Customer Reviews for Orbit 1-Outlet Programmable Hose Watering Timer Sprinkler Timer

I bought this product last summer after my old one (from a different manufacturer and discontinued) died after 15 years. I was very happy with it through the rest of the season and would have rated it 5 stars based on that small sample time. I took it out of storage today to set it up for this season. Once I had it attached to the faucet I turned on the water and got a deluge of water leaking out of the unit from underneath the piece that screws onto the faucet. It was not leaking through the threads of the screw on part but from undet neath (see arrow in picture). A leak this big deems the unit useless as water was going everywhere. A failure this big less than a year after purchase when it had been used for half a season is inexcusable.

As I saw in other reviews. This timer leaks quite a lot. One spot is a little hole in the bottom between the two hose attachment sites. The others seem to be on the side seams. Appears to be a poor design. Too bad because the timer appeared to work really well. I will return it and probably not get another.

When installing the unit, I began by pulling the timing unit off, inserted batteries, and programmed for my zones. Began installing the unit. Threaded onto my silcock, anchored to the wall, hooked hoses up. Went to dock the timing unit, and it will not fit.

Only used it for like 3 months last year during summer . I hooked it up today and it leaks water from inside it comes out through the plastic gaps .. It was never exposed to freezing temperatures. I also have the 2 outlet orbit one and that one is still working.

Power: The two AAA batteries are SMALLER on this four valve unit and last less than a month when their single valve unit has much larger battery (two AA) and lasts all summer. Silly power endurance design decision. UI User interface is NOT intuitive. Poor screen layout and work flow. Very disappointing in the design team. Hose Connector Poor / tight proximity of all four hose bibs make attaching hoses a very tight operation requiring small, strong fingers & very flexible hoses.

Purchased one of these two zone Fossetts from Home Depot. Instructions were kind of confusing on the paper but I went online and watch the video. It’s super easy to use and program I was born in 1990 so maybe it’s an age thing with computers but it was really easy to figure out. Had number one or number two which represents the Fossett on the left or the right. Sections A,B,C determine the timing cycles of how long it comes on, when it comes on, what time of the day it comes on etc. I just set it Sunday through Monday 10 minutes a day at port number two and it waters perfectly turns on by itself turns off by itself and I have different zones in the yard for port one goes to the other side of the house. Less than $100 and I have automatic water timing I am extremely pleased with the product it does make me nervous thinking that a Fossett is open all night but so far it hasn’t leaked. It takes two AAA batteries so I have yet to run the battery down so I have no clue if it’s safety feature is to close all valves when the batteries get low but only time will tell. I would like to note that there is a Weep hole in the center on the bottom and it drips when watering cycle is on. I run 64 psi on my well pump it says it operates maximum 100 psi but it stops dripping when it shuts the valve off so I’m not sure what that’s for. Like I said it functions and operates exactly how it says and I plan on getting the four valve system. A Orbit I almost did not purchase this because of all the one stars with people saying it’s super confusing to program but it wasn’t

This isn’t my first hose timer but it’s the best! Why? Because it’s SIMPLE to program with manual skip and open buttons for those back yard surprises. It’s waterproof but I made a stand for it to keep a safe distance from the ground.

I do not recommend. In the middle of a landscaping project this 2 outlet model seemed ideal. The good: set-up is incredibly easy, and the timer does exactly what it is supposed to do! The bad: Significant internal leak. (1) Wasted time confirming the Orbit was leaking, and not my hose-bib. (2) Wasted two trips to HD for two leaking timers. Note: HD's review page did warn me, with so many other poor reviews, with the same issue. Returned the 1st, and will now return the 2nd. (3) Will nw waste time finding a different brand of higher quality.

This is a great addition to the Orbit hose connection timer product line! Having 4 timer stations available allows for more diversified drip and sprinkler watering. Observations: The battery life may be limited due to the timer using the same batteries as the single station units. One improvement would be the option of using an AC adapter.

I was buying the singles and thought to try this out since at @$50 it was much better than paying $29 each. Wow, this is a amazing unit. You can have 3 different times they go off (not available on the single units) and 4 hoses connected at the same time. I have now purchase 2 more and expect that I will be getting 2 more after that since I have a large yard and with these I can put heads along the edges where I don't mow and keep most of my grass happy. The other nice thing is that the timer is removable so you don't have to keep bending over to change it. I bring the 3 of them in the house and set them all in succession when I change them.

