---
product_id: 1873611
title: "GARDENA 31169 | Mechanical Water Timer with Flow Control"
brand: "gardena"
price: "€ 16.40"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 13
url: https://www.desertcart.be/products/1873611-gardena-31169-mechanical-water-timer-with-flow-control
store_origin: BE
region: Belgium
---

# Flow control with soft shutoff No batteries needed 5-120 min timer range GARDENA 31169 | Mechanical Water Timer with Flow Control

**Brand:** gardena
**Price:** € 16.40
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Summary

> ⏳💧 Water smarter, not harder — your garden’s new best friend!

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** GARDENA 31169 | Mechanical Water Timer with Flow Control by gardena
- **How much does it cost?** € 16.40 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.be](https://www.desertcart.be/products/1873611-gardena-31169-mechanical-water-timer-with-flow-control)

## Best For

- gardena enthusiasts

## Why This Product

- Trusted gardena brand quality
- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
- 15-day hassle-free returns

## Key Features

- • **Manual Override Option:** Start watering anytime with a simple manual activation for ultimate flexibility.
- • **Battery-Free Reliability:** Mechanical design means zero batteries required—eco-friendly and maintenance-free.
- • **Precision Timing Control:** Set watering duration from 5 to 120 minutes with effortless rotary dial operation.
- • **Seamless Flow Management:** Integrated flow control ensures gentle water shutoff, protecting your plumbing from hydraulic shock.
- • **Universal Tap Compatibility:** Easily connects to standard garden taps for instant irrigation setup.

## Overview

The GARDENA 31169 Mechanical Water Timer offers precise, battery-free irrigation control with a 5 to 120-minute adjustable timer and built-in flow control to prevent plumbing shocks. Designed for easy tap connection and manual override, it ensures efficient watering while protecting your system, making it ideal for busy professionals who demand reliability and simplicity in garden care.

## Description

Product Description The Gardena water timer automatically switches off your garden irrigation. The unit is simply connected to the tap & can easily be operated using the large rotary element. The operation of a sprinkler or drip irrigation system can be initiated manually. The watering duration of between 5 & 120 Min is set on the water timer. After the pre-set time has expired, the water flow will stop automatically. No batteries are required for operation. From the Manufacturer Gardena's aim is to provide a simple and convenient solution to all of your watering, soil and lawn care problems. We manufacture reliable, quality gardening equipment to make light work of your gardening tasks, giving you more time to relax and enjoy your garden. Our commitment to bring you reliable gardening equipment doesn't stop when you buy your Gardena product from your local garden center. We offer a minimum 12 month parts and labor warranty on all our products so in the unlikely event that your Gardena product develops a fault, we will repair or replace the item free of charge. If your product is older than 12 months we have a national repair service which will give you a free estimate for parts and labor to repair your product.

