One of the conditions for the full growth and development of plants is timely watering. But due to the busyness of the owners and the remoteness of the site from the city, it is not always possible to provide it. Solve the creation problem optimal conditions in compliance with humidity conditions Setting a timer will help. This device will not only simplify the care of green “pets”, but will also have a beneficial effect on the quality of the harvest. The device you need for your household can be purchased at a gardening store, or you can make a watering timer yourself. About how to choose best option Models or making a simple device yourself will be discussed in the article.

The watering timer is single or multi-channel locking mechanism, controlling the water pump. It opens at certain intervals, allowing water to flow into the irrigation system.

Systems drip irrigation provide the opportunity to not appear on the site for several days or even weeks, without worrying about your seedlings

The automatic watering timer solves a lot of problems in one fell swoop:

• Provides watering with given intensity and frequency;
• Prevents waterlogging of the soil and rotting of roots due to measured and slow water supply;
• Supplying water to the roots garden crops, solves the issue sunburn leaves and minimizes the risk of their disease;
• Providing local irrigation helps solve the weed problem.

For ease of maintenance, water supply timers are placed together with other equipment in plastic boxes installed underground.

To allow quick access to devices, such boxes are equipped with a removable hatch or a tight-fitting lid

Based on the counting principle, timers are divided into single-action devices (when triggered once) and multiple-action devices (when they trigger several times with preset shutter speeds).

Depending on the type of mechanism used, the timer is:

• Electronic– the control unit of the device includes electronic equipment that determines the response time and opening solenoid valve. The undeniable advantage of this type of device is the wide range of response times, which can vary from 30 seconds to one week. The watering regime can be adjusted both locally and remotely.
• Mechanical– is a control unit equipped with a spiral spring and a mechanical valve. Works on the principle mechanical watches. One winding cycle of the spring unit can ensure continuous operation of the mechanism for up to 24 hours, opening the valve according to a user-specified response period. The watering mode can only be adjusted manually.

Both devices are multi-channel designs. The mechanical irrigation timer is characterized by its simple design and the absence of electrical supply wires. This significantly reduces the cost of the device.

A mechanical timer, compared to its electronic counterpart, has a more limited duration of a given cycle.

In a mechanical timer, it is enough to set the watering cycle by selecting an interval. With an electronic model it is somewhat more complicated: you first need to set the date and time, and only after that select the optimal program for the crop being grown.

Many have noticed that in water supply systems country villages in daytime Due to intensive water intake, the pressure decreases. By setting an automatic watering timer, you can schedule irrigation for the evening and night hours.

Depending on the modification of the device, timers may have an internal or external “regular” pipe thread, and are also equipped with quick-release hose connectors or quick-connect connectors with an irrigation system.

The most expensive models have additional features, for example, determining humidity, depending on which indicator watering is automatically reduced or extended

Water timer manufacturing options

When planning to install an automatic irrigation system on your property, it is convenient to use water timers to control the taps. With their help, the water supply system can be made completely energy independent, avoiding the use of any electronics.

Design #1 - timer with wick dropper

The wick fibers, when saturated with moisture, lift it up to a certain height, preventing the water from quickly evaporating. If the wick is thrown over the side of the container, the absorbed water will simply begin to drip from the free end.

This method is based on physical laws that create the capillary effect. It occurs when a fabric wick is lowered into a container of water.

The moisture throughput can be adjusted by adjusting the thickness of the wick, the density of twisting of the threads and pinching them with a wire loop.

To install a timer in a container with low sides, the height of which does not exceed 5-8 cm, install a five or ten liter plastic bottle. One of the key operating conditions of the system is maintaining the liquid level in the container at a constant height. The optimal ratio of capacities is easiest to determine experimentally.

The determining factor in its operation is the water column. Therefore, the height of the bottle and the depth of the wide container are interconnected things

A small hole is made in the bottom of the bottle to allow water to flow out. The bottle is filled with water, temporarily covering the drain hole, and sealed with a lid. The filled bottle is placed in the trough. The water seeping through the bottom will gradually flow out, stopping at a level when the hole is not hidden under the thickness. As water is consumed, the water flowing out of the bottle will replenish the losses.

