Orbit58872N Complete Yard Watering Kit

When the homeowner is looking to purchase a 4-zone automatic digital water timer system, there are some ‘professional’ solutions costing in the hundreds of dollars, and then there are the consumer grade timers commonly sold in the big box stores (but usually not in local hardware stores). This review takes the form of a comparison between the two main players in this latter market, specifically the Orbit model 58872N “Automatic Yard Watering System” and the Melnor model 3280 “4-Zone Digital Water Timer”. Note that Melnor also uses the name “AquaTimer” for this product series. I recently needed to obtain two such timer systems, and being unable to decide between them based on online information, I decided to buy one of each, and here are the results of my experiences using both of them.First, to clear up some terminology, the Melnor product is marketed simply as a ‘water timer’ while the Orbit is marketed under the more extravagant banner of ‘yard watering system’. In the first case, the title is fairly accurate while slightly underrepresenting the product. In the second case, the actual product contains no more equipment or hardware than the first product, and indeed contains less (requiring the purchase of additional valves to fully realize the product’s potential). And yet the Orbit can hardly be called a ‘watering system’ with a straight face, as it does not include garden hoses, sprinklers, etc; that such a grand title would suggest. In reality, both products consist of the same three major components: a digital electronic timer capable of controlling up to four watering ‘zones’, or sprinklers, a set of electrically operated water valves to control the flow of water to each zone, and a water manifold which takes the single incoming water feed from a faucet or garden hose and splits it to the four valves. The major difference between what is furnished is that the Melnor includes all four water valves whereas the Orbit includes only two water valves, requiring the purchase of two additional valves to have the same watering capability as the Melnor product.I will now address the major features of these timers, comparing the two brands. I will always start with the Melnor, followed by the Orbit, simply because it is alphabetical order.PHYSICAL DIFFERENCES: The MELNOR has a single piece plastic manifold that has integrated (built-in) water valves, so all four valves are there from the start, but on the flip side you cannot replace a bad valve. The MELNOR manifold also has built-in “TIMER/MANUAL” knobs for each zone, where you can individually select the valve to be controlled by the timer, or select the valve to be ON for as long as desired. The ORBIT manifold is cast metal, with a rubbery painted on finish. The manifold has four outputs to which the individual water valves can be attached using garden hose type fittings; the center two outlets are always open, while the outer two outlets can be opened or closed by a pair of knobs located on the ends of the manifold. Keep in mind that this has nothing to do with TIMER or MANUAL operation, since the downstream water valves still have the automatic control of water flow. In other words, even if you use one of the knobs to turn on the water to an outlet, the water will not flow from that outlet unless the water valve connected to that outlet is also turned on by the timer. There is really no means for temporarily taking manual control of a zone using only the manifold. On the other hand, since the ORBIT water valves are all individual and separate from the manifold, they may be easily replaced without junking the whole thing, and they are readily available.The MELNOR manifold, with its integrated water valves, is supported solely by the water inlet hose fitting on the top center of the manifold. The ORBIT manifold, with its heavier metal construction and up to four large water valves hanging off of its bottom side, is similarly supported primarily by the water inlet hose fitting on its top center. However, the ORBIT timer kit includes a metal rod, with shaped ends, which can optionally be used to help support the assembly and take some of the load off the inlet hose fitting. The top end of the rod fits into a bracket that is part of the metal manifold casting, and then the rod runs backwards at a downward angle, with the flattened bottom end being attached to the wall with a screw.Both brands have water inlet fittings that are large, machined brass, with a rubbery plastic outer shell having large knurls to give your hand a better grip. Both brands have multiple zone water outlet fittings that are nothing more than plastic with molder threads for connecting garden hoses. My experience with these is that you have to be careful not to cross thread the hoses onto the plastic fittings, else you ruin them. In the base of the ORBIT product, the intermediate fitting between the water manifold and the inlets of the water valves use solid metal on the manifold side and plastic on the water valve side.Both brands have the unfortunate feature if having small manifolds that are barely wide enough to give sufficient space between the zone hose fittings. It can be difficult to adequately tighten the center two fittings, while at least the outer two fittings have more space on one side for your hand to get a better grip. For this reason, I strongly suggest adding quick disconnect hose fittings, at least