Watering timer for a holiday
Updated: October 2026
You are leaving for one to three weeks. A watering timer for a holiday is not a guarantee. It repeats what you stored, for as long as the cells hold and the valve still shuts. The failures in this amazon.co.uk set are a valve left open, a flat battery, a ban that starts after you leave, and a cloud drop. Fitting the washer is on [how to set a garden watering timer](/hub/garden-watering/watering-timer/sub/watering-timer-how-to-use). The rows are on the [watering timer comparison](/hub/garden-watering/watering-timer). A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
You are leaving for one to three weeks. A watering timer for a holiday is not a guarantee. It repeats what you stored, for as long as the cells hold and the valve still shuts.
You are leaving for one to three weeks. A watering timer for a holiday is not a guarantee. It repeats what you stored, for as long as the cells hold and the valve still shuts. The failures in this amazon.co.uk set are a valve left open, a flat battery, a ban that starts after you leave, and a cloud drop. Fitting the washer is on how to set a garden watering timer. The rows are on the watering timer comparison. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Schedule | Rain delay | Valve | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Restmo RESTMO ball-valve timer | 3 weekly programmes | 24, 48 or 72 hours | Ball valve | 6.0 | about £24.98 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Rainpoint Rainpoint 3-programme timer | 3 clock programmes | 24, 48 or 72 hours | Solenoid | 8.4 | about £39.99 | View offer |
 Johgee Johgee 3-inch timer | Daily to every 15 days; reviewers found a 1-hour minimum gap | Manual button | n/a | 8.8 | about £31.89 | View offer |
On this page
What a fortnight actually asks of the timer
A fortnight needs a programme that repeats. The Johgee three-inch computer, £31.89 with 4.2 from 1,594 reviews, stores daily up to every 15 days, and reviewers found a one-hour minimum gap. The Rainpoint three-programme timer at £39.99 can hold 7am and 8pm, on 187 reviews, until the cells come out and the memory goes with them. The Kingfisher at £14.95 repeats from the hour you set the dial, with no clock to fix while you are away.
The Johgee three-inch listing says both “over 6 months” and 12 months for two AA cells, which is not a reason to leave old cells in.
A valve that will not shut
UK reviews of the Rainpoint two-zone timer, £59.99 with 3.8 from 53 reviews, describe water running for a day, for four days, and for 24 hours. Brass at both ends did not stop that. Kingfisher reviews include a unit that would not close. “Low battery closes the valve” is a seller line those reports already outran.
The shut-off that matters is the tap handle and a person who can turn it. WaterSafe says you should know the indoor stop tap. The external stopcock belongs to the water company. If you cannot name a person, do not leave a mains timer running.
Rain, bans, and a butt
Rain delay will not press itself in another county. It is a button for 24, 48, or 72 hours, or a manual press on the Johgee three-inch computer. The Rainpoint hub claims weather skip, and one UK review lost the cloud on holiday so a neighbour stepped in. The hub choice is on WiFi watering timer vs tap timer.
Section 76 of the Water Industry Act 1991 lets a company in England and Wales ban a hosepipe on the garden. Ofwat states the fine as up to £1,000. Thames Water allows drip or trickle only, with a timer and a pressure-reducing valve, water to the soil, and no spray. South East Water’s Sussex FAQ, from 9 October 2026, still describes a hosepipe from a butt as allowed. Read your own company’s page on the day you leave. A 40-litre bin only dripped on the Johgee three-inch timer.
The night before you leave
Fit new alkaline cells on the day you leave, then set the programme, then watch one close. On the Rainpoint three-programme timer, programming before you swap the cells is how a review lost the times. Stagger two outlets. A Johgee review saw the pressure drop when both opened.
A weep at the nut is a washer you reseat now. A leak from the body is a timer you do not leave. Write the times, the tap, the indoor stop tap, the live ban notice, and who will turn the handle. If you have not bought yet, the schedule is on the watering timer buying guide.
Common questions
What if the valve sticks open?
Turn the outside tap off. If you are away, the person you briefed does that, and uses the indoor stop tap only if they already know it. WaterSafe treats the external stopcock as the company’s. UK reviews of the Rainpoint two-zone timer include a day, four days, and 24 hours of running water. Do not wait for a low-battery shut-off claim. If it sticks during the test the night before, you do not leave.
Who turns the water off if I am away?
A neighbour who can reach the outside tap and who knows the indoor stop tap. An app is not that person. The Rainpoint hub review that lost the cloud still needed someone on the spot. If you cannot name them, take the timer off and leave a watering can. A login you have not tested is not a plan.
Does rain delay cover a wet week if nobody is home?
No. On these battery timers it is a button you press before you go, for 24, 48, or 72 hours, or a manual press. It will not extend itself because it rained again on day three. Weather skip on the Rainpoint hub needs the hub online. One holiday review lost that link. A short programme tolerates extra rain better than a long cycle you cannot cancel.
Is a timer allowed in a hosepipe ban?
Only if your company’s notice allows that use. A timer does not create an exemption. Ofwat states the fine as up to £1,000. Thames Water allows drip or trickle with a timer and a pressure-reducing valve, to the soil, not a sprinkler. South East Water’s Sussex page from 9 October 2026 still describes butt water and drip with a timer and a pressure-reducing valve. Read the notice for your supply on the day you leave.
Does a water butt change the ban?
Only where the notice says a hosepipe from a butt is still allowed. South East Water’s Sussex FAQ says that. Another company may not, and Sussex does not travel to every postcode. A butt also has to push the valve. A 40-litre bin only dripped on the Johgee three-inch timer. A falling level over a fortnight makes that worse.
Related pages
Sources
Sources checked for this comparison; amazon.co.uk listings captured on 15 October 2026.
- Water Industry Act 1991, section 76 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- Ofwat, hosepipe bans and what they mean (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- Thames Water, temporary hosepipe ban FAQs (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- South East Water, Sussex hosepipe restrictions FAQs (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- Water Regs UK, Type HUK1 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- Severn Trent, water pressure policy (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- Gardena UK, Water Control Easy (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- amazon.co.uk listing, Kingfisher WT100 (retrieved 15 October 2026)