single zone sprinkler timer question/help

Apr 16, 2007 4 Replies
K

Hi All,



I have purchased a home that the previous owner did the sprinkler system himself..



It has a 1HP motor that I just replaced. It does about 48GPM and gets its water from a large lake.



There are about 12 sprinkler heads throughout a 50x75ft area.



There is a single switch mounted outside the house (on/off) that turns the system on and off, manually of course. I am now traveling during the week, every week, and I need an automated approach.



I went to home depot and saw the 4zone, 8zone, etc. sprinkler timers.. and most of them are indoor to boot.



I need a SINGLE ZONE OUTDOOR timer (it's on a 20amp 110v breaker). Can anyone be so kind as to link me to something that will work for me? Also, excuse the ignorance if a 4 zone outdoor timer will work, I just couldn't find that answer out.. the people at home depot weren't as helpful as they usually were (maybe it was a busy Sunday).


Thanks!



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N

A 4 zone should work . just wire to zone 1 and program accordingly. Get a rain delay while you are at it.

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T

No, as was previously pointed out, the std sprinkler system controllers are low voltage. They do not switch 120V 1hp pumps. He needs to look instead for a timer capable of switching AC loads.

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O

Something like a pool timer switch:

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-- Oren

"The voices in my head may not be real, but they have some good ideas!"

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C

According to kyle :

"Normal" multi-zone sprinkler systems with sprinkler pumps usually work like this:

1) high voltage relay to turn on pump while the zones operate 2) low voltage (usually 24V) to control electric valves for each zone.

However, since you only have one zone, no valves, and just the pump, you can get away with a simple 120V timer and have it simply turn the pump on and off.

For all intents and purposes, this is exactly the same as controlling a pool pump.

The Intermatics that someone else pointed you at will do the job well. I have one controlling our pool pump.

However, unless the unit is specifically rated "outdoor", these should really be installed in a protected location, preferably inside the house. [Mine is inside the house which is a bit of a PITA if I want to turn on the pump outside of the timer.]

If the pump has a 3 prong plug cord (instead of direct wiring) you could also use a regular three prong electrical utility timer, provided that it's rated for the motor and suitable for the location you want to put it in. It should be considerably cheaper than the Intermatics.

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