| RSS Web Feed for Renewable Energy UK |  | REUK Shop | Directory | Bookmark Site | About Us  

Digital Watering Timers and Solenoid Valves



Digital Watering Timers And Solenoid Valves

Find out more about automatic watering systems with electronic timers and solenoid valves

water
Printer Friendly Version Print Article     

One of the commonest questions we have in response to our article Solar Powered Irrigation is how to control mains pressure water fed irrigation systems - i.e. how to turn the water supply on and off automatically to feed porous pipe or drippers.

Digital Watering Timers and Valves

Digital garden hose watering timer and valve
There are commercially available battery-powered programmable digital watering timer systems available which are quite affordable and reliable. The unit pictured above (Orbit Lawn & Garden Hose Digital Watering Timer and Valve) costs under £30 in the UK.

An easy to programme timer is connected to a solenoid valve which opens and closes at the set times. One end connects to the garden tap, and the other end to a standard diameter hose pipe which should in turn be connected to the irrigation system. Using Y-connectors it is possible to split the water supply to feed drippers, sprinklers, and porous pipe at the same time.

Buy an Automatic Watering Timer

Click here to search eBay for Watering Timers. They typically have a wide range of products from mechanical timers starting at just a few pounds, to advanced digital timers for £20-40.

DIY Automatic Watering Systems

There are situations in which an out-of-the-box timer valve will not meet the requirements of the user - for example, where a PIR motion sensor is to be used to detect cats and dogs to be repelled with a quick squirt from the sprinkler system, or where watering is required for a certain time after sunset (controlled by a light detector circuit) .

24V Solenoid valves for use with irrigation systems

In such situations, a solenoid valve must be used, typically switched by a relay controlled by a timer or other electronic circuit. Most solenoid valves designed for irrigation systems are 24 VDC powered which requires either a mains transformer, or a 24V battery bank.

12VDC solenoid valve

Alternatives are available designed for automotive use, in caravans, in washing machines, and for ponds and other aquatics etc, and many of these are powered from 12 VDC making it much easier to power them from a single solar charged battery (or a cheap 12V mains transformer).

Again, eBay is an excellent place to find good value solenoid valves. The 12V solenoid valve pictured above the previous paragraph was offered recently for just £3.50 plus £2.00 postage in the UK.
Click here to search for Solenoid Valves now on eBay.
Article Last Modified: 15:58, 12th Jun 2008

Comment on this Article

If you have any comments on this article, please email them to neil@reuk.co.uk.


Recommended Related Articles

People who read this article also enjoyed the following articles:

Solar Powered Irrigation
Water your garden or allotment with a solar powered irrigation system
Article Last Modified: 15:58, 12th Jun 2008
solar | water

Relays and Renewable Energy
Find out more about relays and their uses in renewable energy applications
Article Last Modified: 13:33, 14th Aug 2010
electric circuit | electronics | general

Greenhouse Heatsink Connection Diagram
Putting together a solar powered greenhouse heatsink system
Article Last Modified: 10:27, 31st Mar 2009
solar | heating | general

Rainwater Toilet Flush System
Find out how to put together a complete rainwater fed toilet flushing system
Article Last Modified: 15:16, 19th Aug 2008
water | general | electronics

Basic 4 AA Solar Battery Charger Plans
Make a simple solar charger for 4 AA rechargeable batteries
Article Last Modified: 09:43, 30th Jul 2007
solar | education

DIY 2kW Wind Turbine
Read about a home built 2kW wind turbine constructed from scrap
Article Last Modified: 08:46, 4th Oct 2007
wind | recycling

Convert Thermostat to 12v Timer Switch
Find out how to modify a battery powered thermostat to be used as a 12 Volt DC timer switch
Article Last Modified: 16:12, 24th Mar 2009
electronics | electric circuit | general

Photos of PVC Wind Turbine Blades
Photographs of PVC wind turbine blades
Article Last Modified: 13:09, 22nd Dec 2006
wind

Float Switch Water Level Measurement
Find out how to use float switches in renewable energy applications
Article Last Modified: 12:07, 28th Jul 2008
water | electric circuit

Interconnecting Batteries for Battery Bank
Find out how best to connect batteries together into a battery bank
Article Last Modified: 13:53, 23rd Feb 2007
storage

© 2006-2010 REUK - All Rights Reserved
Page Last Updated on 2nd September 2010 at 02:24:32pm

Latest
Articles


Eco Kettle 2 Chrome
Save electricity with an efficient eco kettle - new improved chrome version
energy efficiency
15:25, 18th Aug 2010

OWL CM119 Wireless Energy Monitor
Find out more about the new OWL CM119 wireless electricity monitor
shopping
15:23, 18th Aug 2010

KC7783R PIR Module
Find out more about the economical and easy to use KC7783R PIR motion sensor module
electronics
15:16, 18th Aug 2010

PIR Sensors
Find out how to integrate PIR (passive infra red) sensors into renewable energy applications
electronics
15:16, 18th Aug 2010

LM317 High Current Voltage Regulator
Find out how to build an LM317T based high current voltage regulator
electric circuit
12:29, 17th Aug 2010

LM317 Voltage Calculator
A handy online output voltage calculator for the LM317, LM338, and other linear voltage regulators
electric circuit
12:29, 17th Aug 2010

Optocouplers
Find out more about optocouplers/optoisolators and their uses
electronics
13:33, 14th Aug 2010

Relays and Renewable Energy
Find out more about relays and their uses in renewable energy applications
electric circuit
13:33, 14th Aug 2010



REUK Shop

Popular Items


REUK SUPER TIMER
User programmable 12V powered 10A rated repeating relay timer. 1 second to 99 hours ON and OFF times
£19.99 each.
Complete Circuits



SOLAR PUMP CONTROLLER WITH RELAY
Solar water heating system microprocessor controlled circuit with fitted 10A relay
£25.99 each.
Complete Circuits



12 VOLT 5 WATT SOLAR PANEL
Waterproof 12 Volt 5 Watt Solar Panel with aluminium frame - 290mm x 205mm x 17mm with fitted 5m leads
£33.99 each.
Solar Power



300 WATT POWER INVERTER
Convert 12V DC battery power into 230 AC to power portable televisions, computers, video recorders etc. 300 Watt power rating - peak power 600 Watts
£29.99 each.
Renewable Energy System Parts



CONVERTED PROGRAMMABLE DIGITAL TIMER RELAY
Mains powered programmable timer converted to low voltage with relay board
£21.99 each.
Renewable Energy System Parts



12 VOLT REGULATOR
Supply a fixed 12.0 Volt DC to your devices (up to 1 Amp output)
£4.99 each.
Complete Circuits



MR16 CERAMIC BULB HOLDER
Bulb holder for 12 Volt LED spotlight bulbs
£1.39 each.
Energy Efficient Lighting