20 Best Water Timers For Hoses (2023 Updated)

This is strictly mechanical. You turn the dial to the length of time you want and it turns off when it winds down. That’s all it does. You cannot program this to water for a length of time, certain days, or a number of times.

It’s not what I needed. Should have read the whole description for sure.

I had read other reviews saying that about 1/2 of them immediately fail. I bought 2 and sure enough, one did not shut off first time I used it. It hung at a couple of minutes before shut off and keep ticking, but 2 hours later had not shut off.

These are so unreliable that I still have to remember to check to see if the water turned off. But since this is the only brand you find in stores, you have no option other than to keeping buying and returning until you get one that might last a season.

The more expensive electronic ones also seem to have a high failure rate. Other similar mechanical timers by other manufactures that can be ordered also have similar online reviews. Orbit responds to some negative reviews saying they have a 6 year warranty, but the cost of sending one back approaches the purchase price.

Identical to more expensive units, just a name change on the casing. These are simple timers. They are well designed and there is little to go wrong. You can start your hose watering and if you forget it the hose doesn’t run forever.

Very easy set up and very competitive price at Target. The Gilmour timer operation is very similar to the Orbit water timer so I was already familiar with its setting and operation. However, I was very disappointed that my first watering setting of 7:00 am with a 12 hr watering frequency didn’t come on at 7:00 pm; so, I reset it for 7:45 pm with a 12 hr water frequency and it came on at 7:45 pm, 12 hrs later at 7:45 am, and every 12 hrs.

So I didn’t both returning the timer since I was able to get the 12 hr watering frequency to work by setting the initial timer in the pm. My problem with the timer may be a fluke and since I did get it working satisfactory, I only deducted 1 star in the rating, and would recommend the timer.

Works very well for what it does. But beware of limitation that you can only set up ONE program to repeat at various intervals. If you set up 15 min water cycle at 8 am, you can have it repeat every 6, 12 or 24 hrs or alternating days or weeks.

But you can not set it up to turn on 15 min at 8 am and then 30 min for example at 8 pm. Only one 15 min cycle can be scheduled from a choice of lots of intervals, as long as it is 15 min each and every time.

If this works for you buy it, it was not what i expected, but it works well at what it does.

So far, so good. Easy to program and range does not seem to be an issue. We installed 4 and they all were immediately connected and the app is extremely easy to use. We have a slight drip on one unit that may need to be replaced but have not had a chance to fully trouble shoot it.

Glad I went with this product, I researched a few of them and most of them had issues sitting up. This couldn’t have been easier. Works Great

I’ve tried a competitive Bluetooth Timer and had nothing but issues. Never would stay connected and customer service never returned my call. only communicated via text. The DIG worked out of the box and has continued to work flawlessly.

This product sounds like a good idea. I would return it if I could (I consider it expensive compared to other similar timers). I’ve had it for 2 years. Over that time, it has failed to shut off 3 times for no obvious reason.

On 2 occasions it drained my well. For this reason I consider it untrustworthy and unreliable. Therefore it get’s one star. It has been replaced with another (hopefully trustworthy) product. I do have another water timer that has never failed.

I LOVE THIS SUNRISE SPRINKLER! This is the perfect sprinkler for my needs. I have some precious little yellow flower blooms coming up from seeds I planted a year ago. For some reason, Tampa has been in a semi-drought mode this year with very little rain.

Instead of having to go out early & sprinkle them each morning, I rely on this wonderful sprinkler to gently spray them when the sun rises. DETAILS: It will automatically sprinkle every morning within 30 minutes of sunrise as it has a sensor.

You can also set it manually (on/off) if desired. It requires 2 Alkaline AA batteries & conveniently, there is a flashing light when batteries need replacing. The sprinkler itself is 4″ Wide~5″ High and 2″ Deep.

There is a dial on the face of the unit with “on/off” settings for 5 minutes to 120 minutes. The bottom of the unit attaches to a regular hose or faucet. It’s possible you may need an adapter for connection if you don’t have the same size.

I LOVE THIS SPRINKLER and I’m sure anyone else who would like to enable a soft sprinkling in the morning for flowers, ferns, etc. , would, as well. It’s VERY helpful & useful! Highly ‘Recommend!.

The timer works but had been badly assembled so that the outlet leaked badly. The rubber sealing washer fitted was the wrong size and had simply moved inside the timer outlet so the connector did not seal.

As I had the correct size washer I removed the wrong one fitted mine and it sealed perfectly. If you are handy and have spare washers then buy this as it works and is a good price. Be aware it will come from AMAZON.

Shame on you Orbit. I’ve been an Orbit fan for a very long time and use Orbit products every day. for the most part Orbit is known for quality. Totally missed the mark on this 56619. The electronics are fine, easy to use, reliable.

IF you can prod poke twist and bend the battery tray contacts so that the battery’s actually make contact with the tray assembly. Problem is, the tray contacts sit in a deep groove, and the battery doesn’t reach deep enough into the groove to make physical contact.

Very hard to see, but the VOM tells the story well. Bend ALL four of the tray contacts to the top of the groove and it works. Then, the Valve Assembly cracks! Just under the actual micro-valve inside, the valve body cracks, water leaks past the valve and the hose runs on forever.

Not full flow, it’s just a cracked body, but it never shuts completely off at that point. The battery case problem is from engineering, either the grooves are too deep, or the contacts are shaped incorrectly for the deep grooves.

The valve body seems to be cheap materials, or a material not stress tested in this environment. Overall this 56619 is a failure, scrap them ALL!.

No complaints. Minor quirks: All zones in a schedule share the same start time. Station B will start after station A ends even though it shows station B starts at the same time as station A. Start time is a concept of the whole schedule, not station.

Initial valve status could be On, which is undesirable but can be easily corrected. Time setting takes time since you have to go through all 24 hours and their minutes.

I like these orbit timers. Very easy to use, batteries last a long time if used with lithium batteries. Also the lithium batteries dont leak battery acid so they wont harm the timer if left in after dead battery.

I own six of them and I now have plants and trees that live because they have watering. Its nice because theyre battery no wires no electric just simple battery power. Highly recommended.

It lasts longer than other hose timers I have used

good working timer ;at a considerable savings

This is Orbit’s single valve 24/7 timer that runs on two AA cells. They also have two and three valve units and I have used all of them since about 2010, mostly with soaker hoses and drip systems. They are dependable and last several years.

I use a simple inline pressure regulator on the inlet side to keep the dripper flow or watered area constant with changing water pressure. They are good for hose end use, but last longer if they are held off the ground and out of standing water.

Don’t let them freeze. Change the batteries yearly. Don’t break it by pulling on the hose to make it stretch another foot. I started using one to limit how much water can be used to fill my cow’s water trough after it broke the fill valve float and water ran continuously while I was on vacation.

The cow needs 5-8 minutes a day, but the timer runs for as little as one minute once a week.

I love this Orbit hose timer and today I just bought another to replace a less functional timer that finally failed. Though, as with any timer, you do have to bring it in before it freezes, it is very resistant to weather, even the brutal Arizona sun.

It is easy to set, and that includes the ability to set the current time, which some timers won’t do. It is easy to remember how to do everything, since all the instructions are right there in big, weather-resistant letters.

You can manually override to water for as long as you wish without messing up the program you have already entered. You can easily ask it to refrain from watering for a day if it rains, and not mess up the program that’s already entered.

Super functional and the essence of simplicity to use. I’ve tried at least five other timers, some that were much more expensive, and none perform like this one. The only thing I wish is that it had those quick-release ends (which I always add to them since it makes hooking them up so much easier.

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This timer worked great for approximately 5 months. Then I was unable to press buttons. I replaced with two sets of new batteries and still couldn’t get a response from any of the buttons. I decided to take it apart and see if maybe some contacts needed cleaning.

To my disappointment, when I opened it up to the circuit board, it was wet inside. I let it dry overnight then reassembled, no LED function at all. Very disappointed the seal gave way. It is against the house protected by eaves and hasn’t received exterior moisture so I think the valve leaked inside.

Can’t find receipt to return.

Sick of wasting my money on the Popes and Holmans rubbish timers that barely last a season. These look solid and better made from the get go. Very easy to operate and you don’t need a horticultural degree to figure it out.

Only gripe is that being American the instructions refer to non-metric specifications.

This is a very convenient to use timer. It’s easy to program and it’s even easier to check what it is set to do. All the important information is visible on the screen without twisting the dial to check each bit individually.

Be warned that it is easy to put the battery pack in upside down, but customer service was terrific.

Bought 2 timers. One worked well the first several times I used it. The second one has not worked at all when tried on my front water faucet. I will return it today (but that means two trips and gas $$ not to mention the inconvenience).

I hope my first one continues to work as I am going to have someone turn them on when we are gone for a week. I love everything about these timers except for the fact that one doesn’t work.

I bought this in self defense so I could have a few shrubs and not have to break open a 401K. The units work flawlessly – need no batteries – and shut off all water flow dependably. I absolutely recommend them, with an asterisk that they will not stand any kind of freezing weather.

Mechanical water timer, so far I’ve use this timer three times and it works perfectly. I have used other timers in the past, so I will see how long this one last compared to those. But the quality and the service that I received as far as delivery was fantastic, great company to buy products from.

I’ve tried multiple times in multiple locations and water will simply NOT come out of this unit – should be a simple operation – turn the dial and let it run – NOT!

I’ve had several battery operated hose timers over the years, but Orbit has been the most reliable. I run 6 concurrently. Why Orbit Is Better: If you disassemble an Orbit, you’ll find a hermetically sealed solenoid valve.

An electric magnet moves it, but it never touches water itself. The solenoid just pushes on a sealed rubber ‘bladder’ to start water flowing. Because of this engineering, most of my units hold up well to my very hard well water – 5+ years on average.

Two other makes I owned clogged and ceased to function within 1-2 years, so I now only run Orbit. Of the 10 I’ve owned, I’d say the “average” failure rate seems to be falling right on the 6 year warranty mark.

In other words, I usually get at least 5 years out of them. I’ve also found their warranty program to be customer friendly. The only thing I would improve is the sun resistance of the plastic. In Arizona, the face print will fade if completely exposed to sun.

Not a real big deal, though. 12v permanent irrigation timers are the best for reliable longevity, but for this niche, I consider Orbit to be the best.

This is a very reliable controller. I’ve had one just like it installed for 20+ years and it never gave me a problem. I recently purchased a “knock off” that looked almost identical, it never worked properly and I threw it in the trash; I subsequently purchased this unit and it has been working flawlessly.

Works great. Allows up to 3 waterings per day with the frequency setting. I haven’t had a problem but am a bit worried about the plastic male connector. However no leaks and the water is flowing well so maybe it will hold up.

I just bought my second one of these – one for the front yard now, had one for my garden previously. I wanted people to know – if you need to cover different areas of your house with WIFI, get the full WIFI hub + Timer/Valve set because the timer/valve itself is NOT WIFI, it communicates with the hub using bluetooth, so be prepared for that – one hub might not have a bluetooth range long enough to get across your house (range realistically about 10-15ft).

I presume they left the timer/valve bluetooth only for energy conservation reasons, which makes sense so you don’t have to replace the batteries as often, but you do have to get enough WIFI hubs (which plug into the wall) to cover each area you need a timer/valve with bluetooth.

In my case I needed two, since I have one timer/valve for the front of the house, and one for the back where the garden is located. Other than that little caveat, these things are great, no complaints so far.

Turning on manual watering at the unit a little tricky, but there’s a LED indicator that helps you know how long you’ve held the button down. The beauty is in setting the timer for an amount of time with your phone, though – no more forgetting the water is on! Haven’t even tried the smart watering function, but I’m sure it’s amazing.

It’s got more AI than I ever imagined. Seems to be targeted at lawns more than gardens, so I’m not sure if it’ll apply to my situation, but it sure is neat :).

This is just what I have been looking for to irrigate my flower beds and potted plants. I will ultimately have five of them serving different zones around my home. I have four in place now, and they are working as expected.

I did have some connectivity issues early on with the first one I purchased, but I am not sure if it was the unit’s fault, as they have all been working well for several weeks now.

NO cons so far, only pros…. very convenient to use even with manual watering. It provides the water usage after watering completed.