I know this is a super old video, but THANK YOU so much for posting step-by-step instructions on how to hardwire the unit! My husband and I are new homeowners and you just saved us so much money in a service call. Once I could understand what I was looking at, I got it all hooked up and running in an hour. Thank you!!!
I also had the same situation with the power. I bought the sprinkler controller assuming I would be able to connect up the hard wire instead of outlet. Now that I watched this, I don't have to worry about the power to the controller.
glad i saw this video!...theres another guy on here hard wiring his unit but he cut the cord and spliced instead of unwiring at the transformer. This way is much cleaner and professional looking.
Exactly what i was looking for. kept looking for "replacing a hunter with orbit". found your video by accident. well presented, clear and informative. thank you
Awesome this is much appreciated! I’m going from an older Orbit to this unit and was concerned no one had shown a way to wire the transformer directly. Thank you!
Excellent video...exactly what I needed. Just bought the b-hyve controller and couldn't find any info/diagrams on hardwiring it. Thanks for putting this out there, it'll be a huge help while I'm installing this on Saturday!
Perfect. Thanks! Orbit support has a policy not to help with hard wiring. Probably a liability issue but it was so simple and if you already know that previous power was working I don't see big risk.
Thank you so much. I have the same lightning struck system to replace and I want to hard wire rather than use the plug. Your explanations and attention to detail were great!
Yes! Even though this is a 5 year old video, I just ordered a B-Hyve and was wondering about hard-wiring it in place of my failed Rainbird controller! Thanks so much :)
Perfect video. Thank you. Saved me $150 in install fees! The only thing I will have to find out is my old Rain Bird transformer had two orange wires coming out to attach to the 24 volt places and my new bhyve does not. guess its good to go! Thank you again!!
Awesome video sir. It fits my exact situation. I have to replace the Hunter X Core timer ( it suffered the all too common broken plastic rotary knob ) with the Orbit timer. Thanks so much for this video. I found it to be very thorough
Mine wont start my 3 phase pump relay! Did you have any issues with this? Can i get a power relay maybe. Relised hunter x core was 1amp were b-hyve is only 500ma
You sir are a legend! I needed to know exactly how the transformer was configured so I could convert the 120V US model to 240V to use elsewhere without a silly step-down transformer in-line. Your video was great as I could freeze a frame and determine that I need a 26VAC @ 750mA transformer for a perfect conversion :) Bloody fantasatic! Keep up the great work :)
My US 110V B-Hyves arrived yesterday. 30 minutes of easy effort replacing the transformer in one of them and it's now AUS 240V capable without any obvious signs of tampering/alteration... the perfect hack :) Transformer used was just a 240-24VAC 1A removed from a Jaycar Plugpack (MP3032 @ $27). Total cost of each unit including Postage and Transformer = $170AUD... $90 less than the cheapest 240V unit I could find locally but of course warranty is now void.
@@timothymanz7999 Hi. I don't use the Pump Output however I'm pretty sure it's either just relay contacts or possibly 24VAC. You need to connect a Pump Relay to this output for a Pump to work... something similar to this: learn.sprinklersupplystore.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/PSR-Connect-Power-Source-2.png
@@stephenbell1363 Hey there. My old analog timer died and I'm trying to replace with this unit. I bought it on a whim and it's too late to return it now, so trying to make do with what I have. I am in the US, but I don't have a standard 120v wall plug on the exterior of the house in that area. My sprinkler set up is on a well pump that is 230v. I was trying to hardwire the controller into this 230v system via the pump start relay, but looks like I'm running into the issue of the 120v adapter inside the unit. It looks like you used a 240 transformer, but when I search them, I get even more confused on how I would hook that up. Thanks in advance. I'm not very electrical savvy, so keep it simple for me :)
While the video is very helpful, he took things apart in advance. These steps, some of which are tricky, weren't shown in the video. This included who to release the little access plate for the power cord where it come into the device and how to release the clips holding the cover of the transformer. Other than these issues, the video is super helpful.
'm having trouble inserting some wires into the controller, any suggestions or tricks? What size screw bit are you using? It is very hard using the supplied screwdriver. My old controller had only 1 C terminal with 2 wires connected. Are all the C terminals on the HRC 400 the same? Why did you wire 2 C wires to the same terminal when you had another C terminal available?
