5
INTRODUCTION TO PROGRAMMING WATERING SCHEDULES
When programming the controller, there are the
following to consider:
STATIONS OR ZONES
your controller has either six (6) or eleven (11)
Stations, depending on the model. Each Station
has a group of sprinklers in a specific portion
(Zone) of the garden and is controlled by a
solenoid Valve. Zones are generally laid out
according to the type of plant material being
watered and the type and flow rate of the
sprinklers used to distribute the water.
PROGRAMS
up to six (6) watering
Programs
can be set and
applied to any of the
Stations
. For each
Program
,
the following are programmable:
• Watering Days
watering may be programmed to occur on
- fixed days of the week
(eg. Mon, Wed and Fri),
- at intervals of a number of days
(eg. every third day), or
- on odd or even days of the month
(eg. 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th etc.)
• Start Time
each program may have up to six (6)
Start Times
• Run Time
each
Station (or Zone)
has an associated
Run Time
Programming is a lot easier if you first fill out a
Watering Schedule Form
, an example of which is
on the next page. You will have a record of your
watering schedule and zone locations which can
be kept with your controller. In the
example, four
Programs
have been
programmed:
•
Program 1 starts at 7:00am on Mondays and
Thursdays and runs for 20 minutes on
Stations 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6
•
Program 2 starts at 9:00pm every day and
runs for 10 minutes on Stations 3 and 6. Note
that if no Watering Days are programmed,
the Lawn Dial Controller defaults to every day
•
Program 3 starts at 6:00am every third day
and runs for 10 minutes on Station 4 only
•
Program 4 starts at 5:00am on Tuesdays and
Sundays and runs for 30 minutes on Station
6 only.
Note:
The Controller runs all programmed
watering sequentially, with only one Valve open
at any given time. In the example, Program 1 will
water Station 1, then Station 2, then Station 3,
then Station 5 and then Station 6, beginning at
7:00am, and taking a total time of 100 minutes.
If another Program was scheduled to start at say
8:00am, it would be delayed until 8:40am (the
completion of Program 1).
Therefore, when scheduling multiple programs
and/or multiple start times within each
program, make sure that each program cycle
can run to completion before the next program
cycle is scheduled to start. If you do not do this,
the Controller will automatically stack them in
sequence.