Review: Irrigation Bliss may be had courtesy of Gardena and fine German Engineering. - I was looking for a hose-bib mounted mechanical water timer that would not restrict my anemic city water pressure and this did the trick, in spades. Our city water inlet is only 1/2 inch and results in about 50 PSI at the bib. As a result, I have had all sorts of trouble with impact sprinklers. I started with Melnor's then tried GIlmour's then finally Orbits. I tinkered and fussed but to no avail. If no one on my city block was so much as flushing a toilet, they MIGHT work a few times, but then would no longer spin hard enough to trip the return levers. I tried shortening the hoses that fed them, no luck. I tried using a smaller diameter hose hoping to raise the water velocity. No joy. I grew up on farms so I knew deep down that there's really only one brand of impact sprinkler worth anything and that is Rain Bird. I yanked out the old heads and dropped Rain Birds on. Still no love. I tried everything, I adjusted, I tinkered, I fussed, I meddled and twiddled. I even resorted to some rather colorful language which did nothing but cause my blood pressure to rise. However, it did nothing for my water pressure. It did cause the dog to give me a rather mournful look however. In desperation, I decided to swap out the timer I was using to see if maybe that was the problem. I have used Orbit and Melnor timers, but unfortunately the diameter of the pass-thru is about the size of a pencil and I can only run one impact sprinkler at a time with them. Like a bolt of lightning (Or possibly a rather large, well-thrown bolt) it hit me. The timers were throttling the water pressure down even further, below the threshold that even my beloved Rain Birds could operate. While the timer function was great, the pass-thru water pressure was not. Off to desertcart I went. After a few failed attempts at searching term usage, I found another timer that promised "High Volume", but the reviews were less then hearty even discounting the obvious "Pilot error" in some of them. Then I found this Gardena. At double the price that I had paid for mechanical water timers I was a little hesitant, but I was tired of standing next to a non functioning sprinkler head, getting soaking wet trying to get it to run and for the price of a couple CD's I was willing to have dry pants and no longer cause the dog great amounts of consternation at the vociferous language being used when he obviously hadn't peed in the house anywhere. Not that day anyway. I engaged the "Prime Directive" and two days later the magic box appeared on my porch. Irrigation bliss. Lo and behold my Rain Birds spun in near frantic ecstasy happily spreading water hither and yon across the yard. This Gardena works great. I can run both my Rain Birds and the lawn is thoroughly and evenly watered. The dog was rather non-plussed at first as he was not able to time his forays between the jets of water and got thoroughly soaked. He was at least kind enough to not sully my mood by likewise watering the living room rug, so all is good. Ignore the nonsense about variable pressure in some other reviews and simply bask in the glory of your sprinklers running at full pressure. The "Soft Off Feature" is nice I suppose but I personally don't care if my timer slams off as hard as my front door does when a political pollster shows up so long as the sprinklers are running at full bore and soak those wretched time vampires as they scurry down the sidewalk.
Review: Great Water Timer - This purchase is a replacement for an identical timer that I bought on desertcart 7 years ago. It gave me 6 years of trouble free service. I cannot exactly remember what it was that failed, but I was excited to see that I could replace it with the same. In the interim it was replaced with a Dramm which has been iffy at times. The Gardena was unavailable for some time and I thought gone forever from the market place. The new unit comes to you on a bubble card with every language except English, so the features are up to you to figure them out. The timer operation itself is easy enough, but the flow control was not explained on the original packaging and if it is on the new packaging, it remains a mystery. An email contact to info@gardenacanada.com produced the answer that the flow control, a tiny hour glass icon, is between the O and 120 minutes with a wide to narrow ribbon/arrow that determines the amount of flow. So you can get flow control but only on the continuous mode and NOT the timed cycle. I can regulate the flow with the faucet, so there is basically no need for the engineered feature. Over the years this product has saved us a lot of wasted water in filling the horse tub and in watering a young tree near the barn. Before putting this into use, we frequently walked away and forgot that we had the water running. I do not operate this timer in the cold winter months, as frozen water inside the unit tells me that it will forever damage the mechanism. The reminder in our few winter months is a clothespin clipped to our clothes when the water is turned on and removed when we remember to turn it off! A nice additional feature is the quick connect, one of which comes attached to the timer - I have previously purchased more of these, especially the Y connector, which has also had a long life. I would highly recommend Gardena based on personal use of these products.

## Features

- The unit is simply connected to the tap & can easily be operated using the large rotary element.
- The operation of a sprinkler or drip irrigation system can be initiated manually.
- The watering duration of between 5 & 120 min is set on the water timer.
- After the pre-set time has expired, the water flow will stop automatically.
- No batteries are required for operation.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| ASIN | B002VED4Q0 |
| Best Sellers Rank | #261,119 in Patio, Lawn & Garden ( See Top 100 in Patio, Lawn & Garden ) #348 in Watering Timers |
| Brand | Gardena |
| Brand Name | Gardena |
| Color | Brown/a |
| Customer Reviews | 4.1 out of 5 stars 621 Reviews |
| Global Trade Identification Number | 00066283311691, 20066283311695 |
| Item Dimensions D x W x H | 3"D x 4.5"W x 12"H |
| Item Type Name | With flow Control |
| Item Weight | 220 Grams |
| Manufacturer | GARDENA |
| Manufacturer Part Number | 31169 |
| Material | Plastic, Resin |
| Material Type | Plastic, Resin |
| Model Number | 31169 |
| Number of settings | 1 |
| Product Dimensions | 3"D x 4.5"W x 12"H |
| Screen Size | 12 Inches |
| Smart Home Compatibility | Not Smart Home Compatible |
| UPC | 066283311691 |
| Unit Count | 1.0 Count |

## Product Details

- **Brand:** Gardena
- **Color:** Brown/a
- **Item Weight:** 220 Grams
- **Material:** Plastic, Resin
- **Product Dimensions:** 3"D x 4.5"W x 12"H

