Lawn repair 101
 

We have a section of lawn (about 50 sq ft) that is bare & needs repair. I searched all over for zoysia sod/sod pods. I finally resorted to ordering online. I just read in another post here that there are multiple varieties of zoysia. Does that make a big difference? Secondly, the lawn is in need of a ‘lift’. What type soil do I need and where do I get it? Finally, the Hunter Pro-C irrigation system is ‘acting up’. All settings are accurate except the seasonal adjustment. No matter how many times I reset it, it constantly reverts to 10%. So my sprinklers only run for < 5 minutes. How do I fix this so it sticks?

Leave the seasonal adjustment at 10 percent and increase the watering times manually. In my opinion, it is not worth fixing. The seasonal adjustment is a worthless feature.

Home Depot has fresh zoysia sod on Thursdays.

Find someone who understands the irrigation system and have him/her check it out.

Used Massey for a year and each of the 5 technicians they sent set system differently, wasting a lot of water in the process.

Found a neighbor who has a small business helping the rest of us in our village and it runs much better.

Call Nick at Villages Irrigation 352-235-0000

Good luck with that. Most irrigation technicians I have seen don't have a clue about the solar sync or seasonal adjustment features. Most controllers I have inspected have the solar sync set to the wrong geographical zone. By the way, you can buy a new controller from Amazon for about $90, but the issue may be with the outside sensor. Another option is to replace the outside sensor with a wireless rain sensor only, which eliminates the seasonal adjustment feature altogether. Many irrigation companies will recommend that option.

I agree with the outside sensor, these may last 4 or 5 years at best, I think i am on the 3rd one in 10 years.

If it is the outside sensor, you can buy the entire sensor assembly, including the solar sync and the rain sensor for $105.97 on Amazon.

Amazon.com

Note that I think you will need to cut the existing wires and splice them to the new wires because I don't think there are any wire terminals for connection. Another option is to pull the new wires through the conduit and into the controller box in the garage. A lot of homeowners have opted to replace the solar sensor assembly with a wireless rain sensor only, which eliminates the solar sync function, and allows you to control the watering times manually.

Slightly off topic, but you can now buy the rain sensor cork disks for the Hunter solar sync system on Amazon. In the past, these discs were only available on Ebay.

Amazon.com

Welcome aboard

It can be one of several issues, first the rain\solar sync sensor on the outside of the house, second, if its an older ProC with an external solar sync in the controller it may be that. The last one I had this problem with ended up changing out the entire controller. I think I paid $130 for new ProC controller four station, the rain, solar sensor cost $85 at Site One in Leesburg. I do this type of work all the time and would be happy to help. PM me.

One last thought, it may simply be your solar sync setting. On the older ProC while holding down the + button turn the dial to seasonal adjustment. On the newer controller simply turn the dial to solar sync. Your reading should be 3 10.

Irrigation
 

I disconnected the solar sync and now have it at 100% all the time. Unless you are a seasonal resident, it is easy to turn off the system when it rains. Now i know exactly how much & when sprinklers are on. No need for piece of cork on the roof for rain sensor. Call Hunter's Service Connection at 814 516 7923 for sprinkler maintenance.

Hunter control
 

I found the hunter control that came with the house difficult to program and impossible to keep programmed. I replaced it with a B-Hyve unit from Lowes made by rainbird. I can now program and control the system from my phone from anywhere. I believe it's made by Rainbird, comes in either 4 or 8 zone. It was the easiest thing I have ever paired to wifi and programmed.

I have the same Hunter controller and the same issue as the OP. The seasonal adjust setting is always on 10 percent regardless of how you initially set it. So, if you set the watering times for 20 minutes per zone and the seasonal adjust for 100 percent (per the instructions), the next day, the setting will have reset to 10 percent and now you are watering for 2 minutes per zone instead of 20 minutes. I think VT, the poster who said the outside sensor is defective, is correct. I decided to just leave the seasonal adjust at 10 percent and set the watering times manually. I could replace the outside sensor, but then the solar sync system will control the watering times, not me. Many people have replaced the outside sensor with a wireless rain sensor only, and I think that is the best way to go. In my opinon, the Hunter solar sync system is a worthless feature, and it cannot be permanently disabled without disabling the rain sensor as well.