where your garden hoses attach to the outlet fittings on the timers; install them starting from one side, tighten snugly using pliers, then move on to add the next one, etc. Henceforth, you will have much less trouble connecting and disconnecting hoses to the timer, since there is much less need to get a good grip on them, and they don’t need to be turned anyway.CONSTRUCTION/QUALITY: The MELNOR and ORBIT timer control units are both similarly robust in a ‘heavy plastic’ sort of way. Both use water proof displays and buttons, and both have the same method for sealing the battery compartment to prevent water from getting in; two AA alkaline cells are inserted into a removable carrier, which then plugs into a recessed area on the back of the timer control unit, sealed with an O-ring gasket. The MELNOR manifold is all-plastic, while the ORBIT manifold is metal with plastic trim and knobs. The hose fittings on the MELNOR are plastic while the same fittings on the ORBIT manifold are metal, but note that the ORBIT water valve fittings are plastic, so when it comes down to the actual hose attachment points, both products are the same. The MELNOR does not have discrete water valves, whereas the ORBIT water valves seem beefier and generally more robust looking.TIMER CONTROL UNIT: This is the digital electronics module that is in charge of electrically controlling the water valves to water your lawn or garden at the desired times. The MELNOR has a large monochrome LCD display, and a 4-way tilting waterproof navigation control button (up, down, - , + ). The unit snaps onto a large plastic mounting bracket that swings between three detents on the centrally located water inlet fitting on the top of the manifold; with the three detents, you can position the timer control unit to face straight ahead, or to face to either side. This bracket could stand to be stiffer, but is adequate to hold the timer control unit reasonably firmly. The manifold connects via a single electrical cable to the back of the timer control unit. The ORBIT has a large monochrome LCD display, a six-button waterproof navigation & setting keypad (+ , - , left, right, Enter, Cancel), and a single large function select knob where you tell the timer control unit which parameter you wish to adjust. The unit snaps into a bracket on the front of the manifold, forward facing only, or it may optionally snap into a similar bracket on the front of any of the water valves, and since the outer two valves can be rotated to face sideways relative to the manifold, if you snap the timer control unit onto either of them, then it faces sideways just like the MELNOR. Since there is no large plastic bracket, the ORBIT’s timer control unit feels more securely mounted compared to the MELNOR. The back side of the timer control unit has four waterproof electrical sockets, where you plug in the individual cables for each of the water valves; there are rubber plugs to seal unused sockets. It is not necessary to have the cables plugged into the timer control unit in the same order as they are mounted to the manifold, so for example the valves could be 2, 4, 3, 1 left to right, whereas on the MELNOR the valves are always 1, 2, 3, 4 left to right. Not sure why this might be handy.PROGRAMMING: The MELNOR timer is programmed exactly like the other timers on its series (which have either a single zone or two zones), the difference being only that there are more zones to program. The timer display has five lines of text dedicated to programming (plus another line of text for the time of day clock display and another three lines for manual operation, rain delay, and battery status). Using the up/down/ - / + navigation button, you scroll vertically to the ZONE line and then scroll horizontally until the desired zone (1 through 4) is highlighted. Note that everything else on the display, except for the TIME of day readout and battery status indicator, reflects only the information for the currently selected zone. Then you scroll down once to the START WATER line and then use the + / - to adjust the time when you want that zone to start watering. Note that scrolling from one line to another automatically ‘accepts and sets/memorizes’ the former line’s parameter without the need to press an ‘enter’ button or do anything else. Then you scroll down again to the WATER FOR line and set the amount of time, in minutes, that you want that zone to water for once started, and this can be up to 240 minutes. Then scroll down again to the WATER EVERY line, and set the frequency of watering for that zone. This setting can work two ways; you can set it to a number in hours, and once the initial START WATER time is reached by the clock, the timer will repeatedly water that zone for the select duration, watering again after the WATER EVERY time has elapsed. Or you can set it to a number of days (but not specific days of the week), so it will water once every day, or every other day, etc. Finally scroll down to the PROGRAM line and select that zone to ON or OFF; when in ON that zone will water according to the above settings, and when in OFF that zone will not water automatically. Repeat the above steps for the other three zones. The MANUAL line allows you to make the timer water a zone whenever you wish, and it will automatically stop and return to normal operation after a specified number of minutes, from 1 minute up to 240 minutes. The RAIN DELAY line allows you to tell the