The wick itself is easiest to make from rope suitable thickness or a rope twisted from a piece of fabric. It is placed in a container with the ends correctly distributed

The main advantage of such a timer is that, due to the same level of water in a wide container, in the event of rain, replenishment of moisture losses from the bottle will be suspended.

Craftsmen who have already tested such a device in practice claim that a five-liter bottle with a flow rate of 1 drop/2 seconds is enough for 20 hours of uninterrupted operation. By selecting optimal size a bottle that acts as a water column, and by adjusting the intensity of the drop, you can achieve the effect of multi-day delays.

Design #2 - device regulating the ball valve

In a water timer, the response time is determined by the action of the drop. Water flowing out of the container, which acts as ballast, reduces the weight of the structure. At a certain point, the weight of the container is no longer enough to hold the handle shut-off valve, and the water supply starts.

To set up a water timer you will need:

• Water barrel;
• Ball valve;
• Two plywood or metal circles;
• Canisters or 5-liter plastic bottles;
• Construction adhesive;
• Spool of sewing thread.

For smooth operation of the system ball valve It is advisable to modify it by attaching a small pulley - a rocker arm - to the handle secured by a screw. This will allow you to move the tap from a closed state to an open state by changing the angle of the handle.

The pulley is constructed from two identical plywood circles, gluing their planes together with construction adhesive, or metal ones, connecting them with bolts. A strong cord is wound onto the pulley, making several turns around it for reliability. When constructing a lever, pieces of cord are firmly fixed at its edges. To the free ends of the cord with opposite sides attach a ballast weight and a container of water that compensates for its weight. The weight of the load must be such that under its weight the crane comes into a lever state.

It is convenient to use five-liter plastic bottles as cargo ballast and a water container that compensates for its weight.

The easiest way to adjust the weight of containers is by adding sand to one of them and adding water to the other. Metal chips or lead shot can also serve as a weighting agent.

The container with water will serve as a timer. To do this, a tiny hole is made in its bottom with a thin needle, through which water will seep in drop by drop. The flow time will depend on the volume of the bottle itself and the size of the hole. It can range from several hours to three to four days.

To operate the device, the watering container is placed on flat surface and fill with water. Bottles suspended from the ends of a cord to a pulley are also filled: one with sand, the other with water. When the weight of the filled bottles is equal, the tap is closed.

As water is dug out, the container loses weight. At a certain moment, the ballast weight, outweighing the partially empty bottle, turns the tap to the “open” position, thereby starting watering

There are situations when it is necessary to obtain full opening tap, bypassing intermediate positions - the so-called toggle switch effect. In these cases, a little trick will help: in the closed position of the tap, tie the edge of a thread to the weight, which will serve as a fuse, and its free end is fixed to the tap. When the mechanism is closed, the thread will not experience any load. As the water container empties, the load will begin to outweigh, but the safety thread will take over overweight without allowing the ballast to move the valve to the “open” position. The thread will break only if there is a significant overweight of the load, instantly switching the tap and ensuring the free passage of water.

To restore the system to its original state, simply remove the load or fix it in a suspended state, eliminating the tension of the cord.

The system is ready for operation; before leaving, all that remains is to fill the watering barrel and timer with water and hang the ballast, securing it with a thin thread. This device is easy to manufacture and easy to maintain. Its only drawback is its one-time operation.

Other ideas for creating mechanical timers can be found in thematic forms. For example, some craftsmen use a cylindrical plunger with polyethylene granules in oil as the working body of a timer. The device is adjusted so that when the temperature drops at night, the displacer is retracted, and the weakened spring opens the tap. To limit water flow, a diaphragm is used. Warm up during the daytime sun rays polyethylene granules increase in size, pushing the plunger to its original position and thereby cutting off the water supply.