As have others here, I experienced a valve stick open, causing it to water one area for several hours before I noticed it. It also leaks like a sieve from the unit itself, causing algae to grow on the corner of my patio. It is not owner-serviceable, since you can't take it apart & replace seals or whatnot. Orbit will offer you a replacement, but why would I want another one? Unfortunately, I can't find the receipt (bought it only 3 months ago), so I'm out $50. Now, if Orbit were to offer me a $50 rebate or coupon to buy a regular 4-station timer to operate a set of 4 regular in-ground valves, I might take them up on that.

Ants have taken up residence and the timer no longer works, even with fresh batteries

Good timer. Not as easy to program as the other Orbit timers with fewer hose ports, but it's not bad once you get the hang of it. However, this timer has more functionality than the others. I would have given it 5 stars if it was easier to program.

I have been using this for a couple of weeks. I chose the 4-outlet over the 2-outlet for the added ability to control two more outlets and it wads only about $10 more. Setting the timer takes a little bit of practice and I would definitely recommend reading the instructions as it isn’t super intuitive. That said, once I had it set, it works great. It comes on and shuts off exactly as I wanted it to. The only hiccup I ran into is the batteries are only 2-AAA 1.5 volt. I had some 1.2-volt rechargeable batteries but the low power indicator kept coming on and it would not work. Even though they were fully charged. I ended up purchasing some 1.5-volt single use batteries. After that, it has worked great! That said, I think it would make more sense to have AA batteries as I wonder how long the AAA will last. I do, however, like the feature of the removable controls. That makes it so you can set the controls without having to mess with the hoses.

I've been using this water timer for two years. I increase the number of connections by adding a brass hose connector so all my veggie hoop gardens and flower pots are kept watered even when I am out of town! Easy to program and batteries last a very long time!

This water timer is much better than the older model that I had from about 6+ years ago. If you follow the instructions, this model is very easy to use. I love the many options for different times and durations for watering.

I have @25 of these timers in service. Both the single and double outlet models. Overall they are my goto hose bib timers. Easy to program and operate. Even the double outlet models easy to set. I have 3 other model of timers I also use on a yearly basis. They all have good and the bad. The main problem with this timer is longevity. Over 50 timers replaced in the last 2 years. Pretty sure not 1 has made it to a third season. I maintain too many sprinklers so I need reliable parts. I would love it if it would last. But currently looking at other options...

The device is easy to figure out how to program and install. Unfortunately, whatever motor the product is using to open and close the valve is under designed. It failed to open the valve all the way and water just trickles out. If this one very important flaw were fixed I would say the product would be perfect.

Very Nice! So far 4 outlet water sprinkler control system has worked really well for me. I decided to re-seed my front yard this fall and had to find a way to keep my grass seed moist so that it can germinate. The controller provided 4 zones of sprinkler coverage flawlessly. I set the timer on to water my zones 3 times a day for ten minute intervals. This device saved me a lot of time. Set up was easy and it didn't break the bank either. The reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is because the water hose inlet at the top that feeds the 4 outlets leaked on me a couple of times. Its just in a bad position and the way the hose sits on top just adds a ton of pressure that doesn't help. I switched out the seal and supported the water hose with a couple of zip ties. Problem solved. Pictures were taken prior to this issue.

Just like adding a sprinkler valve! This water outlet is being used for a drip sprinkler line for shrubs and plants, and now I don't have to remember to manually turn the faucet on.. Program how long and how often you want the drip system on with an easy push of the button. Very good investment!

I initially bought the two outlet timer, and was so impressed with it I decided to get the 4 outlet timer. I said this before, it's like having a computer hooked up to your watering hose. Once programed it will water your lawn, or garden with precise accuracy, and the screen tells you at what stage its' at. You never have to touch anything unless your tired of seeing the hose. My only complaint is that the programing directions are good, but not complete. I was under the impression that each outlet had to be programmed separately, but that's not the case. Once you program the on and off time, and the days of the week, it cycles through all outlets one at a time. You can choose to skip an outlet, or lessen the time its on, but there is no need to program each one. Another nice thing about it is that you can program it to come on up to three times a day, or you can just push the manual watering button and it will go through another programmed cycle on those extra hot days. If you can't figure out how to program it, there is an 800 number where a technician will help you. Calling that technician was how I found out you don't need to program each outlet. He was very nice and told me that he would make a note of it and recommend the directions include that.

