The best water timers are tools that anyone can use around their yard. They are exceptionally handy for starting and stopping a hose’s water supply, so they can be used for automatic sprinkler systems, or for adding a little bit of water to a pool regularly to keep it at the appropriate swimming level. And many of them are great at helping a person control their water usage in their yard or garden.

Just because these devices are great time savers, however, doesn’t mean that the consumers don’t need to pay close attention when they’re shopping for one. After all, not all of them are made to the same standards or have the features the consumer may need. That’s the reason that we decided to list ten of the best watering timers currently being sold.

Best Water Timers

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10LinkTap Wireless Water Time & Gateway

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It seems like a whole lot of household appliances and devices can be controlled from the Cloud, so it shouldn’t surprise anyone that there’s now a water timer that can be controlled this way as well. This device is designed to allow the user to operate from anywhere in the world using their computer, tablet, or smartphone. Do you want to go on vacation, but need to be able to stay on top of watering your garden? Well no problem. This device can handle that job. And since it can provide up to 100 watering cycles a day, each with a duration of 1-minute to 24-hours, homeowners have complete control over their watering.

9Appy Garden Edge Faucet Timer

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The Appy Garden Edge is one of the best faucet timers around because it loaded with some great features. It has a backlit that makes it easier for the user to see the current time, the time of the next watering, how long it’s going to water and how often it is going to water. This watering time can be programmed with a runtime from 1-minutes up to 4-hours, and with a frequency of 6-hours up to 15-days. If the user needs to interrupt the watering cycle, they can easily use the manual override. This unit has a brass inlet that accommodates a maximum flow rate of 10.5 gallons per minute and a faucet pressure of up to 90 PSI.

8Nelson Large LCD Timer

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This water timer makes it very easy to keep up with watering your garden or lawn. It has a unique design that makes it very easy to install and has a large LCD screen that makes it easy to set and use. The great thing about its screen is that it alternates from the current time to the next scheduled program, so the user can stay on top of the watering. This time can be run for up to 360-minutes at a time and can also be set according to the watering interval. All of these features come together to make a timer that does a great job and can be counted on to do the job right.

7Gardena Mechanical Timer

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This product is designed to be used with soaker hoses, pop-up irrigation systems, sprinklers, and low-pressure drip hoses. It’s also designed to be extremely easy to set up and to be durable, too. This product is made to be resistant to both rain and UV-rays, so it can be used on the lawn without any problems whatsoever. Another key feature found on this timer is its Safe Water Stop System. When the battery of the unit has become too low for the unit to properly operate, it will default to an off position so that it doesn’t waste water needlessly.

6Gideon Single-Valve Hose Timer

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This water timer has several features that make it an exceptional timer. It is easy to set up, can be coupled to a hose without using any additional tools, and it has an easy to read LCD screen. This screen gives the operator all of the information they need to know about their timed water supply. This screen will alert the operator to when the next cycle will begin, and how much time remains for the current watering cycle. Another thing that makes this timer easy to use is that its screen is backlit, so the watering schedule can be set even in the dark.

5Orbit Mechanical Watering Timer

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Watering your lawn couldn’t be simpler when this easy-to-use watering timer is used. Although it doesn’t have all of the options and features of comparable timers, it does convey one big benefit to the homeowner, it’s extremely easy to setup. All that has to be done is to attach it to the faucet, turn on the water, and set the dial to the appropriate watering time. Watering can be timed from 15-minutes to 2-hours. This model is also extremely durable and is made using a high-impact plastic, so it will hold up to years of use. And best of all, it’s a device that doesn’t require any batteries to run.

4Claber Aquadue Duplo Evolution Digital Timer

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Can’t decide what part of the garden to water? Well, if you owned this water timer, then you wouldn’t have to make such a tough decision. This timer has two independent lines that can be programmed with one of three different programs. This timer isn’t just convenient, however, it’s also very durable. It’s made with a tough ABS plastic house that’s stable in UV-light and has a built-in stainless steel filter-trap that catches particles in the water that could clog or damage its solenoid valve. And it’s circuitry is also watertight, so its sensitive electronic parts won’t be damaged during use.

3Orbit 2-Dial Digital Timer

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This water timer is not only convenient to use, but it’s also a great tool for helping the user conserve water. It has dials that are easy to use, can be programmed for up to 10 watering intervals a day, and has multiple durations options from 2-minutes to 120-minutes. And thanks to its two-button design, it’s easier than ever before to water your garden. One button is capable of setting the watering start time, and the second button sets the time of day. All of these features allow this time to be used quite effectively to handle the watering needs of a garden.

2Raindrip Analog 3-Dial Water Timer

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What this water timer lacks in digital controls it more than makes up for in ease-of-use. It’s a manual timer that’s easy to attach to any drip tubing, outdoor faucet or even a garden hose. This timer can be set for 3 to 120-minutes of water and can be set to a frequency of 1-hour up to 72-hours. Another great feature found on this model is that it defaults to the off-position when it’s battery level becomes low, so the homeowner doesn’t have to worry about its batteries dying and it leaving the water running all-day while they’re at work. Other features include a low-battery indicator and a diaphragm valve on/off control.

