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Best Water Timer for Your Sprinkler System

Published Jun 3rd, 2021 4:58PM EDT

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Getting the lush lawn that you desire for your home is certainly achievable in most circumstances. Putting down grass seed and watering it is the easiest route to take, unless you want to lay sod down. But in order to keep the consistent look of green grass out your windows, you’ll need to use a sprinkler system throughout the growing process. You definitely don’t want to have to go outside every single time you want to water your lawn and put out the hoses and set everything up. Make your life automated and easier with the help of a water timer. These will connect to your hoses and sprinklers and you can set them to start up and shut off whenever you want them to. If you’re in the market for a water timer and are having trouble deciding which one is best for your situation, we’ve got you covered. Take a look at our picks for the best water timers and start getting the grass you want.

Hook up more hoses

For those who have a large yard that needs a lot of watering, you’re going to need multiple hoses to be hooked up at once. The Orbit 56082 3-Outlet Hose Watering Timer provides you with the ability to hook up three hoses. You can set three different outlets for timed watering, allowing you to go about your day and not have to worry about being home to turn on and off the sprinkler. This is extremely easy to program and use, as you can spin the controls to the setting you desire. There is a rain delay feature that helps you conserve water, if you’ve had a particularly rainy week at home. There’s also a manual bypass feature that allows you to use the faucet even while the sprinkler is hooked up. It won’t interrupt any timing. You can set this to run for one minute or all the way up to 240 minutes. You can also set watering frequency for every six hours up to seven days in advance. It is made from weather-resistant construction, so you don’t have to be afraid to leave it outside.

Key Features:

  • Rain delay feature
  • Manual bypass feature
  • Made from weather-resistant construction
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Turn the knobs

Making it easy to set with numerous options, the Raindrip R675CT Analog 3-Dial Water Timer is a smart pick. This will attach to an outdoor faucet, standard drip tubing, or a garden hose, as long as it meets the minimum PSI for the unit to work. It features both solenoid and diaphragm valve on/off controls. The three timers are for frequency, run time, and manual watering times. This also comes with a rain delay setting that helps you conserve some water. This runs on two AA batteries (not included) and will give you an indication when the batteries are low. The programs will even stay set as long as you only take 15 seconds to switch out the batteries. It comes with a bonus universal fitting to help you connect it.

Key Features:

  • Attach to multiple spots
  • Needs to meet minimum PSI
  • Runs on two AA batteries
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Don’t drive up your electric bill

Keeping an eye on your electric bill as well as your water bill, the Instapark PWT-07 Outdoor Waterproof Digital Programmable Single Outlet Water Timer can really help your wallet. This digital programmable timer has an impulse solenoid valve that attaches to any garden hose or faucet with a standard 3/4″ thread. This will help you control your duration and water frequency when you’re watering your lawn. It is weather-resistant, impact-resistant, and made from premium ABS construction. It is rated at IP66 with a dust cover that’s ideal for the setup. It features an extremely easy to read LED display with a bar graph battery status. It has up to 4,000 on/off cycles to choose from, keeping your power consumption low. There are rain delay and manual options that won’t affect your timer’s program if you choose them.

Key Features:

  • Up to 4,000 on/off cycles
  • Digital programmable timer
  • Made from ABS construction
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Takes no time to set up

You won’t have any problems setting up the Gilmour Single Outlet Electronic Water Timer. This is a single outlet timer that runs with one hose or watering tool. All you need to do is twist it to connect it to your faucet or garden hose and it only needs two AA batteries to operate. There isn’t a need to use tools to put it together. It has metal easy-swivel coupling to connect to your spigot. You can even drag the hose around while it’s connected and you won’t have a problem about it becoming undone. You’ll be able to program start times, frequency, and duration of watering, all the way up to six hours.

Key Features:

  • Metal easy-swivel coupling
  • Be able to program start times
  • Can drag the hose around while it’s connected
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Have it set the way you want

If something were to happen and you need to change your watering schedule, you can easily do so if you have the Rain Bird 1ZEHTMR Professional Grade Electronic Digital Hose End Timer/Controller. There are instant override buttons for “Cancel Watering” and “Water Now”, so you can set up manual watering or a 96-hour rain delay feature. This is a professional timer that can be used seven days a week with a convenient extra-large dial and readout screen. It’ll show you what’s coming next on your schedule and show you how much time is left on the current cycle. You can run this for six hours continuously with up to two start times per day.

Key Features:

  • Can be used seven days a week
  • Convenient extra-large dial
  • Instant override buttons
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Chris Hachey Commerce Editor

Chris Hachey is Senior Commerce Editor for BGR. With over a decade of editing and journalism experience, plus thousands of hours of product testing and research, he has helped millions of consumers find the best products and deals to fit their lifestyles.

When he's not searching for top deals, he's likely watching his favorite sports teams or walking around his hometown with his wife and his dog.