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Hose End Timer System

6 years ago

Want to run a drip system from hose bib. Previous attempts (this is over the last 10 years) have usually ended up with drips on the feed side. Hose bib itself is fine. Even brand new in-line timer is leaking under pressure this year! Can't keep this up. Can someone provide suggestions for keeping leaks from occurring between hose fittings? What about reliable equipment, like a timer that doesn't leak & has a decently flexible timing system? Dear Husband has been endlessly patient & innovative (we don't need advice to replace washers, for example)--if increasingly annoyed by the lack of success. Hand watering isn't an option--we live in the high desert and one missed day and POOF, all vegetables are dead. City water pressure isn't too high at all. Thanks in advance!

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Jean
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
It's difficult to be courageous enough to comment when the person asking for help says "don't bother suggesting x, y, and z." We don't know which "trick" you might have missed.

So, here are a few of my thoughts after dealing with similar issues:

- leaking timers - For several consecutive years while using the same brand which had been reliable for me, the timer would blow apart at the first "turn on." And that with the correct pressure reducer in place. Also while cautiously opening the spigot only a smidge.

My remedy was to return the item asap and ask for a replacement. Every time.

- leaking connectors - I had problems connecting plastics with metals. I now use plumber's tape at every connection.

- Always use the same brand throughout the system. A 1/4-inch tube for one brand isn't necessarily the same as a different brand's 1/4-inch. Don't know why, but it's not.

-- I found that the "ring" washers worked better than the flat style. Tired to replace them yearly (when I lived in SoCal; here, in Oregon, I change them out every several years.

If any topics not mentioned? Please specify/ask.

edit: I don't use a "hose end timer;" I only it at the spigot.
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Morpheuspa mentioned water hammer being a problem for him with the Orbit unit, it was for me too. I have pretty bad water hammer already from my washing machine, but it was a bit worse with the sprinkler valves. So I found a couple of cheap (12 bucks) Oatey "Quiet Pipes" arrestors and a pair of caps to close them off, and just attached them to the two unused valves on my manifold, opened those valves, and water hammer is totally gone. Maybe one would be fine and two are not needed, but I bought two so that I can reinstall them on my washing machine permanently when I take the sprinklers down. Makes me feel better about leaving the house with the timer on, just thought I'd mention this cheap fix in case someone else out there has scary water hammer like mine.
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Rstarr, You have a good grasp of what you need so I can tell you have done some research before posting. Just some suggestions. Place a vacuum breaker on your hose bibs before anything else. It is required by most water municipalities and protects yours and others water from contamination. Place a water pressure gauge on the hose bib and read your house pressure. Measure your flow rate by timing how long a 5-gallon bucket takes to fill(gallons per minute or gpm) Your emitters are rated in gpm or gph. you will know how many emitters you can handle for your flow rate. I don't know your hardscape situation without a picture but I would use a Y after the VB and run a 1/2" pvc underground with a hose bib fitting at the end to your garden plot and go from there. Small pipes lose more pressure along its length and experience higher water velocity for the same pressure and make more noise. 3/4" pipe is even better to the garden. Garden hoses will leak or burst over time as a supply line if kept pressurized. They tend to burst when you go on vacation and flood your neighbors for days. Let us know what your pressure and flow rate are. Aloha
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sj, Are you watering from a well or low flow source? What is your water source and flow rate from that source? What is the corresponding water pressure? How much area are trying to grow at one time? What are the sprinkler heads you are using? 25 minutes is a long time to irrigate seeded mulch at one time if you are just trying to maintain moisture in the mulch. I guess I am missing something. Why not establish grass in smaller areas at a time instead of the entire area. You will have to explain in more detail how you want your system to operate. It seems a little too elaborate as I read it. Aloha
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Not sure why you can't have the water stop then restart. Lots of timers have multiple cycles per day. Set the cycle for the max time then have the next cycle start when the first ends...repeat as needed. I used to use Gilmour double electronic (8 cycles/day). I had a different type of hose walker but this is what I did. SCG
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