Design #3 - electronic timer

Craftsmen who own basic knowledge electronics, can build simple model electronic timer. The device manufacturing instructions are presented in the video:

Every plant in a greenhouse requires moisture, warmth and sunlight. However, periodically watering all planted seedlings, especially in large greenhouses, is difficult.

Modern technologies do not stand still. An automatic watering system was invented especially for summer residents.

You can buy it in a store or make it yourself.

Types of automatic irrigation

1. Rain watering. Intended for watering plantings from above thanks to a micro-irrigation device with spray nozzles. The disadvantage of this system is that moisture settles on the plants. Therefore, after rain watering, they need to be shaken. How the watering process is carried out: a hose connected to a sprayer sprays water. IN construction stores There are raincoats with a more complex design, but they provide more reliable and uniform spraying.
2. Subsurface watering is suitable for irrigating more finicky shrubs. Produced using a porous hose and tube.
3. Automatic watering is considered the most profitable compared to the previous two types. During the process, water passes only into the root system zone. Irrigation hoses can be located on the surface of the earth and inside it. In addition, the bushes are optimally protected from frost due to wet soil. Drip irrigation is well suited for those greenhouses where there is no space for large quantity water.

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Do-it-yourself automatic watering system

A holey old hose is not enough to build a good drip irrigation system for a greenhouse. First of all you need to create required pressure inside the irrigation system so that watering is uniform throughout the entire hose. The sequence for creating self-watering for bushes in greenhouses:

1. A wooden horizontal support (1 m above the ground) is built above the watering bed.
2. Plastic bottles with a volume of 1.5 liters are fixed to this support; a hole must be drilled in the bottom of each one.
3. A needle with a medical dropper is inserted into the holes.
4. Water is filled into bottles. When filling bottles, the factor that is taken into account is that all drops will come out of the medical dropper equally.

Tools and materials that will be needed to install the sprinkler system:

• hose;
• filters;
• shovel;
• water container
• pipe;
• medical IV;
• site plan.

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Automatic watering system - what is it?

Almost every store building materials there is an opportunity to purchase ready-made system glaze.

In addition to special components intended for watering, it contains a timer that sets a specific time for watering with a precise amount of water. The system is automated and has its own pump. Using this system When watering plants, you don’t have to worry about the soil becoming waterlogged.

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Princes of watering in a greenhouse using a timer

There is no need to buy an expensive irrigation system when you can build one yourself. You only need to buy a set for watering plants and filters for cleaning. What step by step process automatic watering installations?

1. Preparation. First a plan is drawn garden plot, where beds or greenhouses for watering are indicated. Carefully consider the placement of pipelines in the garden, shutoff fittings, and hoses. If the garden is located on a slope, it is better to install the pipes horizontally and the hoses on a slope.
2. The diagram shows the places where the pipes are connected. This is necessary for the correct calculation of branches, plugs, and connectors. They buy only plastic pipes, as they are very light, do not rust, are durable, and inexpensive.
3. Install a container with water. To do this, let's take a barrel large sizes, place it at a height of 2 m above the place where the drip irrigation will be located. Then this barrel is connected to the general water supply.
4. Laying of hose and pipe. We lay a pipe from the barrel, 25-30 mm thick. Hoses and pipes can be installed either on the surface of the ground, or below it, or above it in a suspended state.
5. Counting drip tape. Here you need to understand how many rows of planted plants there will be in the greenhouse, which will need to be watered in the future. Then we lay tape under these beds. For example, if there are 20 rows, each of which stretches 10 meters, more than 200 meters of tape will be required (taking into account the reserve). To make the drip tape durable, easy-to-clean filters are installed in it.
6. Starter installation. To do this, you need to drill holes with a diameter of 15 mm in the pipe. Then insert the sealed rubber bands into them, then the starters. As a result, at the end of each row you will have to cut the drip tape by 5 cm, then twist its tip and put the cut edge on it.

A DIY watering timer can have different varieties. Here we will create a device with a wick dropper.

