Homeowners and commercial property owners can benefit from in-ground sprinkler system installation. With functioning sprinklers, there will be little to no need to water plants or grass by hand. The main advantage is that you can set a timer indefinitely for the days and times you want the sprinkler to run. A sprinkler timer saves you the time and trouble of turning the water on and off, which means being able to water at ideal times and when you are not at home.
Here are some steps for setting the digital or mechanical timer on your sprinkler system in Burlington County, NJ.
Digital sprinkler timers
A majority of timers on newer residential and commercial sprinkler systems are digital. Digital timers, which are set up on electric circuits to run the system, come equipped with both buttons or dials and display screens, with or without a protective case cover. Do all the following steps to set each zone:
- Locate the “Program” switch and move it to the option that lets you change your settings. On some models, you need to move the switch between “Stop” and “Run” to make changes.
- If your system allows you to choose a zone, do it (“Zone 1” or “Zone A”). These systems have separate watering lines for different parts of the yard, which also means you can create different watering schedules for each zone.
- Set the current date and time by turning the master dial to “Current.” Press the plus and minus buttons to make changes. Next, set the amount of time you want the water valve to stay open. Turn the dial to “Run Time,” and use the plus and minus buttons to set the amount of time.
- Choose the days to water. Turn the master dial to “Schedule,” use the plus button to select the days you want and the minus button to de-select days you don’t want the sprinklers to go off.
Mechanical sprinkler timers
Some people still use mechanical timers to run their sprinkler systems. Mechanical timers use gears and metal pins to operate:
- Take the brass pin and put it into a hole in the yellow dial next to the time you want the system on. Making sure to not skip any holes, push more pins into the holes for every 12 minutes of watering time.
- To water more than one zone, leave an open hole in the timer, which will cause the timer to shift to that zone. Place pins in the holes for as long as you want to water that zone. Do this for each zone.
- Turn the yellow dial clockwise—the silver indicator should point to the current time. Turn the small black wheel counterclockwise to set the daily watering schedule, then press down the pins for each non-watering day.
- Finally, slide the selector switch to “Auto” so the system knows to turn your sprinklers on and off according to your schedule.
Need help programming a sprinkler system in Burlington County, NJ? Star Sprinkler Systems Inc. is at your service. Call us today to learn more!