I have a shallow ground level birdbath (18" plant pot saucer) in the run to give me a crude guess when the soil might be a bit drier when that is dry, and that lets me see how much water has come out of the 2 nozzles feeding it at a their current setting if I need an indication. Though I tend to just look how far the butt has gone down.

Basic limited functionality – cannot set timer in advance or programme it to start at a certain time.

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More advanced ‘rain delay’ feature – delay the next watering for 24 hours, 48 hours or 72 hours without disturbing the preset programmes. Similarly, Anglian Water offers both a water saving bathroom kit and a garden water-saving kit. The bathroom kit includes a digital shower timer, a save-a-flush bag that saves 1 litre (1.75 pints) of water each time you flush your toilet, and a leaky loo tablet that dyes your water so you can easily spot whether you have a leak. I appreciate and I’m sure you will too, the days of the week that are permanently on the screen – the current day is underlined. The app (mobile and web) lets you view 90 days’ worth of flow rate, water usage and water cost so you can modify your watering schedule to suit your budget.

Suitable for use with garden sprinklers, low-pressure micro-irrigation systems and water butts irrigation.There’s also usually an option to temporarily override the programming and request that your garden is watered immediately. It’s not quite as the same as you standing in your garden with the watering hose, but then again you may be laying in the sun on a beach doing this garden task, and that can’t be bad! This relates mainly to the app through which you set up, control and receive information from your smart water timer. As with any technology and its associated software or app, some (often many) online reviewers have problems using the user interface of the app as well as the app not always being available. It’s a combination of the design of the app and personal taste in what the screens should look and act like.

Many outside taps are positioned at an awkward height to be being for a period of time to set the time functions. – Being able to lift the panel off and walk around the garden with it or perhaps sit on a bench is such a simple but useful feature. Some timer boxes have lights to let you know how low the battery is or how strong the signal is. Other timers have just a smooth front to the timer, and you need to access the app for all the information. The good thing is that you can isolate one of the water feeds, or programme them both to a separate time pattern. ProsThe Eva Aqua is part of the Eva range of smart products that work together to create a smart home. You control the Eva Aqua through its app, by typing, or by talking to Siri, whichever you prefer. The sleek-looking timer is weatherproof and resistant to UV rays so it sits comfortably on your outside tap. Fits into the Gardena Smart Set System which controls this and all the other Smart Gardena appliances in your garden. Next, set how long you would like the timer to run for each time it is on, from 1 minute to 120 minutes. Your scheduling options allow you to set up to seven watering periods per day. Version 3.8 (new as of November 2020) of the Eve app gives you the ability to set six different watering zones (with their own schedules) if you have the Gardena Automatic Water Distributor. This takes in water through one inlet and splits it into six outlets. Keep plants in separate garden zones that are on different watering timetables healthy and robust. Would be nice if it had an optional second water port built in – for the more serious gardeners with multiple dripper loops set up as well as sprinklers.

Uses a Zigbee communication protocol that’s simpler and more reliable than using Bluetooth or Wifi. The Eve Aqua Smart Water Controller is the Runner-up in our review of the best wifi water timers. We like that it’s part of a smart home series of products for Apple iOS enthusiasts and that it’s not dependent on being near an internet connection for use once it’s programmed. Have the screw on the plastic water cover perfectly to avoid water damage inside. (Some timers do not need a protective cover at all. The hub supports up to four timers/taps for those with complex or varied irrigation systems in their garden.IP6 Weatherproof wireless smart water timer lets you schedule your watering sessions from anywhere, at any time, to suit the weather. Set the start time, the duration of the watering and how often you would like it to water your garden.