Orbit 62100 Yard Enforcer Motion-Activated Sprinkler with Day & Night Detection Modes,Black
Effective and Humane Pest Deterrents
Tired of critters wreaking havoc in your yard? Are they eating or destroying your garden, flowers, or other yard vegetation? The Yard Enforcer is a motion-activated sprinkler that combines sound, water, motion and ingenuity as a defense to one of your most precious assets: your landscape. They deter deer, birds, cats, dogs, skunks, opossums, and other similar pests and animals without hurting them.
Repels:
- Deer
- Dogs
- Cats
- Birds
- Skunks
- Squirrels
- Rabbits
- Herons
- Raccoons
- and more!
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Three Detection ModesThe exclusive Detection Mode feature allows you to control when the Yard Enforcer is activated. You can use them only during daylight hours, or, for protection 24/7, select the ‘always on’ mode. Only want to protect the yard at night so it doesn’t spray human visitors during the day? The ‘night only’ mode will do just that. | Expandable Spray ZoneThe Yard Enforcer has the ability to increase the water enforcement area by connecting additional impact sprinklers (sold separately), via the dual flow-through ports controlled by the valve. Another option is to increase the protected zone with additional Enforcers that can be linked together through the flow-through outlet. | Superior CoverageThe powerful infrared sensor can detect intruders from up to 40 feet away and has a wide viewing angle of 120 degrees, that’s 1600 square feet of protective coverage from a single unit. |
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One Smart SensorThe Yard Enforcer has a passive infrared motion sensor that detects animals from up to 40 feet away, even at night, to give you maximum protection, and its intelligent sensing technology learns the difference between animals and tree limbs blowing in the wind to prevent overwatering. | Adjustable Line of SightPosition the sensor and sprinkler in the direction of where the pest enters the yard to chase them away before they reach the plants and landscaping you are protecting. The sensor unit can be angled down for smaller animals, or angled up for larger animals and birds. | Doubles as a SprinklerThe Yard Enforcer has a 30-minute watering cycle that enables it to function as a timed sprinkler. Protect the yard without the hassle of having to switch out the Enforcers for a sprinkler every time the lawn or garden needs watering. |
| Dimensions: | 25.4 x 12.7 x 62.23 cm; 626 Grams |
| Model: | 62100 |
| Part: | 62100 |
| Batteries Included: | 4 AA batteries required. |
| Manufacture: | Orbit |
As a dog owner (Luna, a Belgian Malinois and German Shepherd mix), I was looking for a way to protect certain areas of my garden. The motion-activated feature caught my eye, and I must say, it works impressively well.
Pros
1. Effective Motion Detection: The sprinkler reacts promptly to movement, ensuring no unwanted animals enter the protected area.
2. Day & Night Modes: The ability to choose between detection modes adds flexibility and ensures round-the-clock protection.
3. Easy Installation: Setting it up was a breeze, and the adjustable range made it suitable for different parts of my yard.
Cons:
1. Sensitivity Adjustment: Although the motion detection is impressive, I did face some challenges in fine-tuning the sensitivity. It occasionally triggered when Luna was nearby, even in areas where I didn’t want it to.
2. Water Consumption: Be mindful of the water usage if you set it to a high sensitivity level, as it can consume more water than expected.
Overall, the Orbit 62100 Yard Enforcer is a valuable addition to my garden, helping to protect delicate plants and keep unwanted visitors at bay. With some minor adjustments, it could be perfect. I’d recommend this to fellow dog owners or anyone looking for an intelligent watering solution.
Mothballs absolutely do NOT work. Forget about that.
A large Unicorn birthday balloon anchored in the main flower bed worked while she patrolled. The Unicorn had been just floating around one evening and seemed to want to follow me when I was walking the dogs, so I brought her home and stationed her in the garden, where her bobbing bizzarreness did deter the possum. But then the little boy whose birthday she had escaped from spotted her, and she had to go back to her original home. The possum came back.
Then I borrowed a cage trap from a friend, and after several nights I finally caught the possum! It looked so pathetic… and its jaw looked wounded from trying to get out of the trap … and what if it was a mama with babies? So I let her go.
The horrible experience of being trapped did NOT deter the possum from returning. And finally I found the Yard Defender and hooked it up. Finally!! I really works. I can testify to that having been soaked on 6 occasions. (I keep coming back because I live here.) First, I forgot it was there and I could not take the shortcut from my car to the front door. Then I didn’t realize that it is set when the sun is just sort of low — that is a big flaw, IMO, because that’s the time I’d like to be sitting out there enjoying the fading afternoon and the sunset. So that situation is one that’ll catch you. When you trip the motion sensor, it also has an infrared sensor to make sure you are a critter and not just a branch moving in the wind, so it doesn’t go off until you are almost on top of it. No escape.
But I don’t care, this is the solution that finally convinced the possum that my yard was off-limits. And I’m quick-drying.
1) you can mount the sensor closer to the ground with a special bracket that is provided.
2) in addition, the sensor can be tilted upward and downward – so you really get some height accuracy. I really needed to get close to the ground because these groundhogs are sneaky.
That said, I have a love/hate relationship with this thing:
1) I have no idea when, where, and how it detects motion. Sometimes I think it can only detect about 2 feet away and then other days it’s 5 to 8 feet. It definitely has never detected 40 feet, as advertised.
2) So I am constantly moving this thing b/c it has to be super close to the target or it’s pointless.
3) I set up cameras – or I wouldn’t even have this much info.
4) There is a lot of guesswork involved. Thank goodness for Youtube which clearly stated how to set this thing up AND move the sensor location to the bottom.
5) You have to angle the sprinkler at a 45-degree angle downward so it sprays closer to the ground WHILE articulating the sensor upward (so it’s not pointing at the ground). Yet another riddle.
6) You get super wet and it takes hours to figure this stuff out and it still has random sensitivity and costs BIG BUCKS for said inefficiency.
So, like I said, love/hate. I purchased 2. I think I’ll return the second one as the sprinkler head gurgles out water, unlike the laser-sharp accuracy of the first one.
All of this work leaves me very meh-sigh-ho-hum on this product. If the groundhogs weren’t annoying me so much, I would just pass on this product, have a beer, and let them eat the stupid flowers.
Love/hate, out.
it can be used for multiple things such as a toy for your kids and to water your garden. The cat or bird will never come again.
This little gadget really works. I got it to scare away the possums and other creatures out of my front lawn at night. The use of this little gadget for a couple of weeks have kept the animals at by and digging in my neighbors yard. In addition the gadget got two of my neighbors that were pooping their dogs in my yard as well. great I highly recommend…..
As many suburbanites are, I am suffering from deer eating my flowers and shrubs. I’ve tried fences, mesh coverings, scents, motion lights, etc. Nothing has been effective when hostas and hydrangeas are involved. I’ve seen these motion detection sprinklers advertised as a solution for years, but it seemed like just another good idea that would not be effective in reality. But I tried it anyway. I got this model because it has at least a setting on it so that it is not on except night. That keeps visitors and ourselves from being squirted every time we walk by it. The less expensive versions do not have this feature. It is fairly good, but I would prefer and actual timer on it so that I could schedule the on and off times. I think it comes on too early at sundown, right when I like to exercise my dogs near the flower beds that the device guards. My solution to this problem has been to put a water timer on the supply line that does have a clock so that it now has to be dark and the water supply turned on before it operates. Finding a water timer that lets you set it for open for twelve hours after 6:30 PM was not easy, but I did find one. I installed the system at the end of June. It is now early October. We have not had a deer problem during that time. I have security cameras (Blink) that monitor the area. Before the sprinkler we got pictures of deer nearly every night. Now all I have seen are cats, raccoons, and armadillos. I bought two more sprinklers and am working on expanding my protected area.
