The Best Hose Timer Buying Guide You Should Know
Creating a schedule is beneficial for everyone and everything, including your plants. A hose timer allows you to set a reliable schedule to ensure all of your plants are watered. You might like to have your morning coffee when you wake each day. Plants love to have a drink of water each morning.
A hose timer also allows you to create an ideal watering cycle. You can plan the frequency and duration. These schedules can be changed based on future temperatures and weather forecasts. They are easy to use and a great way to save time on your garden!
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How To Pick A Hose Timer
There are several different choices available on the market, so you want to pick the choice that best aligns with your needs.
Price
There is a wide price range of hose timers. The first thing you should do is set a budget that works for you. The price is going to align with the additional features, such as water pressure and number of outlets. That doesn’t mean the cheaper ones are bad! They don’t just include too many extras.
The Features Included
You have to check all of the features included in the hose timer. For example, look at the type. Is it a digital or analog timer? How many outlets does it include? How does it measure runtime? Extras, such as weatherproofing and being programmable are great bonuses!
Design
As you can imagine, an electric timer is the easiest design and perfect if you work often. Electric timers let you set the frequency and duration, so you don’t have to be there at all once it is set. Single outlets are better for those with a small lawn. The largest amount of outlets a hose timer will have is three. Outlets are important because they allow you to control the water flow! Those with a lot of yard to water should consider a timer with three outlets.
Weatherproofing
Since your hose timer is located outside, weatherproofing will extend the life of your product. The rating is displayed on the packaging in the form of IPXY. The X and Y will be numbers between 1 and 9. You might see IP66 or IP45. The numbers tell you how much moisture and dust protection the hose timer has. The higher the number, the better the protection.
Ease of Use
The easiest hose timers to use also will be the most expensive, in general. Programmable timers with LCD screens give you the most freedom of interaction. These hose timers let the user create a watering schedule for each area of your garden. Some allow you to set the intensity, based on gallons per minute.
Rain Delay
One feature that gardeners love is the rain delay feature! It is an awesome feature that allows you to pause your watering schedule if there has been recent rain. This feature prevents your garden from being over-watered, which is a major issue. Too much water can cause your plants to die, rot or spread disease. Plus, if your plants already have water, there is no reason to pay for more water! This feature saves you money as well.
Tips For Using A Hose Timer
Here are some tips for using a hose timer effectively.
The 5 Best Hose Timers Review
Via: Amazon.com
Orbit is a well-known brand in the hose timer world! The 62056 comes with a large dial and a digital display that makes it easy for you to program your schedules. The display is large so that you can read it easily. Orbit designed it with water-resistant materials so that it can stay outside year-round.
Orbit used heavy-duty plastic, which means the timer is less prone to damage. It should serve you for many years. The one thing to consider is that it is a single valve, which isn’t ideal for people with a lot of property.
The Orbit 62056 is ideal for someone who doesn’t have a large property or garden to water and wants something easy to use.
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Via: Amazon.com
The Claber 8420 comes with two valves. Each valve can have three individually-timed programs at once. You are able to customize your schedule based on your particular needs. Claber ensured that the programming is easy to use and straightforward. You can also switch to a manual mode if that is easier.
Because there are so many settings, some gardeners find programming isn’t as easy as advertised. Take the time to read the manual before you set it up!
The Claber is one of the few hose timers that allow you to set schedules for each valve. That means it is ideal for someone with a large garden with different plants and different watering needs.
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Via: Amazon.com
If you are on a tight budget, the Nelson 56600 is a great choice. It features two functions – an automatic off and a manual on. The timer has run time from 1 to 120 minutes, which is a great range. It features automatic water off to conserve water.
Despite the overall simple design of the Nelson 56600, the water flow is excellent. Remember that you will need to turn the hose timer on manually, but it will turn off by itself. So, you do have to remember to do that part each time you want to water your garden.
The Nelson 56600 is perfect for someone on a budget and who has a smaller garden or yard that needs to be watered.
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Via: Amazon.com
Instapark is a brand you can trust, serving gardeners all over the United States for over 20 years! Their PWT is durable and high-quality, featuring a single-station, digital, programmable timer. Their weather-resistance is high, rated at IP66. Instapark designed it with a large, easy-to-read LED display that shows you the timer status and your battery strength.
Instapark has a fantastic rain delay feature that lets you select durations – 24, 48 or 72 hours. The manual options allow you to make sure you conserve as much water as possible. However, there are limits, such as the frequency per day.
This hose timer is great for someone who has a smaller garden and wants to conserve as much water as possible!
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Via: Amazon.com
The Melnor 53015 comes with a single-outlet and allows the gardener to set up to 24 watering cycles each day. You can meet your needs. You don’t have to worry about your schedule deleting if you change batteries, which is a frequent issue!
Melnor has some other great features, such as the easy-to-read, LCD screen. It has multiple control functions, and the screen makes it easy to program. For ideal connection, it comes with a non-slip, rubberized grip. However, this timer only comes with one valve.
The Melnor 53015 Single-Outlet is great for someone with a smaller garden or yard but still wants to have a customized schedule.
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While all of these hose timers are great, the clear winner is Instapark! It features the most customization for a single valve. It also has one of the best rain delay features, ensuring you save as much water as possible. Plus, the brand is trustworthy and sells quality products.
A hose timer is a great way to maximize your time and ensure your plants always stay watered. A schedule is important for that! You don’t’ want all of your hard work to be destroyed because you forgot to water for a few days. One of these choices for the best hose timer will fit all of your needs and wants. Then, you can rest assured knowing your plants are always properly watered.
Do you use a hose timer? If so, let us know what is your favorite in the comments!AMAZON Best Sellers: Best Hose Timer
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