an Orbit 4 station timer model 57894-20 rC upc 046878578944 that i purchased Operation: Using the mechanical timer - fully operational if manually turned on and off - Timer is bad * when the mechanical timer switches on, the relay triggers the valve to open and the flow of water rushes into the 4 chamber Hydrotex 4000 Indexing Valve, flowing through an opening in the round rubber washer and the water flows to that zone. * When the timer turns off, the valve blocks the flow of water and the water drains out of the Hydrotex 4000 Indexing Valve. * When the timer switches back on the rush of water seems to pop a springed plunger in the Hydrotex 4000 Indexing Valve and the rubber stopper ratchets over and positions the hole over the next pipe zone. * When the timer turns off the water drains out and the cycle continues on the third and fourth pipe (zone) My question was: Can you wire this Orbit timer to control a single relay/valve that controls the Hydrotex 4000 Indexing Valve? If yes, how is it wired? The answer was simple and worked flawlessly: [email protected] "Our timer can be used with your indexing valve. You connect one wire from your valve to "common" and the other wire to "sta 1". You only put minutes on (aka program) station 1 of our timer. You use 4 start times with at least one minute between the time one turns off and the other one starts. If you need further help, please call us at 1-800-488-6156, option 1 then option 4 (7am-5pm MDT/Mon-Fri). Thank you, Chuck Technical Support Orbit Irrigation Products, Inc."

After looking at the all of the options available I decided on this controller and it was a great decision. I ordered the controller around 9 in the morning and the controller arrived about 2 hours later. I had it up and running 30 minutes later. I actually programmed it on my kitchen table using the backup battery. The controller is extremely easy to program. I didn't even open the included instructions as it just was that easy. I really like that the transformer is built-in so all you need to do is hook up the wires and plug it in. Overall a great buy, the price is great and the controller is great. Highly recommended.

Installation was easy. I used this to replace a 6 station orbit controller. This one has three programs (A, B and C) which is nice, so I can setup an extra watering program. You can select days of the weeks, duration of each station, start times, etc. Once you assign a station to a program (A, B or C) you can set the start times. You can have up to four start times. Then you just set your run time for each station (i.e. 5 mins or whatever). My setup has stations that are bubblers for large plants and stations that are sprinklers for the grass. This allowed me to put all my grass sprinklers on program B and all the bubbler stations on program A and then I can run program A and B everyday to water all the plants and the grass. I have three bubbler stations that run at 4 mins, 3 mins and 4 mins on Program A. I have 5 sprinkler stations that run at 5 mins, 4 mins, 4 mins, 4 mins and 4 mins on Program B. At 8am Program A runs. At 8:30am Program B runs. At 8:00pm Program A runs and at 8:30pm Program B runs... everyday. The plants and lawn are happy. I can use Program C for stations that I occasionally manually water... like an extra watering Program for hot days. Other people might use Program C as a third grouping of stations. A nice touch is this controller has two common lead connectors so if you run separate wires, like if you have stations in different locations, you don't have to tie your two common wires together and shove it into a single lead connector. The outdoor box is nice as it protects the controller from wind, dust, and rain (although I would not count on it being waterproof). Also nice is the normal electrical cord you plug into an outdoor socket. The transformer is inside the box and you don't have the giant transformer brick to plug in at the electrical socket. The screws and anchors to mount it into my outside stucco wall were included and worked fine. I pre-drilled holes for the anchors and placed the anchors in the hole and the screws tightened up just fine without pull out of the wall. I only use 8 of the stations, but I wanted room to expand in case I end up irrigating my side yard or some other project. Overall, it is a pretty decent irrigation controller for the price. If you need advanced features like Wifi or sensors (temp, soil moisture, etc.) (although you can connect a rain sensor) or complex programming (like variable run times on single stations or whatever) then this is not your controller. You will need a more expensive model with those features. But, for a basic controller this works well. I only wish you could setup different run times for single stations, like if in the mornings you wanted to deep water and at night you just wanted to lightly water or something.

Orbit 57900 12-Station outdoor sprinkler system timer was installed and replaced two Orbit 6 station timers. Works good, and, easy to program. Not too complex for easy diy installation. Timer housing has the transformer contained, so, there is not wall wart, just a 120 volt plug in with sufficiently long cord. Mounted inside, it should last a lifetime. It has a weatherproof housing if you need it mounted externally.

Easy to install and has excellent instructions.

Whilst Orbit timers are the bees knees, and I'll definitely be getting another one, do not buy this product if you live in a country with a 230 v system. It will only work in a 120 v system. Bang and smoke when I plugged it in. Orbit customer support are pretty good, but why would Amazon ship a US only device to the UK?

Good

Works great with new underground sprinklers installed. Easy to program.

It arrived on time. I bought it as a replacement to one I bought 6 years ago. The screen died over the winter. It took about 30 minutes to replace old one. A little longer if it is a new install. Make sure you lock door over winter. Mine was open in the spring, not sure how that happened.