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Gardena water butt pump

Updated: 22 October 2026

A full butt sits by the shed and you want a hose without tying it to the kitchen tap. A Gardena water butt pump is the machine for that stored rain. It is not a pool pump, and it is not a licence to ignore your water company's notice. The model table is on the [Gardena submersible pump comparison](/hub/garden-watering/gardena-submersible-pump). Peter F. used the Gardena UK pages, South West Water's hosepipe exceptions and the amazon.co.uk notes from 21 October 2026. There is no laboratory test. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.

A full butt sits by the shed and you want a hose without tying it to the kitchen tap. A Gardena water butt pump is the machine for that stored rain.

Our top picks

Gardena Gardena 4000/1

Best overall

Gardena Gardena 4000/1
7.3/10about £79.99
View offer
Gardena Gardena 18 V tank pump

Alternative

Gardena Gardena 18 V tank pump
6.6/10about £82.95
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What a butt pump is for
  2. 2.Reach, hose length and sludge
  3. 3.Hosepipe bans and the mains
  4. 4.Mains pump or 18 V

What a butt pump is for

The mains pump for this job is the Gardena 4000/1, B0DMF7XPFW, at £79.99 on amazon.co.uk and on Screwfix, with 4.7 from 66 reviews. Gardena UK lists 400 W, 4,000 litres per hour, 1.3 bar and 13 metres. A 20000 drainage pump is 0.9 bar and 9 metres, and those peaks do not arrive together. One small sprinkler is a fair test. Two roses, or a sprinkler on a 30 metre hose, can fall back to a dribble. The hose is not supplied. Gardena UK does not print a particle size. Screwfix prints 2.5 mm. Grit to 35 mm belongs on a dirty-water pump.

Reach, hose length and sludge

Gardena UK sets the telescopic pipe at 615 to 815 mm, plus a 210 mm extension sold separately. A 210 litre butt in the stored reviews was within the standard pipe. Deeper butts needed the extension. About 20 metres of hose was acceptable, and about 30 metres was weaker. That is review experience, not a second official head. Match the 13 mm push-fit on the Screwfix table. Hang the inlet above the sludge, or the filter clogs. Continuous-on, down to about 5 mm, is for the last clean water, not for silt. The float and the RCD are on how to use a Gardena submersible pump.
Gardena Gardena 4000/1

Testsieger

Gardena Gardena 4000/1
7.3/10about £79.99
View offer

Hosepipe bans and the mains

A hosepipe ban is your water company's notice about mains water, not a single UK rule. South West Water says a ban covers mains hoses, sprinklers and pressure washers, and that water taken from a butt is outside that ban. Read the notice from the company that bills you. One 4000/1 review is a household report, not a national exemption. Butt water is not drinking water. Water Regs UK, February 2024, treats rainwater as fluid category 5. A mains backup needs the air gap the booklet specifies, and the work is notifiable. A pump that only sits in the butt is not that cross-connection. A hose left in the water for top-up is how people create one.

Mains pump or 18 V

Choose the 4000/1 when you have an outdoor socket on a 30 mA RCD. £79.99 is the stored shelf. The Screwfix cable is 10 metres. Choose the 14602-55, B08LNRP4VT, when there is no socket. It was £82.95 without a battery. Gardena UK lists 2,000 litres per hour, 2 bar, 20 metres and 1.8 metres of submersion. A review says the rim can foul the pack, and one report describes overheating. That is a single report, not a rate. Do not compare £82.95 with £79.99 until the battery is in the basket. With a socket in place, the mains pump is the simpler order. The ranking is on the best Gardena submersible pump page.

Common questions

Can I use a butt pump during a hosepipe ban?
Only in the way your own water company allows. South West Water says water taken from a butt sits outside a ban on mains hoses, sprinklers and pressure washers. That is one company's exceptions page, not a UK-wide rule. Stored rain pumped from the butt is the case they describe. A mains hose is not.
Will the 4000/1 reach over a tall butt?
The UK page sets the telescopic pipe at 615 to 815 mm, and the body at about 150 mm. A further 210 mm extension is sold separately. Reviewers with deep butts bought that extension. A 210 litre butt in the stored comments was within the standard pipe. Measure from the rim to the water before you skip the extra tube.
Is the pressure enough for a hose?
For a short hose, reviewers found it usable, including a comparison with a kitchen tap. About 20 metres was acceptable in those comments, and about 30 metres was weaker. Gardena UK states 1.3 bar and 13 metres as maxima, which do not arrive together. Lay the shorter hose first and see the stream you actually get.
What if the butt has sludge at the bottom?
Keep the inlet above it, or clean the butt first. The 4000/1 uses a fine filter. Gardena UK does not print a 2.5 mm rating, and Screwfix does. Neither figure is a 35 mm dirty-water passage. Dropping the pump into the silt clogs the filter and sends brown water down the hose.
Should I buy the cordless tank pump instead?
Buy the 14602-55 if there is no safe socket, and only once you have counted the battery. The solo listing was £82.95. Gardena UK states 2 bar, 2,000 litres per hour, 20 metres and 1.8 metres of submersion. The rim can foul the pack, and one review reports overheating. With a socket already in place, the mains 4000/1 is the simpler order.
Does the pump include the hose?
No. Screwfix states that the 4000/1 hose is not supplied, and none of the kept listings includes a full hose. Budget for hose, a 13 mm push-fit if that is the outlet you have, and the 210 mm extension if the butt is deeper than the telescopic pipe.

Related pages

Gardena submersible pump buying guide

Gardena submersible pump

Best Gardena submersible pump for a rainwater butt

Clear water vs dirty water submersible pump: grit or 1 mm

How to use a Gardena submersible pump: the float and RCD

Sources

Public UK sources from the research digest, plus the amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts captured for these ten listings on 21 October 2026. Last reviewed 22 October 2026.

  1. Gardena UK, rain water tank pump 4000/1 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  2. Gardena UK, dirty-water submersible pump 20000 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  3. Gardena UK, 2-in-1 clear/dirty submersible pump 20000 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  4. Gardena UK, clear-water submersible pump 20000 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  5. Gardena UK, battery rainwater tank pump 2000/2 18V (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  6. IET Wiring Matters, Regulation 411.3.3 and 30 mA RCDs (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  7. Water Regs UK, alternative water systems (February 2024) (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  8. South West Water, hosepipe ban exceptions (retrieved 21 October 2026)