Some people have a couple of hours a day watering the garden and do not always have time to do it. You could, instead, sit on a lounger to see your incredibly green lawn or read something. Sure, that’s if you have the best water timer because if not, you will also have to use the hose for a long time.
To be the envy of your neighbours with precious plants and very well watered, automatic irrigation equipment is ideal. Have you seen them before? These systems, when well designed, bring a variety of functions so you do not have to worry because it has not rained. Do not distress yourself when you go on a trip for several days.
Forget about asking someone to water the plants while you are away because the technology solves that problem.
Now, to choose a good irrigation timer, you have to take several things into account. That it is of good quality is very important, so that there are durability and better functions. If the price is affordable or affordable, it is a great advantage.
The question is to find an efficient model among the variety of these that are in the market, because they are many and of a different brand.
What is a water timer?
It may happen that you do not always find time to devote to watering your lawn or vegetable garden. Thus, the water timer is a device that allows you to automatically program the watering of your garden or your plants, even in your absence. Indeed, it can operate at specific times, for durations and according to frequencies well determined in advance.
Based on this, we have prepared a short comparative list with the best water timers that are currently available.
Checking it, you will not have to look so much and you will know a little more about the main characteristics that one of these devices must have to do its job well.
Water timer Gardena G1890-20
The Gardena FlexControl G1890-20 timer is an excellent solution to escape from daily watering. It also simplifies your life when you are on vacation. You just need to define programs, by setting the duration from 1 min to 99 min or the frequency (every 24 hours or every two, three or seven days) of watering to automate the irrigation of your garden. And to take advantage of this flexibility, nothing could be simpler. A fairly large screen is provided and displays instructions that make programming intuitive.
Watering timer Orbit 94469
Automatic Programmer
It is an automatic water timer that has 9 stations and 3 independent programs. You can graduate your work for days of the week and intervals of even and odd days.
The duration can be set from 1 to 120 minutes, each time. It has a delay function in case of rain with sensors that detect it. It is resistant to the weather and easy to program.
Claber Multipla DC 9 V Programmer
LCD screen
This model works with 9 V DC and includes a practical LCD screen to visualize what is being programmed.
It comes with 6 irrigation stations and control of days from 8 hrs, 12 hrs, 24 hrs until 7 full days of the week. To not get lost during installation, bring an instructional DVD and also has accessories for oscillating tools.
WaterMaster Orbit H-AP2326055
Water resistant
Small but compliant, this timer is built to withstand water and weathering. It is very easy to use and runs on batteries with a pair of AA.
The frequency and duration of the irrigation can be programmed, in addition to the precise moment for it to do so. It includes the best function of these devices: the delay due to rain, to conserve the water and not to drown the plants.
Gardena Flex Control Water Computer
With battery level indicator
It makes irrigation with sprinklers or the drip system easier. Its control panel is removable to facilitate programming and not bothering to do so.
It is a robust faucet programmer with 4 functions that include pre-selection of time, confirmation, duration and frequency. Connecting it to a rain sensor interrupts the cycle. It incorporates a battery level indicator to replace it when required.
Water timer Kärcher 2.645-219.0
Your screen is removable
With this timer you can select without problems the days of the week, the right time and the duration for each irrigation cycle. It has an automatic on and off function.
The screen is removable to program the functions with greater comfort. Includes battery and memory indicator to remember to change it. The maximum pressure that tolerates is 10 bar. It can water up to 120 continuous minutes.
Hozelock HOZ2700 AC Plus irrigation programmer
Colourful and analogue
Many programmers are digital but the analogue dial of this model is very easy to use and has several options. Includes buttons to confirm the selection.
You can regulate the current time, the start time, the frequency and the duration of the watering. It is battery operated and requires two alkaline batteries. Its design is colourful and pleasant. It allows programming once a week up to 4 times a day.
Why buy a watering timer?
A water scheduler can be useful for watering your garden in your absence or that of a gardener. You can, therefore, go on vacation without the fear of coming to find your plants in a disastrous state. This machine also saves 30 to 50% on water consumption. This is due to the precision in the use of the amount of water required for watering.
How to choose the best watering timer?
The first thing that should be considered before buying any system for automatic irrigation is your particular needs.
Do you own a large garden? Maybe you have a small garden with vegetables? Is the place with plants roofed or roofless? These and many other things can influence the choice.
There are people who enjoy watering their plants by themselves, so maybe they prefer to share the task with the programmer and make it work less often. But if you are one of those who like green and beautiful gardens and do not have time for their care, you should leave everything to the timer.
It is important to review several possibilities so that you determine your true requirements.
What do you want to water?
You have to go out to observe the garden and see what kind of plants you have and the dimensions of that garden. In some cases they are “gardens”, that is, in the same house there is a front and back patio. They can be small or very large.
If there are many flowers, they may require moist soil once a day. The grass can stay beautiful with that same frequency or a little less in spring. Pine trees need a lot of moisture and flowers like coves too.
