Are Simple Watering Timers the Best?

 Raindrip R675CT Analog Hose Timer

I grew up in farming country, so I'm well aware that farmers simply cannot take vacations between spring planting and fall harvest. Ski trips to Vail or Christmas on South Padre Island, maybe, but Yellowstone for Labor Day just ain't gonna happen. I didn't realize that it could be the same for gardeners, not until I tried to get a neighbor kid to water my newly-planted garden for two weeks in May. That didn't work... but what did work was picking up a hose timer like the Raindrip R675CT.

We'd had hose timers before, with – at best – mixed results. They're bitch-kitties to set, leak like sieves, and generally last about one season. With that in mind, I went for the least expensive model I could find with a name I recognized (no CROSFOMI or RESTMO, thanks). Rainbird, Nelson, Orbit, Melnor, Gilmour; yeah. This one's from Raindrip, the same people who make an assortment of drip irrigation parts like the ones spread all over my garden. 

The R675CT is an analog timer, which means it's a little more... basic. You don't set a clock for the time of day and then go through all sorts of button-pushing to set watering times and intervals. Instead, there are three dials; of which two are involved in the "setting" process. You set the interval between watering events – how often to water, in other words – and the other to set the duration – how long to water. The third is an override dial, which allows you to cancel watering for up to 72 hours in case it's been raining or run water for the next three to 90 minutes.

On the "how often to water" dial, you can set it for any of eleven intervals, from every hour to once a week. On the "how long to water" dial, the eleven settings range from 3 minutes to two hours.

Now here's the strange feature of this timer: it doesn't have a clock. Well, it doesn't have a clock where you set the current time. Instead, you perform your settings at the time of day when you want to water. As soon as you set the "frequency" scale, the timer starts. Say you want to water at 7:00 AM and 7:00 PM; you simply wait until the next time your clock turns 7:00 and set the frequency dial for every 12 hours. Want it to run once a day at 6:00 AM? Well, you're gonna have to be hanging around your faucet at 6:00 tomorrow morning. 

The timer attaches directly to a hose bibb (the technical term for "outdoor faucet"), and a standard garden hose screws onto the termer's outlet. Mine included an adapter so I could attach directly to a drip system if I wanted. The timer runs on two AA batteries (not included), which should be removed when the timer's stored for winter.

Using this timer saved my flats of bedding plants from death by dehydration when I took an unplanned vacation in spring. It was worth the cost.

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