Sturdy no leaks kind of disappointed on reaction time to the pests that I have however I am pleased on how it seems to track the pest through the yard deterring them away
Last year we had a real problem with deer eating our flowers. My wife works so hard to nurture her garden babies. Then the deer come like thieves in the night and rub the bark off our aspens and eat all the yummy plants. Then I got this motion activated sprinkler. We call it our sprinkler with an attitude! Whenever you get in the area at night, get ready to get wet! It kept the critters out of our garden all summer. However, now that it’s autumn and the deer are moving during the day, they are sneaking in when the sprinkler is asleep. You can set it up to work during the day too, but that requires some dancing around if you forget it’s on. Bottom line- it is well worth it if you have a critter intrusion in your garden.
I like the versatility it offers for large or small animal deterrence. I also like the ability to add more satellite sprinklers. But you need more motion sensing for greater coverage.
This product is excellent at preventing deer from entering your front yard garden. It is also excellent for inciting side splitting laughter from your neighbors as you repeatedly forget it is on, and walk into your yard only to be immediately drenched in 5,000 gallons of water. As an added bonus, the night setting allows the timing of the sprinkler activation to start at a surprisingly different time each evening. It is guaranteed to keep both uninvited friends and parents with alzheimers out of your garden. It also might cause you to experience PTSD like symptoms any time you step on grass at night.
Over all, I would 100% buy it again. Because A) deer are now afraid of me B) I got to listen to a phone call from my best friend who drove home naked after becoming drenched while trying to eat a tomato from my garden when I wasn’t home and C) army crawling through my bushes at night to avoid the sprinkler is exhilarating.
Rat getting blasted!! I gave it 4 stars because I would like it to be more sensitive than the highest sensitivity setting. Does seem to be doing it’s job. The instruction manual that comes with it need a lot of work. Wound up watching youtube videos to learn how to operate.
Piece that screws in to adjust spray broke off and I can’t get the rest of it out. Directions to set up for small animals vs large animals are unclear but we figured it out. Still adjusting to find motion detection at a distance. Overall sturdy parts and works well. Just need a replacement sprinkler head.
Can’t say enough about this product we call him Aulby
Easy to set up simple to use fabulous options day night always or off
Whether it’s a nasty bird that is trying to attack smaller native birds or a cat that you want to keep off your property or an intruder at night this is the best scarecrow product I have used in 30 years
And buying another one today to Put in another property we have
Many parts are made of plastic, be careful when you place this in the ground. Use your foot on the metal spike, and avoid pushing on the plastic pipes. It does effectively work when activated.
Once deer have become accustomed to browsing your flower or garden beds, lights/sounds/sonic noise, etc. are only brief deterrents that no longer induce fear. We found that squirting with a garden hose works quite well if you can sneak up on them browsing. This device works independently and has enough options for you to use it in various places. Detection and water jet ranges are excellent. The jet is noisy enough to startle them and, if they’ve gotten too close, they get squirted first. They really hate being squirted!!! My Yard Enforcer is guarding my fenced-in strawberry patch that they only just discovered two weeks ago after 9 years. This is the ONLY deterrent that works if deer have grown used to your smorgesbord.
It works. I bought this one b/c the stake is metal which is important b/c I think the other one sold is plastic. The water pressure is so strong that it moves the sprinkler, that I had to put rocks in the dirt to enforce it from moving. The battery life is also very impressive since I am still on my first set of batteries after using it on the 24/7 feature for approximately 2 mos. Now I have it on night feature b/c it would always go on when a big car/suv/truck would pass by during the daytime, scaring different people with pets who are walking nearby. So far it seems to work and deers are not eating my bushes/flowers that it is protecting as much as before. I am worried that one day the batteries will die – b/c there is no way to know except by testing it, and then the deers will feast! Or if the deers become braver!
Overall the enforcer saved my garden from the heavy marauders like the deer and ground hogs so my kale and chard where able to make a good recovery it doesn’t scare the squirrels and chipmunks so my tomatoes are wiped out while still green so only four stars. Also goes off easily from wind blown objects so I’m a bit concerned about the next water bill.
I purchased this device as I saw it working well in a friends yard. Pretty easy to set up. I rated the durability a bit low as I have only had this device for a few days. I am not pleased that the hose connection is dripping water. This is not the first hose connected device I have ever used so there must be some inherent unevenness that is preventing a good seal. Here’s hoping it will discourage annoying raccoons from digging up my lawn!
Purchased this to deter stray cats from spraying items on my patio.
The motion sensor is very sensitive and activates quickly. The water usage is minimal for each activation. After a few nights the neighbourhood cats have decided to go elsewhere.
My only issue would be the time of day sensor. I have the unit set to only work at night. Often when leaving for work in the morning the sensor will activate and I end up running for cover trying not to get wet. In the end this is a minor issue that is easily overcome by remembering its out there to begin with. If you have issues with animals around your home, this is a perfect solution. Highly recommended.
I live on the edge of a regional park so I get every kind of wildlife creature you can imagine passing through my patio. We love it except when we are growing fruit and tomatoes during the summer months. We have had issues with deer, pigs, skunks, raccoons and other types of creatures that LOVE our produce. We have tried everything to try and keep them out of our yard and have even tried covering the produce with individual bags to try and keep them safe. Doesn’t matter, they still chew on the bag like a chew toy.
This is my SECOND Yard Enforcer!!! I bought one last year and it worked perfectly!!! But I have more plants spread out this year. This time we have situation one at each corner of the yard. It take a few times for the animals to figure out that they cannot breach the backyard. But after a while, you can tell they figure out that if they come into our back yard they get sprayed with water and stop trying. I highly recommend this product!!!
I like the modular design, because the sensor is not integrated into the body of the unit it will be easier to repair if needed in the future. The plastic parts are fairly robust, however it is still plastic and I would expect to have to replace those parts with metal sometime in the future.
Several reviews say the unit stopped working after a few weeks, or it needed readjusting. You need to understand how the sensor works. A real basic understanding is the sensor detects body heat vs the ambient temperature. So if the ambient temperature is 95 degrees F, the sensor may have trouble picking up an animal with a body temp of 100. This is why they usually work best at night. Another factor is target size. A small target like a chipmunk running by may also be difficult for the sensor, just do to the low heat mass of the chipmunk. The sensor module has a switch for Day, Night, Always, and Off. Nice idea, but an inexpensive digital timer would be much better.
The sprinkler does work as expected and so for so good. I bought this because the deer have been devastating my landscape for years. Maybe this year I will actually get to see our day lilies, we will see in about two weeks.
I purchased this as a temporary deer deterrent until our fence is built around the garden. I thought it would be a waste of money and tried to talk my husband out of wasting $. This morning after using it for a few weeks I noticed my brand new steel garden bed was dented. After looking at it closer I notice a bunch of deer fur in the bed. Turns out this does work and spooked the poor deer so bad he likely left with massive bruising after crashing into the bed trying to get away. Hopefully it scared him enough he’ll stay away for a while. I do wish the spike was longer as I find it can easily be bumped out of place.
The actual apparatus is made of plastic; it leaks at the hose entry even with Teflon wrapped around the threads, and it changes the direction of the “squirt” from time to time, meaning that when I need to turn it off when we use the beach, it’s a 50/50 chance that I get squirted on the way. But I appreciate it so much because there are no more tootsie rolls.
Have tried various methods to keep deer from feasting on our landscaping. This seems to have done the trick. Have had it for 5 weeks and deer have not bothered our Hosta plants after the second night of it being installed. Our Hostas (and our hydrangeas) had been eaten down to the roots before I installed it. I have the setting to operate only at night but this setting also will unexpectedly spray you as you cross the yard on heavily overcast days. Only improvement would be if they could make it go 360 degrees instead of 180 degrees. Blends into landscape well. Love it.
I love my roses and so do the deer here in NJ. Nothing keeps their population down unfortunately.
I moved to my new home only to find when my roses were in full bloom, the next morning they were literally all gone. I started with 3 of these, not expecting much. I can see the tracks of the deer in the mulch. The first day I put these up, I could clearly see the hoof marks deeper as they jumped away from this squirting gun. I have since added 3 more and they perimeter my garden. THEY WORK! No ifs ands or buts. It will take you some time to figure out the best positioning, because the deer move very slowly. You also need to bury the hoses connecting, no big deal. The only negative is they should have a remote to shut them off. I installed a solenoid valve at the spigot and I can now turn it on and off with my phone via a wifi plug. This is a great product and made it possible for me to have a rose garden. They use regular AA batteries and to my surprise last the season here about 7 months.
This is a great product. My backyard is a relatively large .75 acre, and since a few years ago that we bought this property, it took a lot of hard work to turn it around from a weedy bald place to a nice and lush green lawn with a lot of hard work to re-seed every spring and fall, until… since last fall, some very pesky nocturnals, most probably raccoons and/or skunks, have been ravaging my backyard.
I’d wake up literally every morning with absolute frustration and desperation to see BIG chunks of fresh grass being dug, destroyed and rolled over like carpet, and they would come back the next day to cause more harm to other places. They were working tirelessly on destroying areas of over 5,000 sqft of lawn, every night.
The grass was grub-treated, and I checked many areas, and there were no signs of grubs, but that wouldn’t stop the night bandits from coming back and causing more harm. I’d almost given up until I came across this product. Quite honestly, I bought it being very skeptical. But the freaking thing works!! You might need a few adjustments to make sure it “sees” and targets the right area, including height and angle of view, though. I had it installed but kept getting damages at the same time for a couple of nights, and I kept making minor adjustments on the motion sensor’s angle of view each time unit; a few nights later… the damages stopped!!
It worked so well that I have installed a couple more to cover large areas, and the ongoing sabotage has stopped since! Not seeing any damage anymore. I love it because it works, and it also deters the bandits in a humane way without harming them. It turns the skunks and raccoons into your free landscape service providers as they trigger the sprinklers and help water the lawn for you!
I was using a different one (Scarecrow), but I found this one was much better quality. I love the brass fittings, and that it has a dial on the side so it can easily be changed to off, daytime, night, or always. This is exactly awesome when moving the lawn or kids are our playing. (That way I don’t have to turn off the water, and remember to turn it back on later, instead I can just turn it to night settings).
We get a lot of bears in our backyard, they come by day or night and test to see if its own before entering. Since having it, the bears have finally stopped eating my veggie garden.
We picked this up to fight the racooons who kept visiting the backyard to dig up our lawns for fun, or for food I don’t know it doesn’t matter. We tried using other scent based repellents and that only worked for as long as the scent lasted so that’s no good.
This was an extremely expensive investment so I had high expectations. At its core it’s a very simple product: a sprinkler with a built in motion sensor (technically heat sensor so it won’t spray at swaying trees or falling leaves). You can adjust the sensor range, as well the the spray duration (up to 10s), range (long jet or wide spray), and coverage (up to 360, but why?)
The sensor’s coverage is roughly 180, and at the longest range, it’ll trigger from about 20-25 feet away and pelt you with water fast enough that you won’t get away unless you knew it was coming. There are 3 modes: day, night, and always.
I find the night mode, which is what we use for the racooon guard duty, is overly sensitive so it will go off even on a cloudy day or in the shade in late afternoon. This is a bit of a problem since it makes the yard a bit of a landmine zone when you just want to take a stroll in it.
It does otherwise an admirable job and most importantly kept the racoons away since it was installed. It also has a 30 minute watering mode which is helpful if you want to use it like a regular sprinkler. We actually bought a second one just to get full coverage of our yard since the racoons initially just moved to dig up the other side of the yard outside the initial one’s range.
Again, it’s very expensive. But it does its job well, if maybe a bit too eager to spray.
We moved into a new place with a huge boring front yard last year. I decided to plant flowers and a small garden around the outside edges of our huge front lawn. When the flowers began to bloom, something came in the night and ate all of the buds from every plant! We were so upset, we began searching for ways to prevent more damage from happening to our garden and we came across this device.
If you are as committed to the humane treatment of animals as we are, this device is the answer! It is easy to assemble and takes 2 AA batteries and your water hose to work. You can set it to detect movement close to the ground or a little higher (for deer or people) and for it to detect movement in the daytime or at night.
We discovered a flock of Turkeys were the ones destroying our garden and now they will come and stand under a tree in the yard, well away from the area protected by the motion detector impact sprinkler.
The INSTANT something moves within range of the sensor, a powerful stream of water shoots out and sweeps across the area in front of the garden and it startles whatever was headed toward it. The stream of water lasts only 10 seconds or so but it makes everything run away!
Nothing is safe, children, husbands, pets or wild animals all get thoroughly sprayed down and as a bonus, our lawn has never been greener!
Our plants and garden looks wonderful, our lawn is beautiful and this device is still working on the same batteries after two months of use! No animals, children or husbands were harmed by this product. It did teach them to use the walkway instead of shortcutting over the lawn to the front door! I recommend purchasing and installing this item to humanely solve all of your garden/lawn pest problems, it works!
This actually sprays water from a noisy sprinkler when it detects motion. It kept the deer off my flowers so well we bought a second one for the garden. Then we bought a third one as a gift for my parents. They are great.
Note that the motion detection is a little finiky. You can walk right in front of it and sometimes it doesn’t go off then other times a car can drive by 80 meters away and it will set it off. There is a dial to adjust “distance” but it’s more aptly named “sensitivity”. One you have it dialed in it works great.
We bought this to deter raccoons who’ve been getting into our pond and shredding plants. Getting it set with the right spray pattern and detection range took some fiddling around, but now seems to work reliably. We’ve been able to set a pattern that cover the arc of the pond, but doesn’t hit the path beyond it. After a couple of days of use, we noticed a gurgled rock knocked over in the morning. It looks like the raccoons took their usual entry path near where we set up the sprinkler, and knocked over the gurgled in a blind panic when the sprinkler went off. Haven’t detected them on the security camera since. Build of the unit seems ok, but unable to assess durability after just a couple of weeks.
I have done lots of research to try to find something to keep the rabbits and deer away. I couldn’t have any kind of flowers and bushes in the front of my phone because they’re eaten all the time 24/7. I also have squirrels in the backyard that dig into the wood chips so all around I have an animal problem not that I don’t love animals but from a distance. So I put in motion the orbit yard enforcer. My squirrels that used to come down and take in my flower bed in the wood chips at the back now they try lying flat on their bellies to figure out how to get past the orbit it’s quite funny to watch. In the front the rabbits have learned to stay a distance away because I don’t have it on full force so they’re just eating the grass at a distance the deer won’t come here so I have a few more experiments to do and I will definitely show pictures. So far it’s a win-win just cost a little more money for water because of had it running always, now it’s only on night and that’s the perfect setting.
I bought this to keep the deer out of the garden. They walk into the driveway and make a B-Line for the veggies. I was checking the cucumbers this morning when a deer decided to stroll in for a snack. It got just to the edge of the driveway when the enforcer cut in. I have never seen a deer pivot in mid air before. It just did a pivot and took off back the way it had come so fast I didn’t even get a good look at it.
The only downside so far (and it’s probably something I’ve not done right) is after a few discharges the sensor is facing the wrong direction and has to be adjusted but as long as it keeps the deer out of the garden I have no problem dealing with that very minor irritation.
I have had lots of trouble with cats using my garden as a toilet, basically killing plants and generally being a nuisance including killing song birds.
However, the situation has altered after a couple of days of using the Orbit Yard Enforcer. I have a great video of it in action caught at 03:00 hours on one of my security cameras. The cat wasn’t pleased.
I am though, still laughing at the video !!!
Great piece of kit and highly recommended. No harm done to the cat other than a really good power shower ! It wont be back.
So, having researched the various water-based options we opted for this as the quality seemed to be the best that was available. It comes at a price though, and it really should be well made for this much money.
It feels and looks solid and the mainly metal construction which probably explains why it is still working now (with some degradation of the unit). If we had bought one the competitor plastic ones by other makes I seriously doubt that they would still be functioning by now. It actually looks a bit like some form of permitter defence tool (which in a sense it is). Maybe something from a remake of ‘The Thing’ or a hi-tech home security device. Your neighbour may be very curious, not to say concerned when they see this being set up.
From memory it wasn’t too difficult to assemble it and get it ready to go, and so while I can’t now locate the instructions, they must have been adequate. By the way, we are still on the original 4x AA batteries we installed, so provided that it isn’t going off all the time you should get good battery life from it. It supposedly only uses a couple of cups a water per activation. I have no way of measuring that but we leave the garden tap on a low setting and turn it off during the day most days and haven’t noticed a spike in the water bill.
We didn’t receive an adaptor to connect a UK hose to the unit and so had to buy one. We got Hozelock adaptor that fitted it from a garden centre or diy store (can’t recall which) and unlike the Hozelock hoses (see below) it has performed okay thus far. A brass connector would probably form a more water-tight connection, but if anything like the one we connect to at the other end to join the garden tap, you might never get the thing off again!
As for hoses. Oh yes, therein lies a problem all of itself, finding a hose that can cope with the tap being on all the time and being left out in all that the British weather can throw at it. We have been through two Hozelock ones (one old, and one brand new and supposedly tough) seriously, don’t bother; a so-called non-kink unbreakable and very expensive one (I forget the make but they are British and they even sent one of their reps out to try and discover why its connectors kept leaking – he didn’t we were refunded and then binned it with the rep’s blessing); an expandable one which worked fantastically with the Orbit until it sprung a leak as they are prone to do; and finally (hopefully), on recommendation from another owner of the Orbit, we are currently using a Faithful heavy-duty Builders hose, which so far is working well. The moral of the story is depending on your outside tap connections be prepared to invest in some brass connectors and to try various hoses out, especially if you plan on using the Orbit a lot and intend leaving it on overnight and in all sorts of weather.
It will take some adjustment when you first use it to get it right for your intended use and your garden. You can adjust the duration (it is on), distance the water spays, plus have it come on during the day, at night, or always (or ‘off’, of course). The arc of the water spray is also adjustable to cover a wide area (width-wise). The rubber o-ring underneath this turning mechanism, has perished on ours to the extent that it broke and then came off, so that arc control doesn’t function quite as well as it did and it feels a bit loose. This has resulted in it spraying too widely at times when not set to do so. I may buy one of those multi-packs of rubber o-rings to see if one of them fits to solve this problem.
The sensor part is adjustable up and down and has quite a wide area in which it will detect movement. At times it seems very sensitive and other times waving a hand or boot in front of it to test it won’t always set it off. There is also a lag between sprays to avoid wasting water so if it has just triggered then it won’t go off again straight away. In general the sensor is, as with our trail camera, generally okay but at times a weakness. Both have a tendency to be set off by fences panels and vegetation blowing on the wind, but conversely will still miss something larger and slower like a hedgehog or broom handle being waved at them. Overall the sensor does a decent job though, but you will have to be patient and try various angles when trying to deter an animal incursion.
When it goes off it also makes a rapid clicking noise, which adds to the deterrent, but woke us up a few times in the summer with the windows open wondering what on earth it was.
It can also function as a garden sprinkler but we haven’t used that function at all and aren’t likely to so I can’t comment on it.
The Enforcer has metal spike with two side plates to stand on to get it securely into the ground (a bit like treading on a shovel). Despite being metal these both bent on ours a while back, which is very disappointing. It is still usable but less secure than it would otherwise have been. Perhaps they don’t have to contend with the Essex clay type of soil in the States?
As well as the o-ring and the foot/balance bits for the spike taking a hit, the body itself is showing signs of weathering and wear. It still works okay and has been in some ropey weather and low and high temperatures so that is quite impressive really.
In all the time we have owned and used the Orbit we have yet to catch it spraying the offending cat when under the watchful eye of our trail camera, but we have heard it going off late at night and noticed an absence of said moggy’s ‘present’ on that location thereafter so we think it must have worked. The trail camera wasn’t always in-situ and has it own flaws as well. The Orbit has caught out a few unwary pigeons who weren’t harmed but had an unexpected shower. As with all deterrents though you need to keep using it to reinforce the message and we find that we now need to move it to the front garden where the cat poo problem has also moved.
This will be a challenge though as it is also the route the postman and others take cutting across our law to next door, plus if the spraying arc goes doolally because of the missing o-ring then we could end up soaking passers-by on their way to the station. It will take some careful placement and switching off early in the morning. Any very early commuters or dog walkers (who have also been know to let their dogs poo on our lawn) will just have to take their chances.
PROS:
Well made overall, with a largely metal construction and a serious, military-grade ‘secure the perimeter’ type appearance.
Really good options re duration, night/day/both use and range, and very adjustable over all.
Sensor works okay – not fantastically but okay. It is good at picking up those who try and sneak in from the side (I know because I tried when testing it).
The sprayer works well even with the garden tap on hardly at all and apparently uses very little water per activation.
Battery life is very good though it may be different for you if you are having constant incursions and triggers.
It has largely stood the test of time in all that the British weather could throw at it.
Certainly powerful enough and can reach a large area in a small garden like ours.
CONS:
Although very well made the bent spike supports and perished o-ring were a bit of a disappointment.
No UK hose fitting adaptor included.
The sensor while pretty good will sometimes miss things.
In general you will have to fiddle about a bit with the settings to get it right for your needs.
A deterrent needs constant usage to work. Finding a suitable hose that can cope with being out and on a lot of the time in all weathers isn’t easy and several unbreakable, no-kink hoses just weren’t up to the job.
It is a high quality item that wouldn’t look out of place in a military tool catalogue, but even so the price will put most people off unless they have a serious issue and have tried most other solutions.
You need to have the garden tap on all the time. If that connection leaks as ours often did with the various hose issues we have had then you would be wasting a lot of water if you don’t notice or are out. We only have ours on when we are in, but this could easily happen at night when we are asleep and soak the lawn and waste water and money.
OVERALL:
Despite the wear and tear and the trials and tribulations of the hose selection we are glad that we bought this. It is a lot of money but unlike audio deterrents and all the other supposed solutions it actually works. And unlike fence spikes etc. there’s no harm to the animals – just an unexpected shower to make them think again. I would ideally prefer a motion activated sprinkler that worked off a reservoir rather than the hose, but the only make that made those had very mixed reviews and they are pretty much unavailable over here anyway. In so far as I am aware then this is the best of its type that you can get. It isn’t perfect by any means and it is a lot of money, but if you need one then there’s little else around so I can recommend it.
This unit responds quickly to all the nightly critters that used to come to use our yard for their favorite night-time potty run and to check my garbage cans for snacks. I call it my “kitty sprinkler” and it is so much more humane than live-trapping or other alternatives. It seems I can go weeks now without those nasty visitors. Great product!
Now that I have one that works, I love it. Getting there was a bit of hastle. The first one I received had been returned by a customer and then sent out again to me. There was a fitting left on it by the previous customer. It did not work of course. I was not thrilled, but after the bother of having to return it, my new one was here pronto. Works great.
This is the 2nd sprinkler I purchased. The first one was much cheaper but would randomly trigger – once activated, the dripping water over the PIR would trigger it again – and so on!
The Orbit is more expensive than other similar products but you get what you pay for. Well built and of a much higher quality than the cheaper all plastic variety. The reason I predominately purchased this one is because you can switch it off on the unit. The cheaper ones don’t have an on/off facility which means it has to be turned off at the tap – doesn’t sound a big issue but it is when you have to get the tap pressure correct each time it’s turned off. So far, I’m impressed but probably more so than the neighbours cat that was introduced to the Orbit when it tried as usual to get into our cat flap during the night! Not sure he’ll be quite so keen going forward.
Expensive plants and well-maintained garden continuously used as a toilet by the neighbour’s cats. Read all the reviews of the various products available and purchased the Orbit 62100 Yard Enforcer Motion Activated Sprinkler. No more problems with cats.
Easy to set up, robust and very accurate and uses all normal UK hose lock fittings.
This may be a costly purchase (70) but if you factored in all the other alternative products you’ll buy and try (that don’t work as well) also the effort and hassle of chasing cats and other creatures away it’s by far the easiest way to rid yourself of the problem.
The Orbit 62100 really does the job. The cats are keeping clear !
I just wish the nighttime sensor was more accurate for “darkness”. And I wish that vehicles were not setting it off. Note: we have not yet changed our original batteries from February and it does go off at least once a day, numerous times with the new location-that’s a good thing.
If only folks would respect their neighbors and obey the leash laws (and picking up poops!).
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Have been using this product about a month on a set of new batteries. Have it set to operate at NIGHT. We have rude neighbors who do not follow the leash laws and allow dogs and cats to roam free. This purchase was to prevent dogs and cats from pooping and peeing all over our driveway and adjacent landscaping. Although they come at all hours, we cannot have this triggering during the day as it will “shoot” all delivery drivers, guests and us coming and going. So we chose NIGHT. Unfortunately, the night sensor doesn’t work well. For example it is 8:30 a.m., the sun is fully up, and the sprinkler is still activating. The sensor is pointed EAST to get the first light of day. Just this morning, it went off with the garage door, my dog and I were sprayed twice-coming and going, “something” was sprayed before our walk because everything was wet so I am anxious to check the Wildlife Cam footage. So far only one delivery driver has said he was scared when it sprayed him for a morning delivery. It was a cloudy morning before storms so it goes off then too. There is no way to set the device to, let’s say, run for 8 , 10, or 12 hours after dark. If it had the capability to be hooked up to electrical then it would be easy to have it connected to a timer such as we use for our landscape lights.
You’ll also need a heavy duty hose. Our first hose blew the side out after 1 day. The shortest heavy duty hose the home supply had was 25′.
I have been very worried about water pressure build-up causing a leak at the house or the hose end. We have the water pressure turned on “just” enough to allow the sprinkler to operate. So far it is okay, once we double checked our gaskets in the hose. We have a double head connector at the house. One side goes to the Yard Enforcer. The other side allows us to wash the car or water the flowers, etc. HOWEVER, if you use your water outlet to do anything else other than the Yard Enforcer, then you have to try and remember how far to leave the water spigot “on” when you are through so that enough water operates the Yard Enforcer. If there isn’t enough, the spray comes out a big flaccid and won’t go far. Too much “on” and you risk leaks at the house spigot or hose end. I would like to hope we can change the behavior of the cats and dogs that are using our driveway, car tires, landscaping as their daily toilet and eventually put the Enforcer away for a while.
Of course, the BEST option is that people wouldn’t be so lazy, rude and un-law abiding as to just let their “pets” run free. We’ve spent over $1000 on devices and fences (as allowed..we are restricted) and this is just another attempt to save our sanity.
We have an out of control neighborhood feral cat problem. Rather than trap the cats and then relocate them (100 miles away), I tried everything to keep them out of my yard, off of my roof and out of the engine of my car. I tried citrus, pepper, vinegar, plants, noise makers, chicken wire, coyote pee and everything else short of violent measures. Nothing worked on these cats. A friend who owns a farm recommended that I get the Orbit, Yard Enforcer Motion-Activated Sprinkler. He owns an orchard and this product helps keep out the raccoons and opossums. So I decided to try it myself.
My order arrived in a timely manner and assembly was easy. Installation was even easier. I placed the Motion-Activated Sprinkler by my front door since that is where the cats liked to hang out, mate and poop on the door mat. IN NO LESS THAN FOUR HOURS this Motion-Activated Sprinkler had them nasty little felines on the run! Not only did it scare the daylights out of all the cats that walked by, it gave them a good water soaking too! A few cats hit the roof when it activated and sprayed them. I was very please (and entertained) at how well this product worked!
It took a few days for the cats to finally get the hint because they kept trying to find ways around the Motion-Activated Sprinkler but every time it detected and sprayed them. So after a few weeks of this thing posted as a sentry in my yard, I am proud to say that my yard is now completely cat free. It even works on birds, mice, rats, dogs, little kids, big kids, girl scouts, insurance solicitors and nosy neighbors! The Orbit, Yard Enforcer Motion-Activated Sprinkler is a blast! LMAO!
I may get one for the back yard too!
EDIT: One year later, this product stopped working despite the batteries being changed every 3-4 months and being taken very good care off. Now, one will not work whatsoever. Tragic occurence for such a good product? Can anyone say – REPLACEMENT PLEASE?
I bought one of these to deter our two Jack Russell’s from using the rose beds as a toilet. There are plenty of videos around of these sprinklers scaring off cats, deer, raccoons and postal workers. Jack Russell terriers are immune.
The unit appears well made, is easy to set up and functions perfectly. Unfortunately it is completely ineffective as a deterrent – our dogs run towards it just to set it off and then delight in chasing the jet of water around the garden. Or they just bite the water as it comes out of the sprinkler head.
We’ve spent a fortune on stuff for the dogs so I guess another seventy quid or so for a toy to keep them occupied in the garden for an afternoon is relatively good value.
I have had one of these for over a year now and am so pleased with it I have bought a second and will be purchasing a third! The only gadget that has any chance of deterring foxes!
My one gripe is that the spray is not very height adjustable. It needs some way of being adjusted to target smaller animals such as foxes. Adjusting the diffuser lowers the arc of the spray but also compromises effectiveness by diffusing the jet of water and reducing the distance of the jet. Tilting the sprinkler doesn’t really work because the arc of the sprinkler then swings from high, through low, and back up to high.
I purchased one to teach the raccoons my front yard is not a dining room. It’s been a few weeks now and it seems to be doing the job, along with the grub control. Was recommended by my local Nutrilawn man. I purchased because it looked sturdier than the cheaper models, and it is good quality. Would give 5 stars if there wasn’t so much plastic, that is bound to break over time.
Works great to keep raccoons, skunks and other critters out of the yard. I had to install mine on an angle in order for it to scare the critters away because the water goes quite high. Works great that way.
This product was amazing to scare our pesky lawn visitors. We had to move it around as our “friends” kept finding ways around it. I read the instructions and a piece was missing, the instruction manual stated 3 ways to contact them, I chose to text and was amazed at their response time. They dealt with my questions and sent me the missing part. They even explained how to use the 30 minute lawn sprinkler feature. This product is amazing and fun to see what sets off the sensor. We did notice that the sensor set to Always is better then night or day as shadows can cause some problems.
forget basically all of the other cheap options, they either can’t even be put together and ignore all movement unless its basically an inch away or go off all day for clouds(?? still not sure what was setting it off constantly but cats, foxes and birds inches directly in front of it were basically ignored??).
this one is the real deal. the PIR is great (though be sure not to put it a partially shaded area as in strong winds it interprets going into and out of shadow as movement) and a solid well build base and sprinkler.
recommended.
Every summer a bear maims my Bing cherry tree, pulling down its main branches until they break. Every fall the wretched thing comes back and does the same to my dwarf apple tree. Up to now I have had the choice of picking the fruit green or going without. I got the Orbit in the nick of time, right when my apples are in their last stage of ripening. Have only had it up for two nights and it went off early this morning. Found the bear’s partial footprints (indicating flight) in an unusual place, a raised bed area tucked into the front hill of this property. I have no doubt he rolled down the steep hill in his panic to get away. Awful sorry I didn’t have a camera set up.
If you are getting unwanted visitors into your yard, this thing kicks in with a jet of water to turn them around quick. fully adjustable for duration and distance, it will cover a lot of ground. You can also remove the motion detection component if you also want a simple auto watering solution paired with a timer.
Wow! I’m so impressed with the quality and functionality of this great sprinkler! I can protect my garden in a safe and fun way. We sometimes get caught by the movement detector since we forget to set it off as we walk by and we have quite a surprise and big laugh! I guess that an animal that would be passing by would be quite scared by the sound and water sprinkled. Everything they sate is accurate. I do recommend this product!
I’ve had the Yard Enforcer going for a week and it’s given the foxes the shock of their lives. One almost knocked itself out crashing into the fence trying to escape and another had a bit of a fight with some wire fencing to get out in a hurry. Having a garden that doesn’t smell like something’s died in it every day is great!
Now for the gotchas for those in the UK: I needed a few things to get this connected and working without leaking. First off, I got some “Rubber Washers 3/4 inch” and put an extra washer in the base connector on top of the existing one to remove the requirement for the fitment to be stupidly tight.
Secondly I fitted the nozzle connector from an “N/C Garden Hose Nozzle Connect Kit, 3/4 inch female”, screwing it into the base. As above, the extra washer meant I could screw it in without needing to be ridiculously tight. If you don’t have a spanner to hand, pliers are fine for tightening correctly. From there a standard Hozelok accessory connector will pop on to it and won’t leak.
One other thing to bear in mind is that you cannot use rechargeable batteries as these typically only output 1.2v. Buy Alkalines such as Duracell AAs instead.
I’ll finish off by saying that can tell this is a quality product as soon as you open the box. It’s very robust unlike a lot of the flimsy cheap jet sprayers out there. Having a heat detector makes all the difference in avoiding false triggers. Worth every penny!
Good range on the motion detector.
We like the ‘all the time’ mode. Started with ‘night time’ only but we had a bear approach the garden one afternoon. Would have loved to see what the bear’s reaction would have been.
Haven’t seen any deer during the daytime, but our lettuce and broccoli are still intact. So if they’re coming at night, it works on them. Maybe we need an infrared camera to know for sure. 😉
We had raccoons starting to use our yard for their latrine. A pest control inspector mentioned this unit to humanely repel them without a trap or harming them. The sensitivity is perfect and precise. We heard it go off a few times in the morning and noticed no more poop from raccoons. We’re keeping this up for the month to make sure they’re scared away. Very satisfied with this product. Also love the fact that you can extend it more to make a ‘minefield’ of water spray/sprinklers
Very expensive, but it works. No more cat poo! Also useful for watering the garden.
Great customer service from seller dealing with (and refunding) extra customs charge.
UPDATE: It took some trial and error and adjustments to the settings but it is now working really well. The sensor needs to be positioned at the right level to ensure you capture movement from the right critter, in my case a pesky raccoon that came to feast on grubs in our grass nightly. It took a few night nights but I think the battle is over. The constant irritation and inability to avoid the annoying sound and spray finally won out. Be patient and continue to refine location and settings. Fortunately my security camera in our back yard provided me with nightly insights on how to foil the raccoons ever-changing tactics. They are smart animals. And this harmless deterrent finally made other locations a more appeal proposition.
Original review:
If there was a tactical version of a motion-sensor sprinkler to scare away rabbits and raccoons from your pool or garden this would be it.
I have previously used the Scarecrow model/brand and it was pretty good for the money however it had a limited sensor span, few settings, and mostly plastic fittings.
This Orbit model is a serious improvement. It is built tough, tons of metal components and the variety of customs settings is impressive.
Very pleased so far. The raccoons are giving it 1 star but I am very comfortable with a 5 star rating given its performance.
Well built and powerful. Much better than others that I’ve had
Purchased to deter cats from garden. Product is well manufactured and goes together easily. Used PTFE tape during assembly based on reviews here, and no leaks. No problem connecting to a UK hose system, just used a Hozelock Accessory Adapter. Managed to survive a hard frost without splitting which shows product quality. Range is more like 8m, but we have low water pressure so 10m probably achievable.
Excellent product! I haven’t had a cat come into my garden since it was installed.
In conclusion, for a smaller garden this is an excellent deterrent and works well, even kept the pesky cats from pooing on the vegetable patch. But our was too large for the ‘Enforcer’ to cover. If you are looking for a deterrent, I wouldn’t bother with electronic scarers, I would recommend this… plus if the pests do try to get in, it waters your garden!
If elephants are nuisance stomping all over your garden – it won’t stop these!!
A little bit flimsy and the joints had to be taped with plumbers tape. The included o-ring being used as a washer leaked and broke. When it’s just staked in the ground it can fall over if it’s used as a watering sprinkler on the 30 minute timer. It keeps animals away and the racoons haven’t made a mess of my yard since I set it up. Overall, it could be improved but it does the job.
So we have 23 chickens that free roam. Even though they have a whole yard and a dozen or so acres to roam they started chosing the car port as their preferred location. Apparently chickens poop what seems to be every 4 seconds, either that or they save all the poop for the car port. In any case it becomes quite discusting under there in a short amount of time. So I decided to make efforts in discouraging them from that area. I put the dog food away, made sure no one fed them near the car port, and sat outside with a garden hose for several days spraying them when they came near. After the first couple days I thought I made good progress they rarely ever came under there anymore. So I cut back and started occasionally checking them and spraying them if they were under. Well turns out I ended up just training them to leave when I came out. The rest of the time they decided it was perfectly fine to again take up residence under the car port. No only this, but I couldn’t even get the satisfaction of spraying them anymore because all the training made them excellent at avoiding the water. Frustrated, I decided I required a sentry that was active at all times. I also considered my paintball marker, which while faster would again require active duty on my part.
Enter the Orbit yard defender! It is exactly what I needed. Motion and heat activated, gun metal black, with an adjustable machine water gun mounted. The chickens never stood a chance! Since I was putting it under a car port I couldn’t use the spike in the conventional method. Not unless I wanted to setup several sentries. Instead I filled a bucket up with dirt, slid the spike into that and set it right at the entrance to our house giving it a fairly decent angle of all 3 sides of the car port. We don’t actually park our cars under here most of the time, just a nice place for us to hang out, so the area is mostly clear of obstructions. The first day it went off several times as they tested the perimeter and I adjusted it’s position, range and duration. It has on, off, always, day and night as settings. I use the day setting. In the little over a week I’ve been using it we’ve had no more chickens under there. They actively seem to avoid the concrete. You can also connect extra hoses with sprinklers to use the same eye, creating a minefield as the box calls it. Or you can connect a water hose that bypasses the eye, so you can still do normal watering. 4 AA batteries required. Has. Adjustable springs to basically do either a full circle or a small section. The frantic spraying and noise from it I think discourages the chickens the most. In any case, so far it seems to be mission success, the chickens have since moved to under the front deck, which I’m ok with.
My kids also seem to be enjoying it.
This detector works great and love the fact that it has 4 settings “Day, Night, Always and Off” however if you put it on night setting better wait till it is actually dark out as it is sensitive to dusk and it sprayed a mounning dove in my yard (the Dove is ok)….I use it to deter skunks and raccoons. Perhaps more costly than other makes but it is built very sturdy and you can attach 2 more sprayer heads to it.
It puts out a nice good spray. The motion activation seems to work good, and unit seems well built. So far it has helped keep the garden from being chewed on. The repetitive motion programing seems to work fairly good unless it is quite windy/gusty, then some of the tall plants move irregular enough to set it off. Thinking of getting a second one to get complete coverage of our large garden and saskatoon bushes. It could be a little taller to see over our potato plants that are 2-3′ tall, but that is minor.
So far I like it. Great features, easy assembly/set up and no leaks. Trying to keep the deer outta my garden. Every year I have the same problem with deer coming into my yard to feast on my garden. And every year I say to myself no more garden next year. But sure as spring, I get the fever to start up a garden again. And like clock work, as soon as my tomatoes get about 2.5 feet high, the buggers sneak in at night and have a smorgasbord.
The build quality of the Orbit yard enforcer seems pretty good compared to a Contech Scarecrow sprinkler. Which I use to have many years ago, until it stopped sensing motion. The local Canadian Tire store had them in stock so Picked one up. To make a long story short I had to return it 3 times. They either leaked heavily internally or just didn’t work or both. The build quality has definitely gone down hill with that brand.
I’ve only had this for a day, but after thoroughly testing the features, except night mode, everything is working as it should and the sensitivity adjustment is spot on and consistent. I will update my review at end of summer or sooner if I have any problems. But I feel like this one’s a winner, that’s why I decided to write about my first impressions.
This was bought for our Townhouse complex to protect the pond goldfish from Herons. As there are a lot of people around it was important to have the spray not go beyond the pond edges. We were able to fine tune it so it goes to the very edge and no more. It works brilliantly and the fish seem to be safe.
These units offer the ability to daisy-chain either pre or post motion activated valve giving you more options for how your set-up will work. For mine they are chained pre as each unit fires independently. They offer nice adjustability for duration of spray as well. I’ve found letting them do a couple of passes to be effective.
While you can’t see the spray from the unit in the attached video you can see the effect. We were having this deer destroying our gardens. This was the last video I got of the deer actually in our yard since we’ve installed the Yard Enforcer. Since then the deer has kept to the other side of the fence.
As for the sensitivity from my experience with it so far, a skunk appears to be too small (perhaps I need to aim it better) but a raccoon has been seen to set it off in it’s current configuration.
Follow Up 2019-09-12:
These are still working admirably since I’ve gotten them and they’re still going on their original batteries. I am still using them to control deer at the perimeter of my property. I’m rating the overall efficacy of deterring the deer from coming on my property at about 85% based on what my trail cams are showing me.
There are some observations I have though:
1. You must move them around regularly to “surprise” the deer. They will become accustomed to them fairly quickly, so take the time to be inventive with their location. I have trail-cam footage of a deer essentially figuring out the “rope-limit” (for those of you old enough to remember Foghorn Leghorn) of the sprinklers and keeping just outside of it.
2. I’m running all 3 of my sprinklers in series on one hose on a municipal water supply with good pressure. If more than one of them is spraying simultaneously the pressure is inadequate for the heads to move back and forth properly. If you are planning on having more than one run simultaneously in this fashion, you will likely need a pressure booster of some sort. Possibly a 3/4″ supply line instead of the standard 1/2″ would be enough, but my setup is 1/2″.
After having to deal with cat poo on a daily basis, since we moved into our new house we come across this…it has been installed for approx 3 weeks and we are really impressed, no more neighbours cats in our garden or their damn poo!! One happy buyer well worth the money..also the grandkids love it when they visit sprinkling them in the process.
I use this sprinkler to keep dogs, cats and free range chickens out of my vegetable garden. It works very best! Incredible range, simple to use. It also offers some great entertainment when guests get a little to close to my garden, or someone in the household forgets its on….good product.
I got this because I have a koi pond that a Great Blue Heron kept visiting. I tried almost everything to keep it away and nothing worked until I tried this–it worked like a charm. The range is great and it kept the bird from eating all my fish!
Bought this after trying all other methods to deter cats and foxes from using our garden as their toilet. It’s worked a treat, straight away. Now the cats avoid our garden! No more poop on our lawn!
Good product, works as advertised, makes noise when spraying which is good to scare away whatever is digging my yard. Range is good can detect me when I get out my car about 30-40 ft away. Read the manual to get best result, it can be frustrating at times to get it working properly and find the best position to put it. Motion detector is adjustable so is the spraying angle. It can take time for the sprayer to learn its surroundings and figure out what objects are always there, so choose the best position and just leave it there so it works best… I find it best to turn it on on always setting not night or day especially if you have lights outside close to the sprayer.. some animals will learn how to avoid tripping the motion sprayer so choose the best spot to put the sprayer in… Hope this is helpful.
This great sprinkler keeps the critters away from my koi pond. So far have not seen any herons or racoons coming to the pond this year. When this sprinkler goes off at night we hear it and we check to see what is out there. It is startling when it goes off.
Scarecrow comes in a cheap white box, with very little instructions. Orbit comes in a sturdy professional looking box with detailed instructions.
Both have a motion sensitivity setting, and a similar sprinkler head (though Orbit’s head appears sturdier, and better design. Both allow you to connect a hose to pass through to farther down the line if needed.
Features that Orbit has and Scarecrow does not have: Day/Night/Always/Off setting (we just use at night, so don’t have to remember to turn it on and off each day); Duration of sprinkler (3 to 10 sec. – Scarecrow just 3 sec); 30 min manual sprinkle button (push, slight delay to let you run); adjust the sensor up and down as well as just pointing; Easier to adjust how far it sprays (so people walking down lane don’t get wet). Both adjust, but had more difficulty with scarecrow to reduce distance.; Allows you to add two additional sprinkler heads controlled by the sensor (could pick up the deer on sensor, but sprinkler only protected the lettuce, not the beans …blocked by tomatoes. Problem solved with the Orbit); Uses common AA batteries rather than the square 9v that Scarecrow uses; Finally the “tee” that you press into the soil is made of metal, whereas the scarecrow is all plastic.
All and all, the Orbit just appears to be of better quality, and has more features. I would definitely recommend over the Scarecrow. Scarecrow should be about 40% less money.
Now we’ll see if it keeps the deer away as everyone seems to think!
Nice to have something that works and has kept working (think I’ve had it 3 months now). Had a little teething problems with small leaks until I put 0.2 cents worth of plumbers tape on one joint. Easy to adjust length of spray, duration etc. Only problem I have is not the product – but my garden shrubs blowing around in the wind – still they’re all getting watered regularly. On a clear(er) yard it would be stellar!
just delivered looks very sturdy…….it will not fit to my hose fittings and i have a full range of hozlock fittings.
Did not have any adapter in the box, will have to try and source one.
The only thing to be aware of is the fitting to the hose pipe – a normal UK size nozzle does fit this but it then leaked from the gap between the screw and the body of the device. I tried tape etc but in fact all it needed was a washer and then to be tightened TIGHT.
Also be aware that it has an Intelligent Sensor (!) which means it limits the number of times it goes off (so it pauses between squirts and the pauses become increasingly long). This can make you think the thing is not working. This sensor can easily be turned off, which is handy when you are setting up for the first time so you can get range etc right.
I am using it to frighten off herons – have no idea of this is working, will need to revisit in a few weeks. But in terms of the device itself it does exactly what it claims.
ADDED A YEAR OR SO ON
It has continued to work very well. Good build quality and batteries last a long time. Sadly someone turned it off overnight and ALL fish (over 60) eaten by heron. So it clearly DOES work if you leave on! Might now buy another one to double protection!
Stopped the cats from messing on my lawns overnight! I bought one for the front and one for the back gardens. The only issue I have was the distance to the second unit in the front garden meant that my water pressure is just a little too low for the unit to traverse fully and a full range. However this is not anything to do with the unit and it still sprayed sufficiently to stop the cats. Also great for watering the lawn as you can set it to run for 30 minutes and saves getting the sprinkler out. The kids love it too on a hot day as they like to run around the garden getting soaked…
Does the job very well and the sensor range is quite decent compared to the ones I had previously…
Anyway.
I installed one of these units as the fruit began to ripen and from the first night we’d hear it go off two or three times as it flawlessly executed it’s sentry duty, one soldier against the horde. And that’s where the plan failed. On the day we were planning to harvest we found the tree bare and saw that the Orbit had been knocked over. The Intelligence Section of the Raccoon Army had figured out that if they approached it from behind it wouldn’t go off and they pushed it over so that the sensor was pointing at the ground and was ineffectual.