So i have just completed the exact same swap. BUT...Mine wont start my 3 phase pump relay! Did you have any issues with this? Can i get a power relay maybe. Relised hunter x core was 1amp were b-hyve is only 500ma
Does it let you turn on zones one at a time in manual mode? I have one controller which only runs each zone one after another. With 3 zones, I have to wait for the first 2 zones to go through timed cycles before I can do adjustments on zone 3
what kind of wires are suitable for the valves? I have my valves spread across the garden and need to buy very long extension cables for them to connect to the timer... As for the water pump - do I have to link its power cord directly to the timer? Live cable in the PUMP terminal and neutral to COM terminal?
They should be low voltage for the valves. Ask any home depot guy to show you. The pumpe moter is hooked up to a controller. The wires going to the controller from the timer are low voltage NOT 230v. I would use 18 guage wire if less than 200 ft.
How can add a wire for relay? i have index valve so the direct power goes to turn/on off the pump. I am looking to replace eixsting mechanical timer, add a relay and direct wire a controller on top (there are no additional outlets to power controller separately)
Awesome video. Im also installing a B Hyve Wifi sprinkler system. I have to hardwire it like you did. My old system doesn't have a green wire. Do you know if it is needed?
I did some research on wiring and it turns out you are right. There is a wire that is currently grounded so I am fine. Thanks for responding. I appreciate your help. I still haven't heard back from Orbitz when I called. Thanks again!!
Hey, thanks for making this video. I'm about to install this same timer and notice that you had two yellow wires connected to the 24V terminals on the old timer. I have a similar setup where the wires go back up inside the old timer box. Do you know what those wires were for and why you didn't need to hook them back up on the new timer? Thanks for the help!
The yellow wires on the old timer are for the transformer. So it stays with the old timer. The orbit has a new one that I show how to hookup in the video when the orbit is on the bench. Hope that helps. Dave
@@daviddonoghue9256 Thanks for the quick reply David. I appreciate it. I think I'll try tackling this tonight and your video should make this a much easier job.
My current dumb 2 zone drip irrigation system has no wires! I'm adding a back yard zone & a 3rd zone to current 2 zone front yard system with future plans to add zones for lawn watering. I understand from videos how setup goes but am mystified as to where/what the wires are to attach to in my current 2 zones! There are no wires used in running my irrigation. I'd add wires if I knew where & why they're needed but without wires, my smart timer will have no idea how setup gets done. I cannot find the answer anywhere for this dilemma. Please help as vacation is nearing & must be a Smart system prior to leaving!
The wires go to the valves that open and close each zone of your sprinkler system. One set goes to the sprinkler pump for my setup. Some will have city water tha has pressure so you will just need the valves for each zone i.e. front yard, front shrubs, side yard. Most pumps can't do your whole yard at once. Hope that helps also look up "how to setup a sprinkler system" on YT Dave
Thanks, David Donoghue. If I'm going to do this upgrade, I'll need to add the manifolds to handle those changes but I'm not familiar with how that works so I guess I'll need to get help to do it. I had hoped to do it myself but don't want mistakes but wonder how complex it is. I see prebuilt manifolds & if it's just a matter of hookup & that's it, maybe doing it would be OK.
David - Really great video, the details really help a novice like me out. just out of curiosity why did you decide to directly hook in to A/C power rather than installing a new weatherproof GFCI plug with surge protection? Seems like it would be easier and reduce some electrical risk.
Thanks for great the video, I’m about to do this exact change out. Can you explain how you attached the green ground to the transformer, since the wire did not have a mounting point?
Hi petryman The screw goes into the black plastic case behind the transformer. look at 1:35 into the video you can see the screw. I do a cut and take out the screw to attach the other wires. you can see the transformer has two screws that hold it in. All you are doing is grounding dos not matter where you ground the transformer either screw will be fine. Dave
@@daviddonoghue9256 I was also confused by this and was needing clarification on your response. Are you saying to just wrap the copper part of the green wire around the screw?
David, to confirm you can hook up the 110 to the 24v transformer using either one of the 2 red wires? It doesn't matter which red wire to hook up to the hot or neutral?