## Images

![GARDENA 31169 | Mechanical Water Timer with Flow Control - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61PYvLRzzAL.jpg)
![GARDENA 31169 | Mechanical Water Timer with Flow Control - Image 2](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71YW-e3PiBL.jpg)
![GARDENA 31169 | Mechanical Water Timer with Flow Control - Image 3](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81gawuy2spL.jpg)
![GARDENA 31169 | Mechanical Water Timer with Flow Control - Image 4](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81ow07+D2BL.jpg)
![GARDENA 31169 | Mechanical Water Timer with Flow Control - Image 5](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71jjjpygVpL.jpg)

## Questions & Answers

**Q: I need a timer that waters the veggies deeply through a hose system a few days/week while we are on vac.  Will this timer allow me to do that?**
A: This Gardena timer is probably the best manual timer on the market.  Perfect for one watering at a time!  You'll need a programmable timer, and I've tried those ones at Lowe's and Home Depot only to return them as they leaked and dripped.

**Q: Can this timer be set to come on every day at same time ?**
A: You manually set this timer each time you use it.  I have this connected to the fill line for my pool.  This lets me run the water for a specific amount of time without worrying about forgetting to shut it off.

**Q: Is this manufactured in the US?**
A: I believe they are manufactured in Europe.

**Q: How do I use the flow control on this water timer?**
A: Flow control can only used in manual mode not timed mode. Meaning, if the faucet is turned on all the way, you can use this unit to meter water instead of disconnecting it, using the faucet, then reconnecting it. But when the timer opens, it just lets the amount of water through that the faucet is set to let through.

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Irrigation Bliss may be had courtesy of Gardena and fine German Engineering.
*by P***. on July 6, 2016*

I was looking for a hose-bib mounted mechanical water timer that would not restrict my anemic city water pressure and this did the trick, in spades. Our city water inlet is only 1/2 inch and results in about 50 PSI at the bib. As a result, I have had all sorts of trouble with impact sprinklers. I started with Melnor's then tried GIlmour's then finally Orbits. I tinkered and fussed but to no avail. If no one on my city block was so much as flushing a toilet, they MIGHT work a few times, but then would no longer spin hard enough to trip the return levers. I tried shortening the hoses that fed them, no luck. I tried using a smaller diameter hose hoping to raise the water velocity. No joy. I grew up on farms so I knew deep down that there's really only one brand of impact sprinkler worth anything and that is Rain Bird. I yanked out the old heads and dropped Rain Birds on. Still no love. I tried everything, I adjusted, I tinkered, I fussed, I meddled and twiddled. I even resorted to some rather colorful language which did nothing but cause my blood pressure to rise. However, it did nothing for my water pressure. It did cause the dog to give me a rather mournful look however. In desperation, I decided to swap out the timer I was using to see if maybe that was the problem. I have used Orbit and Melnor timers, but unfortunately the diameter of the pass-thru is about the size of a pencil and I can only run one impact sprinkler at a time with them. Like a bolt of lightning (Or possibly a rather large, well-thrown bolt) it hit me. The timers were throttling the water pressure down even further, below the threshold that even my beloved Rain Birds could operate. While the timer function was great, the pass-thru water pressure was not. Off to Amazon I went. After a few failed attempts at searching term usage, I found another timer that promised "High Volume", but the reviews were less then hearty even discounting the obvious "Pilot error" in some of them. Then I found this Gardena. At double the price that I had paid for mechanical water timers I was a little hesitant, but I was tired of standing next to a non functioning sprinkler head, getting soaking wet trying to get it to run and for the price of a couple CD's I was willing to have dry pants and no longer cause the dog great amounts of consternation at the vociferous language being used when he obviously hadn't peed in the house anywhere. Not that day anyway. I engaged the "Prime Directive" and two days later the magic box appeared on my porch. Irrigation bliss. Lo and behold my Rain Birds spun in near frantic ecstasy happily spreading water hither and yon across the yard. This Gardena works great. I can run both my Rain Birds and the lawn is thoroughly and evenly watered. The dog was rather non-plussed at first as he was not able to time his forays between the jets of water and got thoroughly soaked. He was at least kind enough to not sully my mood by likewise watering the living room rug, so all is good. Ignore the nonsense about variable pressure in some other reviews and simply bask in the glory of your sprinklers running at full pressure. The "Soft Off Feature" is nice I suppose but I personally don't care if my timer slams off as hard as my front door does when a political pollster shows up so long as the sprinklers are running at full bore and soak those wretched time vampires as they scurry down the sidewalk.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great Water Timer
*by H***I on January 26, 2011*