Required materials

A thick cord and a fluid reservoir are required. The height of the side of the vessel should vary from 5 to 8 cm. To create a water reservoir, you need a plastic bottle or a bottle from 5 to 10 liters. This directly depends on the volume of water that will need to be contained inside.

Instructions for creating a timer

The main property of a liquid is used - fluidity. A fabric dipped into water instantly absorbs it. You can make a tourniquet from a piece of fabric, or you can take a rope of suitable thickness. The choice must be made after deciding how much liquid needs to be supplied to the plant. A submerged cord or rag can only raise water to a certain height. Physical laws allow high level water in the container to saturate the fibers in sufficient quantities with moisture. The fabric or fibers of the rope will not allow moisture to evaporate too quickly; between the fibers it will pass to the other end.

Now another question arises. It is necessary to regulate the amount of water that can flow to the plant. If you have time, you should spend it on experiments. The more water is needed, the thicker the wick will need to be made or the rope will need to be thicker.

The experiment can be carried out by placing one end of the rope in water and leaving the other end hanging freely over the place where the liquid will drip. In order not to play with the thickness for a long time, you can pinch it with wire. This will provide the necessary throughput.

After the experiment, you can find out exactly what thickness of cord is preferable for the device. Once the cord is selected, you can move on to the water column height. This means you need to choose a bottle that fits the container. In this case, it is necessary to take into account physical laws. The water column does not affect the speed of drops delivered to the required location, but the level of liquid in the container. The level is important for filling the rope required quantity moisture. Another condition for him is his constancy. A low fluid level will not allow the rope to be sufficiently hydrated. Therefore, the depth of the container and the height of the bottle are interrelated things. It is better to match them to each other through experiments.

If time does not allow you to carry out experiments for a long time, then you can use an already tested combination of volumes. If the liquid supply is sufficient in the amount of 5 liters, then it is better to take a canister with a side height of about 5 cm. For a 10 liter bottle, you can choose a vessel with a side height of 8 cm.

It is better to take a whole bottle with a lid. A hole is made in the bottom to allow liquid to flow directly into the vessel. The prepared bottle will stand in the container.

The bottle can be filled with liquid in two ways. The first way is to pour without removing from the container. If it is outside the container, then it is better to press with your finger the place where the hole was made in the bottom. The bottle should be closed with its original cap so that it has a tight seal after screwing. It is placed in the canister and the finger is pressed away from the place with the hole. Some water will fill the vessel. If the liquid will overflow from the top, then you need to find a container with higher sides.

A rope or wick is installed with the ends in the correct position. As the water flows in the bottle, it will gradually decrease. When the level drops to critical, it is worth replenishing the water supply.

Last spring, planning to automate the watering of lawns near the house, I dug around on Ali Express and found this timer. I had experience using similar timers, only purchased in Poland. This one, unlike Polish, has as many as sixteen programs. (Polish has only two). That is, you can set your watering 16 times a day!!!... This, of course, is an option, because, in practice, basically, only two times are needed.
I personally use only two programs - that is, I set the timer so that watering occurs 2 times a day - at 0.30 and at 5.30. At this time, the “rain” does not bother anyone. In addition, the plants have “cooled down” at this time and do not receive temperature shock.
The manufacturer provides a hose connection at the outlet; for this purpose, the kit includes a quick-release connector.

But, for example, I installed a timer in the rupture of the pipe that goes from the hydrophore to the sprayers.
The timer is powered by two AAA elements. If you put "Duracel", it lasts for the whole season. There is no need to run any wires to it.
I used it for one season, and in the winter I bought two more of them - to automate drip irrigation of the greenhouse and beds.

Cost: ~1007

More details on Aliexpress

One of the conditions for the full growth and development of plants is timely watering. But due to the busyness of the owners and the remoteness of the site from the city, it is not always possible to provide it. Setting a timer will help solve the problem of creating optimal conditions while maintaining humidity conditions. This device will not only simplify the care of green “pets”, but will also have a beneficial effect on the quality of the harvest. The device you need for your household can be purchased at a gardening store, or you can make a watering timer yourself. We’ll look at how to choose the best model option or make a simple device yourself in the article.

