Watering Schedule Basics - Toro ECXTRA Sprinkler Timer User Manual

Watering Schedule Basics
A watering schedule consists of three basic instructions:
• What days to water –called watering days
• When to water – called a start time
• How long to water – called a run time
The following example illustrates how a program has a
watering schedule set for the sprinkler system shown on
page 14. The diagram on the right depicts how the pro-
gram runs the watering schedule to complete a watering
cycle
The program start time is set for 4:00
and 2 each have a run time of 10 minutes and lawn zone
4 is set to run for 20 minutes. Note that zones 3 and 5
water shrubs and flowers and have been excluded from
this program. (These zones will be scheduled to operate
on a another program.)
As shown in the Watering Program Diagram, at 4:00
the timer starts the program watering cycle. Zone 1 sprin-
klers run for 10 minutes and shut off. Zone 2 sprinklers
then turn on, run for 10 minutes and shut off. The timer
skips zone 3 then turns on zone 4, which runs for 20
minutes and shuts off. Zone 5 is skipped and the watering
cycle ends at 4:40 .
am
As you can see from this example, only one program
start time was needed to operate three different zones.
Because of variations in plant watering needs, the
ECXTRA provides three separate programs. The
programs, called A, B and C, are completely indepen-
dent of one another – like having three timers in one
housing.
Watering Program Diagram
. Lawn zones 1
am
am
Using more than one program for example, would enable
lawn zones to be watered every day on program A,
shrub zones to run on on Monday, Wednesday and
Friday on program B and drip irrigation to soak the flower
beds every three days on program C.
Although the ECXTRA offers the multiple program fea-
ture, you may want to have all zones on one program
if it meets your needs. The other programs can remain
turned off until you need to use them.
Program starts at 4:00
am
Zone 1
12
9
6
Zone 2
12
9
6
Zone 4
12
9
6
Program ends at 4:40
am
3
3
3