DripWorks Electric Timer Comparison Chart

DripWorks carries a variety of electric water timers with somewhat different characteristics.
Unlike battery timers, electric timers are sold separately from the valves.
The chart below shows the differences between the various electric timers.
Be sure to check out the Special Features in the bottom table.
These timers are available in our store by clicking on the timer name or by clicking here.
We also have comparisons of battery timers and greenhouse timers.

Electric Timer Comparison

Feature	Orbit Control Star	Orbit Dial Star	Pocket Star	Hunter ICC	Hunter Pro C	Hardie/Irritrol Raindial Plus
Part Number (*=Root only)	TCSTR*	TCD*	TPSTR6	TH8PL	THPR*	TRD*
Stations	4/6/8/12	4/6/9/12	6	8, up to 32 with 4 station Add-on modules	3, up to 12 with 3 station Add-on modules	6/9/12<
Outdoor Versions Available	Yes	Yes	No	Outdoor only	Yes	Yes
Programs	3	2	2+ (A, B, AB)	4	3	3
Daily Starts	4	4	4 per program	8 per program	4 per program	3 per program
Schedule	7 Day Calendar, Daily, Odd or Even days	Daily, Odd or Even days	Daily, Odd or Even days	Daily, Days of the Week, Odd or Even days	Daily, or Odd or Even day	Daily, Odd or Even days
Skip Interval	1 to 32 days	1 to 28 days	1 to 28 days	1 to 31 Days	1 to 31 Days	1 min to 99 min
Run Time	2 minutes to 2 hours	1 minute to 99 minutes	1 minute to 99 minutes	A-C: 1 min to 2 hours D: 1 min to 12 hours	1 min to 99 min	1 min to 9hr 59min
Pump Start	Programmable by station	Yes	Yes	Programmable by station	Yes	Yes
Valve Delay	0 minutes to 9 hour programmable delay between stations	No	No	Yes	Yes	No
Rain Sensor Port	Yes, with bypass switch	Yes	Yes, with on/off switch	Yes	Yes	No, sensor can be wired to common
Battery Backup	2 AA (included)	2 AA (included)	2 AA	not necessary	one 9volt	one 9volt (included)
Warranty	7 year	7 year	7 year	5 year	2 year	5 year
Price	$66.00 to 174.00	$56.00 to 136.00	$40.00	$230.00 and up	$98.00 and up	$150.00 to 265.00

Special Features
TCSTR*						Uses slide switches for very easy, intuitive programming Slide switches can be bypassed and the timer programmed in 1 minute increments Automatically checks for bad valve solenoids Has surge protection and automatic resetting of the circuit breaker
TCD*						Wide range of programming options with 6 buttons Large, easy to read LCD display Programmable rain delay from 24 to 72 hours
TPSTR6						Our least expensive electric timer Can be used instead of battery timers for greater reliability
TH8PL						Large, easy to read display Gives a high degree of control and flexibility in programming Expandable with up to six 4 station add-on modules Programmable delay between stations of up to 10 hours to allow well recovery Self diagnostic circuit breaker and surge protection Programming stored in non-volatile memory so no batteries needed
THPR*						Large, easy to read LCD display Expandable with up to three 3 station add-on modules Programmable delay between stations of from 0 seconds to 4 hours Optional remote control
TRD6*						Operates 1 master valve plus 2 valves simultaneously Self-diagnostic circuit breaker Available in 15, 18 and 24 station models by special order

Feature Descriptions
Stations	Electric timers have stations that the valves are wired to. There is a single "common" wire that is connected to all of the valves and then there is an individual wire that runs from each valve to a station on the timer. Generally a timer can only run a single valve from a station, however, the Hunter ICC Controller sends out enough power to operate two valves on a single station. The Hunter Pro C timer and the Hunter ICC Controller have station modules that can be added in to increase the number of stations. This allows you to start with a smaller number of stations and add to them if you need additional watering zones.
Outdoor Versions	Indoor timers have a transformer and plug directly into a standard 110 volt outlet. Outdoor timers have heavier duty cases and are designed to be hard wired into an electrical circuit. An Indoor timer can be mounted outside if it is in an area protected from the weather and it is plugged into an exterior electrical outlet.
Programs	This is the number of programs that can be programmed and then have valves assigned to them. Some timers have an "AB" program which is really just the ability to set a station to run in both (A and B) programs. This is considered to be a two program timer eventhough an argument might be made that it has three programs (A, B and AB).
Daily Starts	This is the number of times that a timer can start a watering cycle for a given program.
Schedule	This is which days of the weeks can be programmed for the timer.
Skip Interval	This is the number of days that can be skipped between waterings.
Run Time	This is the amount of time that the timer allows the valve to be open in a single program.
Pump Start	Most electric valves now have a pump start port for use in systems that are supplied from a well with a pump. This allows a pump on/off line to be wired to the timer so that when a station is to be turned on, it first starts the pump.
Valve Delay	Sometimes it is useful to have a delay from the time that one valve closes to when the next valve opens. Our Automatic Distribution Valves would need this feature to be able to switch between zones since they require that the water be off for 30 seconds to give it time to switch valves.
Rain Sensor Port	A number of these timers now have a separate connection for a rain sensor. A timer without a dedicated rain sensor port can still use a rain sensor if it is wired into the common line from the valves to the timer.
Battery Backup	Most electric timers need battery backup in case the power goes off. Newer or higher end timers are starting to use non-volatile memory to store the programming. This type of memory does not need batteries to maintain the information without power.
Warranty
Price	If a range of prices is shown, it is for the least expensive to the most expensive module. If a timer has add-on modules, only the price for the base unit is shown.

revised 03/22/2007

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