How to set a garden watering timer
Updated: October 2026
The timer is out of the box and the first programme is where most of these go wrong. How to set a garden watering timer, on a UK tap, is a short order: water off, washer seated, new alkaline cells in, one programme from that model’s sheet, and one cycle you watch until it closes. Button maps are not shared across the twelve listings on the [watering timer comparison](/hub/garden-watering/watering-timer). Which schedule you bought is on the [watering timer buying guide](/hub/garden-watering/watering-timer/sub/watering-timer-buying-guide). A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
The timer is out of the box and the first programme is where most of these go wrong.
The timer is out of the box and the first programme is where most of these go wrong. How to set a garden watering timer, on a UK tap, is a short order: water off, washer seated, new alkaline cells in, one programme from that model’s sheet, and one cycle you watch until it closes. Button maps are not shared across the twelve listings on the watering timer comparison. Which schedule you bought is on the watering timer buying guide. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Schedule | Inlet | Battery shut-off | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Gardena Gardena Water Control Easy | 15 presets, one knob | n/a | n/a | 7.5 | about £28.82 | View offer |
 Johgee Johgee 3-inch timer | Daily to every 15 days; reviewers found a 1-hour minimum gap | 3/4 inch, nylon | Warning light only | 8.8 | about £31.89 | View offer | |
| Alternative |  Kingfisher Kingfisher WT100 | Interval from the moment you set it | Plastic | n/a | 7.0 | about £14.95 | View offer |
On this page
Fit the inlet before you programme
Turn the outside tap off before you thread anything. An open tap hides whether a drip is the valve or the nut. Seat the filter washer flat. Hand-tight, no pliers.
The Rainpoint four-zone listing says the timer leaks if you leave the filter washer out. On the three-programme model, one UK review found the washer loose in the box. Tape does not replace a washer, and it will not repair a damaged tap face. Open the tap slowly only after the programme is in. Which timer to buy stays on best garden hose timer.
Cells first, then the clock
Most cartons omit the batteries. Kingfisher takes 2 AAA. The Johgee three-inch computer and the Rainpoint three-programme timer take 2 AA alkaline. Gardena’s bullets do not name a type, and a review says the cells are not included. Fit the alkaline size the listing names.
Put the cells in before the clock. A Rainpoint three-programme review lost the programmes when the cells came out. “Closes on a flat battery” is a seller sentence. Do not treat it as a test. On the Johgee three-inch computer the shortest gap one reviewer could store was one hour. If the photo and the buttons disagree, believe the buttons.
Set an interval timer at the right hour
The Kingfisher has no clock. The interval runs from the hour you set the dials. UK reviews match a simple example: 6pm and every 12 hours is 6pm and 6am. Set it at 11am and 11am is the start.
A clock timer is different. On the Rainpoint three-programme timer a second programme can be the evening. On the Brandson a UK review found the soak 12 hours later copies the one period you stored. The Gardena Easy is 15 presets on a knob. The bullets state no maximum, and one review saw the run stop after a few minutes.
Watch one full cycle
Open the tap slowly and stay for the close. A weep at the inlet nut is a washer: tap off, reseat, hand-tight. A leak from the body, or from the brass-to-body joint on the Johgee two-zone timer, is a return.
Kingfisher reviews include a unit that would not close. If the close fails, turn the tap off. A valve left open while you are away is on watering timer for a holiday. The timer does not add a double check valve.
Common questions
Do I turn the tap off before I fit it?
Yes. Fit and programme with the tap closed, then open it slowly for the test. An open tap while you seat the washer hides a cross-thread. If you are replacing a timer, close the tap, drain the hose, and then undo the old nut. The indoor stop tap is the backup if the outside handle will not move. Finding that stop tap, if you have never used it, is a plumbing job rather than a timer setting.
Where does the washer sit?
In the inlet, flat, mesh towards the water. The Rainpoint four-zone listing says the timer leaks if that filter washer is left out. On the three-programme Rainpoint, check the box, because one review found the washer loose. A drip at the tap thread after a hand-tight fit means you reseat it. A drip from the body means you stop and return the timer.
Which batteries, and are they in the box?
They are not in the clear listings. Kingfisher and Brandson take 2 AAA. The Johgee three-inch computer takes 2 AA, and the listing says both “over 6 months” and 12 months. The Rainpoint three-programme timer asks for 2 AA alkaline. Gardena’s bullets omit the type, and a review says they are not included. Do not fit NiMH into the Johgee two-zone timer if you have the review that said they were refused.
Why did my interval timer come on at the wrong time?
Because the first cycle starts when you set it. A Kingfisher set at 6pm for every 12 hours runs at 6pm and 6am. Set at breakfast, it runs at breakfast. There is no clock to correct later. If you needed 7am stored as a time of day, you bought an interval timer for a clock-timer job. The Rainpoint three-programme listing is the one here that stores separate starts.
Should I use pliers or PTFE?
Neither, as the first move. Hand-tight, with the washer in, is what the leak notes describe. Pliers cross threads and crack collars. PTFE does not replace a missing washer and does not repair a damaged tap face. Use tape from a Brandson box only if the thread still weeps after the washer is seated. One Gardena review needed tape or an extra connector. That is the tap, not a reason to crush the nut.
How do I know the valve will close?
You watch one short cycle, including the stop. A close you did not see is a hope. Kingfisher reviews include a valve that stayed open and one that pulsed. If the close fails, turn the tap off and return the timer. A printed line about a flat battery closing the valve is not that test, and several listings do not even print the line.
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)