Orbit 56233D 3-Outlet Digital Watering Timer

This timer is easy to install and use. The large dial makes programming very simple and easy to perform. This is a 2 zone timer with 2 timed outlets. The third outlet on the left bypasses the timer, connecting directly to the water source, and has its own on and off lever. The unit is very sturdy and the large easy to read dial makes programming intuitive so you don't need the 1 page instruction sheet. We have purchased similar style units from other manufacturers that failed prematurely, one lasted 6 months and another less than 1 year. The Orbit valve, enclosure, and circuitry appear to be of particularly high quality so we have confidence that this unit will last. The support bracket is only useful if you have a standard hose bib protruding through the wall. We mounted the unit on a standpipe so we could not use the bracket. We will post a follow-up based on our long term experience.7/9/12 The timer valve closes quickly and does cause some banging of the cold water pipe. I installed a water hammer arrester to solve the problem of the banging pipe when the solenoid valve closes on the timer Sioux Chief Mfg 660-H 3/4-Inch Female Swivel Hose Thread by 3/4-Inch Male Hose Thread Mini Rester

We just had a row of Arborvitae planted at the beginning of summer and they were in a full sun location. I was not confident that the sprinkler system was taking care of the root balls adequately and wanted to protect my investment. So, I purchased this timer and some soaker hoses. This device is very flexible in that we had a specific water schedule in mind that was 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the evening. Without even reading the manual I was able to successfully program the timer within a few minutes. Since then I’ve been gloriously uninvolved with and unconcerned with maintaining these new plantings and despite a serious heat wave they are doing great. Considering the investment that it’s protecting, the cost of this unit is insignificant and it’s been totally effective. I would highly recommend this item without hesitation.

First off, as others have mentioned, the 1st outlet on the left is a manual outlet, not on a timer. So really this should be called 2-outlet with 1 manual bypass outlet.So far it seems well made, but with one undocumented "flaw". As described, there are two "stations" that can be independently programmed. The flaw is that they aren't completely independent of each other. One station needs to be completely finished with its schedule before the other will turn on! For example, if you set station 1 to start at 5:30am and run for 90 minutes, and station 2 to start at 6:30am, what will really happen is that station 2 won't start until 7am because station 1 is still running for 30 minutes past the start time of station 2. This is not mentioned ANYWHERE in the single sheet of instructions except for a single sentence in the troubleshooting guide under "water won't turn off" - it reads: "Start times begin after previous watering cycle has run through all stations and set durations." Which is a fancy way of saying that this timer will completely disregard your second timer setting until the first one is complete.This feature, and the lack of documentation about it, made me think this unit was broken. If you were to set one station to water for a long time (say if you had a station that was watering your trees for 3 hours) and wanted the second to come on 1/2 hour into that 3 hours, it would be delayed by 2.5 hours! That doesn't seem right to me.One other gripe I have is that if you enter into programming mode (even just rotating the dial without changing settings) while a station is watering, it will stop all watering and not come back on once you rotate back to Auto.Pros: Well-made, manual lever works well, controls work wellCons: Undocumented functionality of timer means the two stations can NOT be watering at the same time.Bonus tip: (from instructions) - to water without interrupting the set cycle, press [MANUAL] button and then use + and - buttons to set from 1-240 minutes.In hindsight, I would have preferred to purchase the expandable version of this, by the same company - it was hard to figure out until I looked closely at the garden store, that the expandable one has little valves that plug into the main unit - expandable up to 4 valves. Each expander valve costs $15-20, far less than a single valve timer by itself, and trust me... as soon as you start running your drip lines, you'll see how fast you'll want at least 3-4 "stations" - and this unit only has TWO, regardless of the fact that it appears to have 3.

Almost had to give this 3 stars, but fortunately I read the description carefully before buying. It does indeed say it has 2 programmable valves and one manual. I wanted 3 programmable, but they don't seem to make them. At least I knew what I was getting so...5 stars. Very easy to program, had the whole thing set up in less than 5 minutes, including the time it took me to toss the unread instructions to the side. It's been hooked up for 3 weeks now and is working without a hitch. I have it place in a covered bin buried in the yard so I does not have direct contact with rain, but is exposed to humidity, insects, and dust(sand). Seems to handle the weather fine. As with any electronics, I would not recommend placing this in a location fully exposed to the elements, you would probably shorten its life expectancy dramatically.It has 3 valves and all work fine with no noticeable drop in pressure from the 3 way split. Heavy duty plastic construction, and large LED display. No complaints at all to date. I will update the review as needed.

We have two of these timers. Purchased last Spring and have worked great. Easy to hook up, no leakage, and have used with soaker hoses, pool fill hose, and regular sprinklers. The side independent manual hose hook up is so convenient as well. Going on Spring Season #2 with these. Would definitely buy again.