timer to stop watering when rain is expected, and this can be for 1 day, 2 days, or three days. The timer has non-volatile program memory, so even if the battery runs out of power or if the battery is removed, the program is not lost. Overall, this is an exceptionally easy and intuitive programming method, and once you work though it once you will not need the manual anymore. Because each zone has all its own parameters, you could have one zone, for example, watering every day while another zone waters every other day and another zone waters every third day, while the fourth zone is watering every 8 hours. On the other hand, each zone has only a single program and associated set of parameters, so what I have described is about as complicated as the programming is capable of being. Note that the timer will allow multiple zones to be watering at the same time, if you choose to program it this way, in either automatic timer operation or in manual.The ORBIT timer programming is also fairly easy, but relies on a large function dial (knob) with positions for CLOCK SET, DAY SET, START TIME, RUN TIME, HOW OFTEN, OFF, AUTO. Unlike the MELNOR timer whose time-of-day clock knows what time it is, but not what day of the week it is, the ORBIT timer is aware of the day as well as the time, so you need to set both while the function knob is set to CLOCK SET and DAY SET. The most recently entered parameter is ‘accepted and set/memorized’ whenever you turn the function knob to another position. Now here is the big difference between the MELNOR and the ORBIT; the MELNOR programming treats each zone with its own autonomous program, whereas the ORBIT treats all four zones as part of a strict 1-2-3-4 sequence, and only the sequences themselves have programs assigned to them; this means that the ORBIT cannot be programmed to water more than one zone at a time. On the other hand, the MELNOR has only one program per zone while the ORBIT can have up to three (A, B, C) program “cycles” that each affect all the zones. If you only want to water once a day, use only Cycle A. If you want two or three waterings each day, then add Cycles B and C to the programming. Anyway, knowing that each programmed cycle will sequence through all four zones once initiated by a start time, you start the programming by setting the function knob to the START TIME position, use the left/right buttons to select the desired cycle for programming, press the ENTER button, use the + / - buttons to set the start time for that cycle, and press ENTER again. If you are using the other cycles, repeat these steps to set the start time for them. To get rid of a cycle, select it and then press the CLEAR button. Next, turn the function knob to the RUN TIME position, use the left/right buttons to select zone 1, then use the + / - buttons to set how long that zone should water for, then use the same method to set the duration times for the other three zones. If you are not using a particular zone, don’t program it, or program it such that it will not water. Next, turn the function knob to the HOW OFTEN position, and use the left/right buttons to scroll through the icons for the seven days of the week, pressing ENTER to activate that day or CLEAR to deactivate that day. You can also scroll past the seven icons and select a watering interval of 1 to 14 days, so the timer will water without regard to which day of the week it is. Once all zones have their times set and all desired cycles have been programmed, turn the function knob to the AUTO position, and the timer will now proceed to control the watering according to your programming. For manual watering, note that the ORBIT timer, unlike the MELNOR timer, does not have the option to water manually using a knob on the manifold; it can only water manually using the buttons on the timer control unit. Turn the function knob to AUTO and then press the ENTER button (which is helpfully provided with a secondary title of “Manual” on the button so you can’t forget). Pressing the ENTER button again will cause the timer to run a special ‘cycle’ sequence one time before returning to AUTO operation. Or instead of pressing ENTER the second time, use the left/right buttons to select a single zone. Note that the user’s manual has an error here, since it advises pressing ENTER an additional time, and doing so gives the wrong results. Regardless of which of these two methods you chose, the display now flashes a manual time display, and you use the + / - buttons to select the desired watering time for each zone (they will all water for the same amount of time), then after the timer detects that you have not adjusted the time for 6 seconds, the manual watering will commence, either for all zones or for the single zone you have selected. When the cycle or single zone has completed, the timer returns to normal AUTO operation. If you wish to abort the manual watering early, press the CLEAR button. For rain delays, where you want to tell the timer to skip watering for a while due to rain, start with the function knob set to AUTO, then use the left/right buttons to select 24 hours (1 day), 48 hours (2 days) or 72 hours (3 days). To cancel a rain delay early, turn the function knob to the OFF position briefly before turning it to the desired position. Unlike the MELNOR, on the ORBIT you cannot see all of the parameters at the same time on the display, an unfortunate lack of a nice feature that the MELNOR timer