• The main types of such devices
• Water timer manufacturing options

The irrigation timer is a single or multi-channel shut-off mechanism that controls the water pump. It opens at certain intervals, allowing water to flow into the irrigation system.

Drip irrigation systems provide the opportunity to not appear on the site for several days or even weeks, without worrying about your seedlings

The automatic watering timer solves a lot of problems in one fell swoop:

• Provides watering with a specified intensity and frequency;
• Prevents waterlogging of the soil and rotting of roots due to measured and slow water supply;
• By supplying water to the roots of garden crops, it solves the issue of sunburn of leaves and minimizes the risk of their disease;
• Providing local irrigation helps solve the weed problem.

For ease of maintenance, water supply timers are placed together with other equipment in plastic boxes installed underground.

To allow quick access to devices, such boxes are equipped with a removable hatch or a tight-fitting lid

The main types of such devices

Based on the counting principle, timers are divided into single-action devices (when triggered once) and multiple-action devices (when they trigger several times with preset shutter speeds).

Depending on the type of mechanism used, the timer is:

• Electronic– the control unit of the device includes electronic equipment that determines the response time and opening of the solenoid valve. The undeniable advantage of this type of device is the wide range of response times, which can vary from 30 seconds to one week. The watering regime can be adjusted both locally and remotely.
• Mechanical– is a control unit equipped with a spiral spring and a mechanical valve. It works on the principle of a mechanical watch. One winding cycle of the spring unit can ensure continuous operation of the mechanism for up to 24 hours, opening the valve according to a user-specified response period. The watering mode can only be adjusted manually.

Both devices are multi-channel designs. The mechanical irrigation timer is characterized by its simple design and the absence of electrical supply wires. This significantly reduces the cost of the device.

A mechanical timer, compared to its electronic counterpart, has a more limited duration of a given cycle.

In a mechanical timer, it is enough to set the watering cycle by selecting an interval. With an electronic model it is somewhat more complicated: you first need to set the date and time, and only after that select the optimal program for the crop being grown.

Many have noticed that in the water supply systems of suburban villages during the daytime, due to intensive water intake, the pressure decreases. By setting an automatic watering timer, you can schedule irrigation for the evening and night hours.

Depending on the modification of the device, timers may have internal or external “regular” pipe threads, and are also equipped with quick-release hose connectors or quick-connect connectors with an irrigation system.

The most expensive models have additional functions, for example, determining humidity, depending on which indicator watering is automatically reduced or extended

Water timer manufacturing options

When planning to install an automatic irrigation system on your property, it is convenient to use water timers to control the taps. With their help, the water supply system can be made completely energy independent, avoiding the use of any electronics.

Design #1 - timer with wick dropper

The wick fibers, when saturated with moisture, lift it up to a certain height, preventing the water from quickly evaporating. If the wick is thrown over the side of the container, the absorbed water will simply begin to drip from the free end.

This method is based on physical laws that create the capillary effect. It occurs when a fabric wick is lowered into a container of water.

The moisture throughput can be adjusted by adjusting the thickness of the wick, the density of twisting of the threads and pinching them with a wire loop.

To set up a timer, place a five or ten liter plastic bottle in a container with low sides, the height of which does not exceed 5-8 cm. One of the key operating conditions of the system is maintaining the liquid level in the container at a constant height. The optimal ratio of capacities is easiest to determine experimentally.

The determining factor in its operation is the water column. Therefore, the height of the bottle and the depth of the wide container are interconnected things

A small hole is made in the bottom of the bottle to allow water to flow out. The bottle is filled with water, temporarily covering the drain hole, and sealed with a lid. The filled bottle is placed in the trough. The water seeping through the bottom will gradually flow out, stopping at a level when the hole is not hidden under the thickness. As water is consumed, the water flowing out of the bottle will replenish the losses.

