Clock, start times, run times and water days for the Rain Bird ESP-TM2 and ESP-ME3 and the Hunter X2 and Pro-C, plus month-by-month seasonal adjust for the High Desert.
Get a Free Irrigation EstimateEvery sprinkler timer needs four settings: the clock, a start time, a run time for each zone, and the days to water. On Rain Bird ESP-TM2 and ESP-ME3 and Hunter X2 and Pro-C controllers, you turn the dial to each setting, use the arrow buttons to move and the + and – buttons to change values, then turn the dial back to AUTO (Rain Bird) or RUN (Hunter).
Before you start, find three things. First, the model name on the front of the controller. Second, your district’s watering days, which are in our High Desert watering schedules guide. Third, which zone number waters what, so you can give drip zones and lawn zones different run times.
From the ESP-TM2 manual, rev 05/16 (Rain Bird ESP-TM2 manual):
If the screen freezes, the manual says to unplug the controller for 2 minutes and plug it back in, or press RESET. Stored programs stay in memory.
The ESP-ME3 follows the same dial-and-buttons pattern as the ESP-TM2. The differences, from the ESP-ME3 manual (Rain Bird ESP-ME3 manual):
Rain Bird also recommends that the maximum station cycle time be less than the time required for runoff to begin. The older first-generation ESP-Me is close but not identical. Use its own manual from Rain Bird’s ESP-Me support page.
From Hunter’s X2 support pages (Hunter X2 support):
From the Pro-C Owner’s Manual, LIT-605-US C 3/20 (Hunter Pro-C owner’s manual):
The feature table in the same manual lists run times of 1 minute to 4 hours while the programming section says 1 minute to 6 hours, so check your own manual revision. For the Pro-C’s Programmable Rain Off (1 to 31 days), follow the steps in the owner’s manual itself; our how to turn off sprinklers guide covers the simpler SYSTEM OFF option.
We are not listing Orbit button steps here, because we could not check them against an Orbit manual. Use Orbit’s own guides: the Easy-Set Logic guide on Orbit’s site or the Easy Dial programming support page. For Wi-Fi controllers that run from a phone app, use the maker’s in-app help or support site.
If you are thinking about a weather-based controller and you are a Liberty Utilities customer in Apple Valley, Liberty lists a Weather Based Irrigation Controller Program that requires its no-cost water audit to qualify (Liberty water programs). More on rebates is on our water rebates page.
Seasonal adjust scales every run time by a percentage. The ESP-TM2 manual’s example: at 50%, a 10-minute run time runs 5 minutes. The simplest way to use it is to set run times that work in July at 100%, then lower the percentage each month.
The table below is our estimate, not a published schedule. We took the monthly reference ET (ETo) for Apple Valley from Liberty Utilities’ October 2025 water supply assessment (Liberty, Table 2-1) and divided each month by July’s 9.53 inches. Use it as a starting point and adjust by watching your plants.
| Month | ETo (in) | Starting % | Month | ETo (in) | Starting % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2.22 | 23% | July | 9.53 | 100% |
| February | 3.01 | 32% | August | 8.80 | 92% |
| March | 4.98 | 52% | September | 6.55 | 69% |
| April | 6.48 | 68% | October | 4.52 | 47% |
| May | 7.98 | 84% | November | 2.74 | 29% |
| June | 9.11 | 96% | December | 2.02 | 21% |
All four controllers here can reach these values: the ESP-TM2 and ESP-ME3 go down to 5% and the X2 to 10%. Winter and summer watering hours are covered in the High Desert irrigation guide.
If a zone still runs when the timer says it should not, the problem may be the valve, not the timer. See sprinkler valve leaking. When the controller itself is the problem, Monarch replaces and upgrades controllers as part of our irrigation service; the irrigation cost guide covers what goes into it.
No. One start time runs every station in that program in order. Rain Bird’s ESP-TM2 manual says separate start times are not required for each valve.
Usually because extra start times were set by mistake. Rain Bird lists this as the cause of excessive watering in the ESP-TM2 manual.
It is a percentage that scales every run time at once. In the ESP-TM2 manual’s example, a 10-minute run time runs 5 minutes at 50%.
It depends on your water provider. Victorville sets even addresses Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and odd addresses Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Adelanto sets even Tuesday and Thursday and odd Wednesday and Friday. Hesperia allows any day. Confirm with your district.
The ESP-TM2 manual says to unplug the controller for 2 minutes and plug it back in, or press RESET. Stored programs stay in memory.
We checked every number on this page against the public sources below. If a rule or date changes, the agency page is the final word.
Monarch installs and upgrades sprinkler controllers and drip zones across the High Desert, with zones laid out so lawn, beds and trees each get their own schedule. Get a free estimate and a straight answer on what your system needs.
Get a Free Irrigation EstimateOr call (760) 792-7627