has. However, the ORBIT does sport a recessed RESET button that you need to press using a straightened paper clip or similar piece of wire; this will return all parameters to their factory defaults; it would be nice if the MELNOR had THAT feature, as it would speed up reconfiguring the timer for another watering setup. A couple more things to note: First, when running a given cycle’s sequence through the four zones, there is no way to water those zones in any order other than 1, 2, 3, 4, and when each zone has finished its run time, there is an automatic pause of nearly 30 seconds before the next zone’s water valve will open, and this can be confusing if you don’t expect it. Second, while each cycle’s sequence cannot be programmed to disregard one or more zones, you can set the run times for unwanted zones to a very small duration, effectively disabling them. The timer also has a LOW BATTERY indicator, and while the manual does not mention it having a non-volatile memory, I think that it probably does.RAIN DETECTORS: The MELNOR product has the means to actually detect that watering is unnecessary due to current conditions. MELNOR sells their AquaSentry product, which sticks into the soil and detects moisture. It wirelessly communicates to the timer control unit if the soil is already wet enough, due to over-watering or rain, and the timer will discontinue running the automatic sequences until the AquaSentry advises that watering again is OK (you can select between three soil moisture levels to use as the decision point). I have not tested this accessory with this timer. The ORBIT product does not have a similar moisture detection feature, either built-in or separately available.I have been using both timers for about a week now, and they are both working fine. Both are pretty easy and straightforward to program and use. Both seem to have comparable quality, although the ORBIT’s cast metal manifold is an advantage that is probably only important due to the designer’s decision to hang four bulky water valves from it; the MELNOR manifold seems to be under a lot less stress. I like the MELNOR’s slight advantage in watering flexibility, but on the other hand, the ORBIT’s ability to run a watering cycle more than once each day might be important to many users. It is quicker, slightly more intuitive, and generally easier to see what is going on during programming, or for reviewing the program later on, with the MELNOR. In my view, the large function knob of the ORBIT brings no real advantage to user-friendliness, but it is unfortunately necessary due to the designer’s decision to show such a small amount of data on the display at a given time. I like the ability to add or replace water valves on the ORBIT, as opposed to throwing the whole thing away if one water valve fails as could happen with the MELNOR, but I don’t like the fact that ORBIT makes you think that you are getting the complete 4-zone kit, when in fact only half the water valves are included in the package. The prices for the two kits are almost identical, but when you realize that you may also need to purchase another two water valves to complete the ORBIT kit, its overall price is half again that of the MELNOR kit. I have not had these long enough to judge long term durability. My previous experience with other electronic watering timers is that they fail due to water ingress of the timer electronics, or actual valve motor failure, or cracking due to being allowed to freeze. I do have two other MELNOR single-zone timers of the same series that I have used for a couple years, and they are still working fine. Since the ORBIT’s construction in the key areas mentioned above is very similar to the MELNOR’s, I anticipate a similar lifespan.

With the dry, hot summer we've been having in Michigan, and my lack of an in-ground sprinkler system in my home, I was looking for a way to water my lawn without having to manually move sprinklers around, turn on and off hoses, etc. A friend recommended the Orbit timers, and after trying one from a hardware store that had only 1-hose outlet, I was hooked. So I scoured Amazon to look for something with more versatility.I ordered the Orbit Complete Yard Watering Kit (and 2 additional valves) about 2 weeks ago and proceeded to install it immediately. It's a heavy little doo-hickey, not all plastic like it looks, and feels well-constructed. It comes with a little rod to brace against the wall so gravity pulling down on this heavy mechanism doesn't bend or break your spigot nozzle (I believe you're supposed to screw it into the wall, but I didn't install that part of mine).First, lets get the bad news out of the way:There are indeed 4-outlets on this puppy, but with the above kit and ONLY the above kit you'll only be able to utilize 2 of them. You can buy additional valves to enable it up to 4 zones/outlets, but again, they cost extra. It's a bit misleading on the part of Orbit to sell a "Complete Watering Kit" and then require you buy additional values to enable all 4 zones/outlets on the mechanism. Search for: B003LY4I2I (this is the ASIN number) on Amazon to find the valves. The additional valves are not terribly expensive, but I still feel it's improper to call this kit "complete" the way it comes. Be aware of this fact.The installation of this entire system is fairly easy but little nuances can be frustrating. I recommend connecting all valves and hoses before screwing the base mechanism