Mine wont start my 3 phase pump relay! Did you have any issues with this? Can i get a power relay maybe. Relised hunter x core was 1amp were b-hyve is only 500ma
@@paulythehandyman Luckily I've had no issues with it starting my 220v relay and pump. Id imagine you could get a small step-up transformer. Your pump relay should have documentation on how much voltage/amperage is needed maybe? Edit, After quickly looking a transformer will up the voltage as well?, whats the make/model of your pump relay?
I reused the same sensor for the rain shut off. I think it will also do smart watering because its hooked up to the internet. Its a nice feature. When it rains in the area it shuts off the sprinkler system for 24hrs. you will get notification via the app.
Has anybody had issues or regret buying Orbit B Hyve 1 month or later after installation ? Considering changing from a Hunter Pro - C Outdoor Modular to Orbit B Hyve . Please comment.
Mine wont start my 3 phase pump relay! Did you have any issues with this? Can i get a power relay maybe. Relised hunter x core was 1amp were b-hyve is only 500ma
@@paulythehandyman Sorry Pauly went with the Hunter Pro- C Outdoor Modular. I wanted the Smart Orbit as it was the least expensive option.But I didn't want to risk it as I saw to many problems with Orbit.
Great video. My old sprinkler timer doesn’t have a pump wire so I just connected the com and all the valve wires to my b-hyve but mine won’t turn on. Anybody have any ideas? Thanks.
So you should have two wires from each valve on each zone. Take one wire from each valve that is attached to the pvc pipe and connect to the common. So if you have 4 valves connect them all together and connect to the common at the box. Make it the same color from each for simplicity. Then take the remaining wire and run each one separately to a zone 1 -2 -3 -4 . That will turn each valve on. That's if you have just city water with pressure and no pump. Hope that helps?
This is an awesome video. However, I can't get the face off the little black box. At about 1:30, you took it off, but you had already released all 3 clips prior to recording the video. They are very tight, and I can't figure out how to move them enough. I am afraid to break them. What am I doing wrong? :( Thanks!
After 1.25 hours of perseverance, I got the cover off! Used a few flathead screwdrivers, miniature plastic spatulas, and a little creativity. Since nobody else asked about this, I am very likely in the minority. :) :)
@@grammargirl6162 I have the same problem! Still struggling to remove it without breaking the tabs..especially the one on top, any ideas greatly appreciated
Orbit spinklers have typical problems that after warranty you will have an error messages NO AC and system will not start. No support form ORBIT staff and only one information is that you can buy a new one or send you to "repair" with probably cost of new one. So ORBIT spinkler = working time 2 years or little more if you are lucky. I hardly disrecomend this brand.
Thanks for the comment. I'm very happy with the performance of the Orbit system. My controller runs all the off brand equipment (sprinkler, pumps & valves) just fine. I've had no integration issues. It's Still going after 5 years. I would check you power source and your connections. Could also be your transformer. Might be a simple fix, just make sure you have good connections. Good luck Dave
Mine wont start my 3 phase pump relay! Did you have any issues with this? Can i get a power relay maybe. Relised hunter x core was 1amp were b-hyve is only 500ma
I deeply regret buying Orbit irrigation controllers for my home. They disconnect themselves from the wifi regularly: one of them will not reconnect. Ever. AVOID ORBIT. Their customer support is non-existent. And when you click “Troubleshooting” on the app, the window closes, nothing else happens. Zero. Nada.
As an irrigation company owner/operator I have NEVER had an issue with any Orbit B-Hyve controller. They are my go to for probably 99% of our new installs and we love them. Their app is top of the line and user friendly and I have never had 1 single call back for issues. I would highly suggest learning more about your router and modem or have your internet service provider come out and find out what is going on with that side of your system before bashing Orbit. No, I am not an Orbit employee nor do I have anything to do with them other than buying their products myself, I just don’t like seeing negative reviews because of someone’s lack of knowledge.
Thank you but this was too important of a video to do by yourself for us needy people. Sure would have been nice to have a tri-pod or a helper. But doing it on your own worked out good enough that even this idiot might just work it out!
Do you know to do anything to loosen this piece up? For some reason, mine doesn't seem to budge: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-dXYNfx4o2r8.html