"Martin Pentreath" wrote in message
...
....
So the question is, is it worth splashing out for a different make of
timer, or will I find the same thing happening?

Before I gave up bothering with replacing the bits of my automatic watering
system that had failed to survive the winter (usually about 25% of the
fittings), I used to use four timers, each running a different part of the
system at a different time, to overcome the problem of low pressure.

Colin Bignell