to your spigot, otherwise you're going to be shifting and moving the base as you're attaching hoses and valves. Attaching the input nozzle to my spigot was slightly more difficult than I expected, as I couldn't get it to thread quite right for the first few tries. After some manipulation it finally worked and I was able to screw it tight.It gets a little annoying screwing each valve into the unit, as there's not a whole lot of room to actually twist the fastener when other valves are already installed, but it didn't cause me a huge headache, just a bit of annoyance.The base mechanism is wide - I first tried installing the mechanism on my side-of-the-house spigot and I couldn't do it, as my downspout lies about 4-inches to the side of my spigot. Make sure you've got about 6-8 inches of clearance on both sides of your spigot to ensure you have plenty of room to install this.My spigots are the style with the vertical control knob/valve, and my spigot itself is angled 45-degrees toward the ground. With such spigots, I wasn't able to fasten the electronic control unit to the base mechanism itself as there's not enough clearance between the mechanism and the control knob of my spigot, so instead my control unit just kinda sits/hangs on the mechanism. Don't worry though, the unit is still connected by a control cable to the base mechanism, so it still works. I really have no other way to hold the electronic control unit up. A strong wind someday may come and yank this thing right off my unit, and I don't know what that will do if a valve is open at the time. For now, my setup works, it's just not ideal.Be aware that on each side of the base mechanism there exists an on/off valve which enables/disables the water for the 2 outputs on that particular side. After starting my unit the first time, no water was coming out and I couldn't figure out why, then decided to try twisting those nobs on the ends of the unit and voila! It worked like a champ.One other comment: when each of the valves turns on/off, you'll hear a loud "THUD" each time. It is not a sutble sound or a subtle closing of the valve, it's quick and loud. It's not a big issue to me, but my dog always freaks out from it thinking someone is knocking on the wall. And if your spigot is located on the same wall as your bed in your bedroom, you might want to set your timer so it doesn't enable while you're sleeping.Last but not least, don't expect a huge amount of customization of timings and zone-enabling functions here. The unit will proceed to turn on each zone one right after another, and you can't enable one zone this time and one zone another time, etc. They will all come on serially at the set time.Now, the good:The unit functions wonderfully! After first installation, there were absolutely no leaks whatsoever in the unit or any of the valves. I've set my unit to enable twice a day, and I believe you can set your unit to enable certain days on, certain days off, twice a day, once a day, every other day, etc. You can customize what time for the process to start, but every zone will run in serial (read: one right after the other) at the set time.I'm very happy with my purchase. Consider that buying this unit, 2 extra valves, 4 hoses, and 4 sprinklers costs a fraction of what I'd spend on getting an in-ground sprinkler system installed, I find the above shortcomings to be very acceptable.I still find myself checking the unit once every couple of days, but so far I've had no cause for concern. It's functioning wonderfully, and I'd totally recommend it to anyone.

Orbit is fairly good, with four zones and the ability to set watering more than once a day for individual zones. It's not completely intuitive, so I suggest laminating your instructions and storing them where you can find them in the spring. The unit should be taken inside to a heated area before frost, or the valves will pop and then will leak and not turn off. There are Youtube videos that show how to repair a valve that has popped. A battery is required and will usually last the season as long as you buy decent (not dollar store batteries!). Sometimes the mesh filter gets clogged and needs to be brushed clean, which I found to be a pain. It's hard to get all the hose connections to seal tightly without leaking. Very convenient as long as it works. I have gotten 2 - 3 years out of these

Work well so far. I hab a problem with one of the valve of the manifold but orbit sent me a new one in 3 weeks. Same battery since 3 month. Easy to program.The only con I see is that all the zone have to go on the same number of time per day. You can set different length for each zone though.Fast delivery and the seller answer fast if you have questions.

Item worked as advertised during the summertime

The product is great except, I dont understand why it doesnt come with all four valves...it has four outlets. I had ordered two extra for replacement sake and the unit kit called “ Complete” ..only comes with 2/4 valves. That makes no sense!

When we set this up, we had inadvertently set both zones to go on at once. Not great for keeping water pressure up. As it turns out, the timer is smart enough not to open both at once, and it only opens the second solenoid after the first one has completed the program, and runs it for the same amount of time.Another nice feature is the modular design. If a solenoid ever goes bad you can change that one part, not the whole time.It's a good product!