If you have olive trees, fig-trees, cypresses, among other trees like these, they do not need much water. Less still the cactus and the aloe.
Just watching you will know how varied needs is your garden and how many functions the programmer should have to take you home.
Duration of watering
It is a function that all tap programmers usually bring. It can vary, of course depending on the model, in terms of the time range. You choose the one you want from the options presented. These can be from one hour to 4 continuous hours. Everything will depend on the needs of your plants and how the weather has been on the days in question.
It is not the same as water in the summer for one hour than for four. Nor in spring. You have to be careful not to drown the plants and not leave them without enough water. In addition, in order not to exceed and be able to conserve water, it is important to determine the time that an irrigation cycle will last.
Watering frequency
The possibility of establishing the frequency is one of the great advantages of these tap programmers. Depending on how dry or wet your plants are, you can make a plan so that the waterfalls once per hour or the opposite end, once a week. In the intermediate, there are options of 3 and four times per day, on even or odd days, etc.
The most sophisticated equipment has sensors of automatic activation, to moisten the garden twice a day. In the mornings and at night. Of course, these can be deactivated at the discretion of the user.
Programming the watering in different parts of the garden
When the space is very large and with different plants that demand different amounts of water, complex programming must be done. Yes, it is possible, but with well-equipped timer models.
Remember that flowering shrubs may require more moisture than grass. There you have to make more connection between faucets and establish several different irrigation intervals.
Although to do with a programmer so may not seem the least expensive, the low price you will find later in the accounts for the use of water. It is much easier to save money if you have control of the water you use in your patio or terrace.
Manual shutdown
You have guests for a barbecue in the garden or you just need the hose to clean something in the house. Surely you do not want the programmer to start a cycle at the wrong time. For that, you can press the manual shutdown button.
The problem with doing this is that, depending on your watch for irrigation, the rest of the plan you had established could be completely erased.
However, the most advanced do not have this conflict and once a cycle is suspended, the following can still be programmed.
Postponing watered by rain
The rain delay is wonderful. It is absurd to water if it is raining, it is a waste of water and damage to the plants. Likewise, if the rain has stopped and the soil is humid, why water? Then this option must be looked for as it is.
It is great tranquillity and savings, as well as a benefit for your garden.
Water outlets
Several are necessary if you want to do that to irrigate separate areas of the garden, with different frequencies and durations. Of course, if the program does not require so much complexity, but only irrigate two sectors at once, it will require only a connector with double water intake.
Technical characteristics that you should consider in the best water timer
All of the above was about watering the garden, how to do it and with what frequency and duration. But there are other issues related to choosing the watch for irrigation that you will want to analyze before buying one.
These are technicalities that may affect the price of the appliance but which, in the long run, will help reduce water costs or not.
Type of batteries used
They can be alkaline and AA. Excellent is choosing those that last longer. The good thing is that most programmers bring an indicator of the level of batteries, so you do not catch one day with the dried plants.
Once the device warns, you must change the batteries so that everything runs its course and your garden remains beautiful and enviable.
LCD screen
That the device includes a digital display can be very convenient to know what is being programmed. Even to remember what was programmed. It would be bad not to know and that the water will surprise you in the middle of the garden.
Of course, those who do not have this characteristic are still equally efficient as systems for irrigation. But maybe you need to write down what you program or review the instruction manual from time to time to configure everything correctly.
Water-saving
It is important that the device you select is the jet regulator that will go to your plants. You have to know if you work with or without very intense pressure.
This is relevant, in part so as not to damage those plants that are more delicate. On the other hand, to prevent the device from being damaged by inadequate pressure.
In addition, by regulating this, there will be greater savings in the amount of water used, and in euros!
Do you feel like analogue or digital?
As we said before, an analogue timer can be equally efficient, especially if the place to irrigate does not have too many requirements. For more complex gardens, maybe you need to do with the digital version, for the number of orders that you will give.
Do not forget that this makes the price vary.
Is it waterproof?
The most suitable is the water-resistant equipment. However, since these are almost always out in the open, they will have sun, rain and probably snow. Seek them to be waterproof and keep them when they are not needed, to protect them.
All this may not be necessary if the tap you are connected to is indoors, but since it is not always the case, do not forget to check your weather resistance.
How to install and adjust your water timer?
Installing a programmer may require calling a plumber, because it may be too technical. Nevertheless, there are quite simple models of installation, within the reach of all. The watering programmer can be powered from the mains or from batteries. However, it is recommended to always have backup batteries, to take over in the event of a power supply failure.
Installation of tap water timer
- Open the back cover to place the batteries (usually 2 type C). The engine starts and the screen lights up.
- Select language
- Select date and time
- Connect the programmer to the tap on one side and to the sprinkler network on the other.
Programming
The easiest way is to select one of the presets that the device usually offers. It can be a specific number of minutes of watering every 24 hours. In addition, you can also select, using an assistant, the desired watering days, times and durations.