The easiest way to make the wick itself is from a rope of suitable thickness or a rope twisted from a piece of fabric. It is placed in a container with the ends correctly distributed

The main advantage of such a timer is that, due to the same level of water in a wide container, in the event of rain, replenishment of moisture losses from the bottle will be suspended.

Craftsmen who have already tested such a device in practice claim that a five-liter bottle with a flow rate of 1 drop/2 seconds is enough for 20 hours of uninterrupted operation. By choosing the optimal size of the bottle that acts as a water column and adjusting the intensity of the drop, you can achieve the effect of multi-day delays.

Design #2 - device regulating the ball valve

In a water timer, the response time is determined by the action of the drop. Water flowing out of the container, which acts as ballast, reduces the weight of the structure. At a certain point, the weight of the container is no longer enough to hold the stopcock handle, and the water supply starts.

To set up a water timer you will need:

• Water barrel;
• Ball valve;
• Two plywood or metal circles;
• Canisters or 5-liter plastic bottles;
• Construction adhesive;
• Spool of sewing thread.

For uninterrupted operation of the system, it is advisable to modify the ball valve by attaching a small pulley - a rocker arm - to a handle secured by a screw. This will allow you to move the tap from a closed state to an open state by changing the angle of the handle.

The pulley is constructed from two identical plywood circles, gluing their planes together with construction adhesive, or metal ones, connecting them with bolts. A strong cord is wound onto the pulley, making several turns around it for reliability. When constructing a lever, pieces of cord are firmly fixed at its edges. A ballast weight and a container of water compensating for its weight are tied to the free ends of the cord on opposite sides. The weight of the load must be such that under its weight the crane comes into a lever state.

It is convenient to use five-liter plastic bottles as cargo ballast and a water container that compensates for its weight.

The easiest way to adjust the weight of containers is by adding sand to one of them and adding water to the other. Metal chips or lead shot can also serve as a weighting agent.

The container with water will serve as a timer. To do this, a tiny hole is made in its bottom with a thin needle, through which water will seep in drop by drop. The flow time will depend on the volume of the bottle itself and the size of the hole. It can range from several hours to three to four days.

To operate the device, the watering container is placed on a flat surface and filled with water. Bottles suspended from the ends of a cord to a pulley are also filled: one with sand, the other with water. When the weight of the filled bottles is equal, the tap is closed.

As water is dug out, the container loses weight. At a certain moment, the ballast weight, outweighing the partially empty bottle, turns the tap to the “open” position, thereby starting watering

There are situations when it is necessary to obtain a full opening of the tap, bypassing intermediate positions - the so-called toggle switch effect. In these cases, a little trick will help: in the closed position of the tap, tie the edge of a thread to the weight, which will serve as a fuse, and its free end is fixed to the tap. When the mechanism is closed, the thread will not experience any load. As the water container empties, the load will begin to outweigh, but the safety thread will take on the excess weight, preventing the ballast from moving the valve to the “open” position. The thread will break only if there is a significant overweight of the load, instantly switching the tap and ensuring the free passage of water.

To restore the system to its original state, simply remove the load or fix it in a suspended state, eliminating the tension of the cord.

The system is ready for operation; before leaving, all that remains is to fill the watering barrel and timer with water and hang the ballast, securing it with a thin thread. This device is easy to manufacture and easy to maintain. Its only drawback is its one-time operation.

Other ideas for creating mechanical timers can be found in thematic forms. For example, some craftsmen use a cylindrical plunger with polyethylene granules in oil as the working body of a timer. The device is adjusted so that when the temperature drops at night, the displacer is retracted, and the weakened spring opens the tap. To limit water flow, a diaphragm is used. During the daytime, polyethylene granules heated by the sun's rays increase in size, pushing the plunger to its original position and thereby cutting off the water supply.

Design #3 - electronic timer

Craftsmen with basic knowledge of electronics can build a simple model of an electronic timer. The device manufacturing instructions are presented in the video: