Holman WX8 irrigation project

Greenway

I wanted to share my home irrigation project. I installed a Holman WX8 controller and 8 solenoids and 1 master solenoid. I also made my own 4-outlet manifold from PVC. I originally used the pre-made Toro manifolds but these leaked and were not great quality.
I hope you all get some valuable info from my experience with this irrigation project.

Materials

Holman WX8 controller

9 core irrigation wire

1 core irrigation wire

small red fork wire connectors

20mm conduit

20mm conduit saddles

white plumbers tape

25mm PVC pressure pipe

8x 25mm PVC pressure tee fittings threaded female

25mm male threaded pressure pipe

PVC primer and glue

25mm PVC pressure barrel union

25mm PVC pressure end cap

25mm PVC pressure elbow

20mm brass Tee

20mm brass male nipple

20mm/25mm BSP brass nipple

25mm brass ball valve

1x 25mm K-Rain master solenoid

8x 25mm Holman solenoids

2x Pope rectangle valve box

1x small square valve box

Toro gel cable connectors

8x 25mm BSP to 13mm barbed connector

13mm poly pipe

13mm steel loc-sure clamps

drainage gravel

Green heat and frost thermal cover

Tools

Shovel

multi grip pliers

wire stripper

wire crimper

screw driver

hammer drill

Steps

Step 1

1st steps included a lot of research taking into consideration how many watering zones I wanted and a controller that had wifi abilities.
1. I started by digging the two locations where the valve boxes would be located and the channel which joins them.
2. I dug to a depths so the boxes would sit flush with the grass, taking into consideration that the boxes would sit on the thermal mat and drainage gravel.

The below picture is prior to any digging

Step 2

Next steps was to add secondary shut off valve to the existing garden tap.
1. The mains water was shut off and the existing garden tap was removed.
2. A 20mm brass tee was added to the garden water outlet and the existing garden tap was screwed back on using new plumbers tap on all threads.
3. A 20mm brass nipple and ball valve and was added to the brass tee.
4. A 20/25mm brass adapter was added to the end of the brass ball valve.
5. A PVC threaded male pressure fitting was added to the end of the brass adapter.
6. 25mm PVC pressure pipe was attached to the PVC threaded fitting using PVC primer and glue.
The below picture is the garden tap fitting.

Step 3

1. Next steps included priming and glueing the 8x PVC Tee fittings together using 60mm of 25mm pressure pipe to create 2x 4- outlet manifold for the solenoid valves.
2. Attach the 25mm Master solenoid to the garden tap using PVC threaded fitting.
3. Attach the Master Solenoid to the 25mm PVC Barrell union and then connect to the first 4-outlet PVC manifold.
4. Connect the 1700mm length of PVC pressure pipe to the PVC Barrel Union joining the second 4-outlet manifold.
The below picture shows the first 4-outlet PVC manifold attached to the Master Solenoid by the Barrell Union.

The below picture shows both Manifolds connected by the 1700mm length of PVC pipe.

Step 4

1. Connect the 8x 25mm BSP to 13mm barbed connectors to the solenoids.
2. Cut holes into the large rectangle valve boxes.

3. Place the green thermal cloth under the manilfolds. The cloth is not necessary but I wanted the solenoid values to sit on a relatively clean surface and not the dirt.
4. place the rectangle Valve boxes over the two 4-outlet Solenoid values and the small square outlet over the Master solenoid.
5. Placed drainage gravel around the value boxes and pushes it under the edges to create a level top on the box. I used a spirit level to ensure the boxes had a slight slope away from the house so water would not pool on top.
6. I connected 8x short lengths of 13mm poly pipe to each solenoid value using the steel clamps. I did this so I could test the system for leaks and fill in the surrounds of Value boxes with soil and gravel.
The below picture shows the completed value boxes.

Step 5

1. Last steps were connecting the 9-core wire and controller wire to each of the solenoids and the Master solenoid to the Holman WX8 controller. This was the hardest part of the project.
2. I wanted the controller located near my back door and near the power outlet. I wanted all wires to run neatly from the controller to the solenoid values via 20mm conduit. I sprayed all conduit and the conduit saddles with black spray paint as I didn’t like the grey colour.
3. I used a cable fish tape to push the wires through the conduit.
4. I attached each of the wires to the controller using small red fork connectors. The smallest fork connectors at Bunnings were too big so I had to purchase these from Jaycar. This was the only purchase outside of Bunnings for the whole project.
The below picture shows the red fork wire connections at the controller.

The below picture shows the controller and the black conduit next to my back door.

Step 6

1. Test the system, dig trenches to the watering zones and connect all 13mm poly pipes to the solenoid values.
The below picture are the valve boxes. I have not filled in the front of the boxes where the poly pipe is connected at this stage. The grass will hopefully grow around the boxes.

MitchellMc

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Greenway. It's fantastic to have you join us, and many thanks for sharing your project.

What an impressive irrigation setup! You've clearly put a lot of thought and effort into planning and executing this project, from selecting the Holman WX8 controller and solenoids to customising the PVC manifold for reliability. The attention to detail, like painting the conduit to blend with your surroundings and ensuring proper drainage around the valve boxes, really stands out.

This setup will undoubtedly make managing your watering zones more efficient and convenient. Thanks for sharing your experience and the steps—it’s a great guide for anyone considering a similar project!

Mitchell