Landscaping - New Controller for hydraulic valve Irrigation

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n1ml
10-04-09, 03:50 PM
We have a 4 zone, hydraulic valve type irrigation system with a 1 HP pump. It takes water from a lake behind our home. The controller has a big wheel with pegs and there is a small wheel to set the day turn on times. It is difficult to water just one zone. You have to keep turning the pump on and off to index the valve to each of the 4 zones. I would like to get a more updated digital controller. At the big box stores they appear to only have controllers for electric zone valve control. What kind of controller can I get for my valve type configuration?
Thanks


TheCaptain
10-14-09, 08:47 PM
There is no one-step solution for a hydraulic clock. They stopped making these years ago for many good reasons. I could list them all, but lets work with what you have...

You can use a digital controller but it will need hydraulic actuators in order to make it work. Some clocks do not like the actuator solenoids that help to run the hydraulic system, so try to avoid a controller you get from the hardware store. They will also NOT carry hydraulic actuators and I guarantee nobody at a big box store will even know what you are talking about.

A set of actuators comes in banks of 4 (good news for you!) and run over $100 or so each. Find the irrigation source of your choice and see if you want to spend what it would take to make the change. Keep in mind this only changes the controller, not the actual valves. When a hydraulic system starts to go bad, it goes bad really fast. So keep your fingers crossed.