Wednesday, October 15, 2014

By Patty Goff


Sprinkler timers and controllers come in a wide range of models and make, making it necessary to take some time during the purchase process. It is particularly crucial to opt for your timer based on the size dimension of the sprinkler system together with any specific landscape requirements. In an effort to help you select the best appliance, this article takes you through the most pertinent aspects when looking forward to buy sprinkler timers and controllers.

To begin with, be sure to implore the aspect of the location. The controllers are available in both indoor and outdoor models. Be noted that indoor ones are not weather resistant, thus, be sure not to buy them for outside installation. They are designed to be plugged directly into a 110V outlet. They include an external transformer as part of the plug-in cord which converts the standard 110 outlet volts to the 18V needed for the timer. The indoor timers are typically mounted in garages, sheds, closets, pump houses and covered patio.

It is also relevant to bench mark the successful users. Before opting for a particular timer and controller, ensure to refer from those who are already using so as to get to know about their merits and shortcomings. Ask about the performance and level of reliability and the cost of running and maintaining the appliance. Collect information about many models and make and evaluate them to reach a suitable conclusion and choice of equipment.

When procuring for the devices, what to look for is determined by the exact purpose of the equipment. For lighting and appliance, be sure to opt for the wall-switch and plug-ins. However, for the sprinkler device, check out for the mechanical, battery operated and electrical timers.

Also, ensure to determine the installation cost and time. Apart from the initial cost of the equipment, the cost of installation must be within your reach. For devices with high cost of installation, try to negotiate with the seller to carry out the installation for you. Otherwise, minimize the cost as much as possible.

In addition, consider the need for seasonal watering adjustment. When buying the systems, it is useful to determine how detailed you want your scheduling capabilities to be. As such, selecting the more advanced timers ensures seasonal scheduling options apart from the daily, monthly and weekly scheduling.

Consider also the inclusion of memory as a feature. In case you reside in an area that is faced with power outages and brownouts, then battery back-up is highly recommended. In addition, non-volatile memory that will store programming indefinitely without power will also come handy for you.

Finally, it goes a long way in selecting equipment with a rain sensor. A rain sensor is a great water conserving feature that suspends watering by detecting precipitation.




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