This purchase is a replacement for an identical timer that I bought on Amazon 7 years ago. It gave me 6 years of trouble free service. I cannot exactly remember what it was that failed, but I was excited to see that I could replace it with the same. In the interim it was replaced with a Dramm which has been iffy at times. The Gardena was unavailable for some time and I thought gone forever from the market place. The new unit comes to you on a bubble card with every language except English, so the features are up to you to figure them out. The timer operation itself is easy enough, but the flow control was not explained on the original packaging and if it is on the new packaging, it remains a mystery. An email contact to info@gardenacanada.com produced the answer that the flow control, a tiny hour glass icon, is between the O and 120 minutes with a wide to narrow ribbon/arrow that determines the amount of flow. So you can get flow control but only on the continuous mode and NOT the timed cycle. I can regulate the flow with the faucet, so there is basically no need for the engineered feature. Over the years this product has saved us a lot of wasted water in filling the horse tub and in watering a young tree near the barn. Before putting this into use, we frequently walked away and forgot that we had the water running. I do not operate this timer in the cold winter months, as frozen water inside the unit tells me that it will forever damage the mechanism. The reminder in our few winter months is a clothespin clipped to our clothes when the water is turned on and removed when we remember to turn it off! A nice additional feature is the quick connect, one of which comes attached to the timer - I have previously purchased more of these, especially the Y connector, which has also had a long life. I would highly recommend Gardena based on personal use of these products.

### ⭐ Useless: what a waste!
*by B***L on September 5, 2022*

I paid. For me, not a free-product. Real usage. After only three uses, my expensive Gardena mechanical water shutoff timer stops working. Won’t shut off. My city has mandated that everyone must “immediately” reduce water usage 20%. No recommendations – ‘Just do it.’ Thanks to this ‘water saving’ timer, I waste too much water. I have been cited, must pay for excessive water use plus their mandatory administrative fees & penalty costs. This hurts. And, worst part is, thanks to this timer, they are right. I waste a lot of water. To backtrack: this timer gets lots of free-press, great reviews and expensive. What is not to love? Must save precious water for our only world to survive. For my four orange and one guava tree, I connect the timer on my newly installed low-pressure drip hose that is covered with mulch. I’m proud. Initially the mechanical timer works great. Turn on water, timer assuredly clicks down to zero, gently shuts off water. Great! I am happy! First failure. Twist the timer to 60 minutes then back to 40. Timer clicks but sounds weak. It sounds anemic. Give it a shot. I leave to go shopping. Timer counts down then sticks on the 5 minute mark. Water is still flowing. Floods my fruit trees for 2 hours. Maybe I did something wrong? Second failure. Next week, try again. Set it and I can hear the now a very weak anemic timer clicking. I go away. This time it sticks at 40. My trees are flooded for 14 hours. I hold my head down, close my eyes and do face-palm. My neighbors are happy because I am watering their property. I can manual move the dial but that is silly. Maybe it is paranoia: I have to keep one eye on it. Is it still counting down? Yes, weakly and slowly. I’m sure you understand that I don’t trust it. A final test. I run it dry. Watch it closely. Still sticks at 40. Turn on my water faucet. Of course, faucet & valve are still open so water flows freely. Sucks. Useless. I quit. Another useless product got-ya. Paying more gets the same results as the cheap ones. The cheap ones fail to work and these expensive ones do the same. Even my electronic one from another reputable company failed after one use. Says low battery every time and shutoff failures. They don’t work. I’ve had enough. Getting way to expensive to save. Back to using my cheap but reliable egg timer or phone/tablet timer. I’m usually good at keeping the original packaging but this time, because I threw away the original box, no returns. If you try it, keep it with your growing mountain of boxes. I stopped looking. Too frustrating. I hope this review helps others. Thank you for reading this.

## Frequently Bought Together

- GARDENA (31169) Mechanical Water Timer with Flow Control
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*Product available on Desertcart Belgium*
*Store origin: BE*
*Last updated: 2026-06-14*