This year I’m going to get another unit and I’ll deploy them in positions of mutual support with intersecting fields of fire and sensor range. They’ll cover each other’s back and that should allow us to enjoy our own persimmons.
However, the off/mode select switch sometimes doesn’t work. If i turn the dial, I have to fiddle with it to get the sprinkler to respond appropriately. Before I learned this, even though I had turned it off, i still got soaked when it sprayed me as I walked away. Minus a star.
I have purchase two of these units (one for a gift).. I recommend reading the instructions.. The unit needs batteries and I had a hard time trying to find the battery holder on its own. If your sensitivity is high it could possibly annoy your neighbors – you have to fool around with it. I am only using this during the fruit/vegetable season.. my father in law has it to keep deer away.
You can hook up multiple sprinklers – and unless you have really docile animals around, it should keep them away.
Works very well. Its the most effective cat deterrent I have used but its no good of course in the winter when the temperatures are below freezing.
This works perfectly. I’ve had it installed near my pond for a few months & its just what I needed to keep the birds from eating my fish.
I played about with the distance & finally found the optimum distance.
I have not had to dig out vomit-inducing cat diarrhoea from the lawn or borders in the last three months, which is nice! 5 stars and worth every penny for this reason. I haven’t seen a cat (out of at least a dozen that are very local) in the garden for several months, which is nice for the birds too.
As well as the cold water blast, the Enforcer makes a rat-a-tat-rat machine gun noise which scares off cats, dogs, foxes, squirrels, pigeons, children etc.
The cat-squirter, as named in our household, has got me, my wife and both children at least once each so you need to remember to turn it off! The children love it on a hot, sunny day, though.
You can adjust the Yard Enforcer to aim at a very specific spot, a wider area, or daisy chain more sprinklers to cover a seriously large area, though this would require good water pressure/flow.
I aim it in a 30 degree angle across the lawn to cover the usual cat dumping ground.
The sensitivity is adjustable, as is duration. The ground spike is metal and appears durable. I tilted it forward slightly to reduce the range/lower the spray, for a range of 4-5 metres, in case the water went over its intended target.
Only a couple of minor concerns with this product. Firstly, mine has a really tiny pinhole leak when the sensor is activated and the enforcer is going off. This is not much of a problem, but there is potential for it to get worse.
Secondly, the sprinkler head can be set to cover a small area but occasionally gets stuck at one end, and doesn’t return. I think this is mostly down to water pressure, when washing machine/shower/taps are in use, but I would hate to see a cat get away without a good soaking due to the sprinkler head sticking…
My only real worry is having to leave the hose on. This is fine for much of the year, but inevitably will have to leave it, and the enforcer off, over the icy wintry months. Hopefully the cats will have been thoroughly conditioned to ‘get off my land’ by then.
Overall, I trusted reviews to import this to th UK, and it was worth waiting a few weeks to get this result. Probably over 100 cat****s that I have not had to deal with!
For 2+ summers we used deer repellent to keep the deer from eating the buds off of 100s of day lilies that the previous owner had planted. But as I’d read, after a period of time the deer treated the repellent as salad dressing. They got accustomed to it and munched as much as ever before. I’d go through over $200 per season on it too.
Then I saw the “Scarecrow” and last summer I tried that device. I was immediately blown away by the concept. It really did work as advertised. But as other people mentioned, the design was not as good as I’d have liked. It’s on 24/7 and I nailed the UPS guy and my family more than once. That meant extra $$$ and complexity to add a timer to keep it from working during the day. But that was flawed too… The Scarecrow would still trip during the day and even though no water flowed, the battery was depleted twice in just 2+ months.
After a month with the Scarecrow I saw the Orbit Yard Enforcer and I bought one of them to use in our back yard. This made a big difference in our experience. I used it in the “Night” setting and it performed wonderfully. As another reviewer pointed out, it does kick in to night mode earlier in the evening than our human eyes would expect, and I’ve been spritzed more than once after around 7pm but that is the only drawback I’ve seen.
This year I bought 4 more Yard Enforcers and placed them strategically around my yard as suggested to hit the critters at logical access points to our yard. We are having the best year yet for our gardens. For years I’d go out and find the buds of our day lilies had been just nibbled off and I would have only stalks to show for all the work we did. Not this year, we are set to have a bumper crop of flowers. I’d never seen the amount of flowers we are seeing.
Yes if we have company for dinner, I let them out of the house through our garage where no Yard Enforcers are placed, but that is the only drawback I’ve seen.
Support?? Well that too has been a great experience. This year while assembling the new units I over tightened the riser onto the valve and cracked the riser fitting. I called Orbit at the number they provide and a very nice lady offered to replace the valve for free under warranty because it was new. I was going to buy it as it was my own fault. A week later I had the new part and my yard was fully protected.
One note, I use Orbit 58117 Brass Hose Quick Connect Sets on all the units and I use plumbers tape on all fittings and connection points and I haven’t experienced any leaking on any of the units.
I highly recommend this product.
The hose connector is brass lined and the overall design of this deterrent sprayer and excellent waterproof battery housing makes battery changes easy !
Spray patterns and sensor settings are easily adjusted and the “Day ” “Night” and “Always On ” settings give total control !
Bought this unit to replace a cheaper Deterrent sprayer which suffered a PIR sensor failure within 8 days usage ! The Orbit sprayer isnt cheap , but well worth every penny …… and the Orbot support and range of accessories is excellent!
If this item comes back into stock ….Don’t miss it 🙂
The device is made of six pieces (ground spike, valve unit, tube, sprinkler head, sensor box and alternate low mounting which attaches to the valve unit). There are seven different joints where water could potentially leak out. Interestingly there are input and output points before the valve and output only points after the valve which would allow a variety of different configurations with other sprinklers and watering devices.
My first task was to use plumbers threading tape on all the connections to seal them. Next I bought a metal Quick Connection fitting for the input (most watering hose connections in NZ are of this type). I also bought some metal QC fittings for the hose. Given that this thing will be on for a prolonged period of time, I didn’t want it blowing off the connections.
One point to note… if you fit the sensor in the lowered position protruding from the valve unit, it’s almost sitting on the ground. I originally thought this might be a good idea to keep the sparrows off my grass seed but I now realise that this restricts its field of view and hence its range. Once I’ve used it for a bit, I’ll post an update.
Update:
I’ve had this for a while now. I can say that my original rating still stands. In fact I wish that I could give it an extra half star. It does what it claims and does it extremely well. However I do have a few comments and suggestions as follows:
As noted in previous reviews, it does take some doing to set it up. I neatly avoided any leaking joints with the use of plumbers tape. Unfortunately my similar actions on the faucet were not as successful (I’m still working on that one) meaning that I have a leak at that point. I would hasten to point out that that is not a fault of this product.
One less than stellar point is the design of threading above the valve unit and below the sprinkler head. With a little extra thought put into the design, the sprinkler could have been made compatible to mount directly on top of the valve unit thereby catering for small animals close to the ground. As it stands the whole thing is designed such that you must use the tube which raises the sprinkler a significant distance above ground level
Another concern is the sensor head. Although it has a “water resistant” battery box, I wonder about the water resistance of the rest of it. This is significant because when the sprinkler is triggered, the sensor always gets some water on it regardless of whether its in the upper or lower position. I cut the corner out of a plastic bag and fitted it over the sensor to mitigate this but the shape doesn’t lend itself well to this. On the up side, the plastic bag does provide some shielding to the controls which otherwise would be directly exposed to the elements.
Lastly I’d note that the ideal orientation is to face it away from the sun. I suspect that prolonged exposure to direct sunlight might damage and eventually disable the sensor (got a porch light sensor doing this exact thing).
Having said all of that, its still a worthwhile bit of kit and I recommend to anyone considering purchasing it. The only thing I may consider at a later stage is possibly replacing the sprinkler head for a metal one. Now if only I could get that faucet to stop leaking, I’d be a happy chappy.