Melnor 53280 4-Outlet Digital Water Timer Simple and Flexible Programming, 4 Zone

Update 5/30/20, had this product going on 3 years now and it still works like it did day one. I have been doing a new set of batteries at the start of the growing season and have not had a single issue in the time that I have owned it.I purchased this timer because I was having a darndest time trying to remember to water and shut off my irrigation system that waters my drip irrigation for my vegetable garden. I purchased the 4 zone timer.The overall packaging seemed less than normal, it did not have the air filled bags that seem to be the shipping rage. I don't surmise that it would have suffered any damage as it was in its own hermetically sealed package for retail sale. I found the package that housed the timer to be on the thicker side so there was some hulking out to extricate the timer. I would guess with the plastic welds and the plastic thickness that there is a strong possibility of cutting yourself if you are not too careful.I purchased heavy duty 45 degree shut-off valves because I wanted to reduce the flow rate to different hoses.For the setup it was very simple, first you add 2 AA batteries, flip it over and it's on. I noticed the display gives you a battery charge status so you can know when the batteries are due for replacing soon. Once you add batteries you set the clock, when to water, how long, and how often (either specific days or regular intervals like every 2 days). On the manifold you can manually engage a specific zone with the dial selector.I set my timer and then attached it to the bracket, it easily slides into place and clicks into specific positions and has a 180 degree range, 90 degrees from the center to the left or right. If you are looking for a low cost hose bib mounted timer this is a good choice, because of how much space it takes up I would not recommend it for tight spaces. Check out the photos they should help your decision.

We installed this last year right around the time we planted our veggie garden. I used all 4 of the zones, set the times and days, we were going on vacation and needed a way to keep our veggie garden watered while we were away as it was going to be hot out and if not for this our veggie plants would have died. It did great we came back and our garden was watered and doing fine. Fall came and I didnt think anything about taking this off the faucet connection outside, we had a few days of freezing temps and I luckily had to do something out back and noticed a huge puddle of water, I looked over at the faucet where the timer was connected and I could see it was spraying water from an obvious leak. I turned the faucet off and then proceeded to send customer service a message about the issue. I also got a letter in the mail from city water asking if we had a leak recently as they were out to read water meters and noticed a HUGE difference. It pretty much doubled our bill.Customer service was great, Tony Tantillo the customer service manager told me that they recommend to actually remove the digital timer right before winter as the freezing and thawing can cause problems, they said they would send me a replacement no charge and they even paid for the extra water bill amount. Tony even asked if I would prefer the new model coming out and if so I just had to wait about 5 more days until the units came in. I said yes that would be outstanding!So the first one worked great for us, I did have to assure to use new rubber washers and get the main attachment connection on tight, I had no drips or leaks at all during the time it was functioning and working, and I now know to disconnect right before winter to avoid issue like last year. They stand behind their product. That is why I am giving 5 stars, the product worked great, and they have great customer service.

I first tried it today right out of the package. Battery at 100%. Was testing only zone 1 with all other zones off (yes, the knobs were not set to manual). Right after I plugged it in, zone 3 runs a lot of water even though nothing has been set to it. Zone 1 only drips out water when the timer is activated. I am returning. This is a huge disappointment as I would need now to pay for shipping for returning it. I really hoped it would work.. but it didn't, right out of the box.Update (from 1 star to 4 stars):The aforementioned issues have been fixed. I knew I should have just returned it but I somehow didn't; it turned out that the leaking could be fixed simply by (1) installing the batteries, (2) turn the knob to the setting in which you can turn on/off on the outlets - (3) by turning on/off on the outlet where the leak is present, the leak can, at least in my case, be fixed.I gathered the reasons was that the solenoid/flip, while during transit, would get messed up. So, in my case Zone 3, when arrived, was somehow flipped to be on the "on" position during transit when it was supposed to be "off" and when I tested it, it stayed on thus reducing water pressure on the valve (Zone 1) I was testing - hence Zone 1 only dripped out water because Zone 3 is running like crazy, which reduced the water pressure on Zone 1.So my take on this is that, if one of the zone is running out water when it is supposed to be "off" - try first to install batteries, go to the setting where you could switch On/Off the valve that is causing problem. By doing so, it might correct/rectify the problem that was caused by transit. That was how I fixed mine. Zone 3 no longer lets out water when it is supposed to be off.Performance thus far post-fix:No leaks; it runs on schedule. Try what I mentioned above if you experience leaking on certain valves; if not, return it.My personal take on how to maintain it so it keeps functioning for you for a long run:If you are living in an area where heat and sunlight is high, other words, where it is normally very hot, try getting one of those silver sun shaders for your car windshield (I got mine on eBay for 2 bucks) that blocks heat and UV. Put this over this timer or any water timer you have - this will prevent damage caused by direct sunlight and heat to the timer over time.When there is no leak and if there is one and can be fixed by the method I mentioned, it works fine. It is solid and doesn't feel cheaply made. I hope it continue to work for me.