1Melnor Single Outlet Digital Timer

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This quality water timer is designed for individuals who want to keep up on their daily watering without actually having to go out there and do it themselves. It features a large LCD screen and can be programmed for individual days of the week. It can also be set to water at specific intervals throughout the day, up to 24-times in a single day. Another great feature found on this timer is its array of control buttons. These buttons are rubberized, so they’re easy to press and are designed to hold up to a lot of use. All of these features make this water timer ideal for any home gardener.

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A Guide To Water Timers

Water timers—also known as irrigation timers—are great for anyone who wants to deliver water to their lawn or to plants in their yard at very specific intervals. They’re great for keeping your grass watered, making sure that certain plants or trees get the water they need, or for some other purpose, we might not have even though about. To accomplish that goal, however, you first have to make sure that you buy the best water timer possible.

We want to help our readers find their ideal water time, and that’s why we’ve decided to write this guide. In this guide, we’ll go over the features that consumers need to think about when choosing a new water timer for their yard. Now that we’ve said that, let’s jump right into things and get the buyer’s portion of this guide started.

How To Buy A Water Timer

As promised, this section will be dedicated to going over some of the features that can be found on the most commonly sold water timers and help our readers decide which features might be important to them and which features can be safely set to the side.

Step One: Choose A Type Of Water Timer

Water times come in one of three basic styles—although there are variations on these three themes that create a larger variety of times than what most people would expect to be available. The three basic timers are Mechanical Timers, Electronic Timers, and Hybrids. Let’s take a look at each of these timers briefly before moving on.

Mechanical Timers are the least expensive option, and usually the option with the least amount of features. Consumers should be careful with these timers because it might take some trial and error to determine how long they run to avoid under or overwatering your lawn.

Electronic Timers costs a little more than mechanical timers, but they have a lot more features. Many of these timers can be controlled by a smartphone or from a computer, and the consumer can usually adjust settings on the fly—which is really convenient.

Hybrid Timers contain the best parts of mechanical and electronic timers. They have controls that are easy to use, and usually feature digital readouts and sliders that make controlling them very intuitive.

Step Two: Consider Watering Zones

The next thing a person is going to want to consider is whether they need a water timer that can handle a single zone, or if they’re going to need to handle several different zones. The consumer should also consider the number of programs the device provides and make sure they match up with their needs.

Step Three: Consider Other Potential Features

Now that we’ve gone over the basics of choosing a water timer, it’s time to turn our attention to some of the other features a person might need when they buy a new timer.

  • Able to be set for several different watering intervals
  • Tough housing that can hold up to weather and UV light.
  • A built-in water filter that strains out water particles.
  • A backlit digital screen.
  • A Safe Water Stop System that stops the timer when water pressure is too low.

How To Install A Lawn Sprinkler Timer

Although it’s not physically possible to list the installation procedures for every single water time on the planet, we can give an overview of the process that will make it easier for our readers to understand how they should set up theirs. With that said, below is what we feel is a pretty common installation procedure for a water timer. We hope that it proves useful. The sprinkler system we’re detailing below is for a dedicated and wired model, most of the water timers we’ve reviewed aren’t as complex as these instructions imply and can be installed a lot quicker.

Remove The Old Water Timer

Since this is a wired water timer, make sure to turn off power to the unit before removing the wiring and ultimately removing the entire unit. Before you do, however, be sure to write down your watering program times so that you don’t have to guess when you have the new system set up.

Mount The Timer To The Wall With Screws

The next step is to mount the timer to the wall with the included screws. If you’re attaching the unit to concrete or drywall, be sure that you use anchor screws to make sure that the system is held firmly in place.

Attach The Station Wires To The Timer

The next step is to attach the station wires to each of the time zones. If you’ve done your due diligence, then you should have already marked each of the wires with tape when you removed the old unit, so that you know exactly how to reattach the wires.

Attach The Power Wires To The Timer

Now is the time when the wires are reattached to the timer. Locate the white, green, and black power wires and attach them to matching wires by twisting them together. You should then use waterproof wire caps and twist those on top of them to protect the wires from the elements. Once all of this is done, turn the power to the unit on.

Test The Sprinklers To See If They Work

Once the power has been restored, it’s now time to test the system. Give the system a few seconds to kick on and then turn the controller to the manual setting. If all of the sprinklers are working correctly, then you can move on to the next step. If not, go back and check for loose wires.

Reprogram Your Unit

Now the sprinkler system is working, it’s time to turn your attention to programming the unit. Hopefully, before you removed your old system you have written down all of the sprinkling times. Now it’s time to program the start times and the end times into your sprinkler system. Congratulations! You have now set up your lawn sprinkler system and can sit back and enjoy your work.