I was surprised at well this device works, it is like having a mini computer on your water hose. However, you must pay attention to the instructions, there were a couple of questions I had while programing it.

This timer worked well until it got wet. The screen numbers started to fail and the battery terminals corroded. I bought it last summer and when i hooked it up this year it would not keep the memory settings. I figured I could use it with some of the numbers visible but the memory kept failing. I won’t buy another one

Returned product twice due to water pouring out of ever seam (see picture for demonstration). Poor quality. Dont waste your time with this product.

Works, but feels quite cheaply made. The first unit I bought shot water everywhere from the case when I first turned on the water faucet. Must have been a faulty unit. I returned that one and got another identical unit. The replacement unit is working okay so far. Unit is all plastic, and I had some trouble threading the hose onto one of the outputs. Would be better if the unit at least had good copper input and output fittings. I'm sure it wouldn't take much force to crack the outputs. Be very gentle when hooking everything up. A few notes that might save someone else some of the troubles I had: 1) Both outputs DO NOT and CANNOT run at the same time no matter how the unit is programmed. I spent a lot of time programming and re-programming the unit before finally figuring this out. The packaging and instruction manual make no mention of this. It's only mentioned on the Orbit website under their QA section for this product. If you want to run 2 sprinklers on the same schedule where they both run simultaneously, this unit won't do that. Buy a timer with a single output and get yourself a Y adapter so the single output branches to two separate hoses. You'll need really good water pressure for that to work though. 2) If your outside faucet is anywhere close to the ground, do yourself a huge favor and pick up a gooseneck coupling that goes between the faucet and the timer so the unit is at an angle away from the faucet. I had to drive back to Home Depot and get one after discovering that between the timer and the hoses, there was no way it would all fit on my outside faucet unless I took a shovel and dug a trench in the ground. I picked up a brass Orbit gooseneck coupling for $6.28 at Home Depot, and it solved the clearance problem nicely.

I enjoy using it, once I figured out how to use it. Problem is programming the second station. The instructions are clear as to how to complete the task. But, Great when you need to use two hoses for automatic watering of two areas. I like having two hoses connected to one hose bib. I dislike the instructions are not as simple to understand as they should be. I have used for five years. It does meet my expectations

Everything. Like everything. Approximately one month. Meets my expectations. Video is better but would not go through.

I have 3 of the 4-station devices and 5 of the 2-station devices. I have had some of each for a year and added the rest this spring (2018). The product is reasonably priced and performs exactly as advertised. I like having 4 outlet stations on one device and the ability for each to go on at different times for different lengths of time because I have a large vegetable garden with different sections that need to be watered using different watering devices (oscillating, water ring, drip line, soaker hose, etc.) . The device is easy to program. It works! The only problem I have had is understanding the actual meaning of terms in the directions. For example, it took some experimentation before I understood what a watering "program" is. It would also be nice if the hook up for each "station" we're labeled on the device so you don't have to have the paper direction with you to remember that. I had to fool around with it quite a bit and one call to customer service to ask for help to figure out how to tailor operations to what I wanted to do. Once I did get the concepts, I found the device to be very useful and versatile. I also like that I can use one station for a hose to get water anytime (manual operation) for washing the car or cleaning out a bucket, etc. Good product.

We've had (2) two Orbit Systems/Timers. The (2) two port version lasted one year, this one (4 ports) lasted 18 months and ended up with an 'internal' leak. You can 'get it apart' with great patience and we found that one circular 'port ring' had breaks in it (we took this in during winter However we had one 37 degree night when it was outside so not sure) that could not be repaired (hard black plastic ring in which the port sits). So unfortunately we've got our under ground PVC outlets set for this four port device and MAY have to buy another of the same model. Hate to do so and WOULD not suggest anyone purchase this for (1) nearly impossible to open and check anything which might include wiring and fixable leaks (2) poor manual/instructions (3) as expensive as a more highly reviewed model from a competing company. See attached photo for broken 'plastic' ring mentioned.

Very easy to program, with multiple options what will cover practically every situation. Mine has been in operation for about 2 weeks, and absolutely no problems. My watering concerns have been taken care of. This is a relatively inexpensive solution that will ensure regular watering for your garden.