Compare garden pumps and water butt pumps

With a garden pump you use the water from your water butt or well for watering. On this page you compare water butt pumps and irrigation pumps from Gardena and Kärcher.

Water butt pump or irrigation pump?

• Water butt pump: hangs in the butt and pumps the water to a hose. There are cordless models, handy when there is no socket nearby.
• Irrigation pump: stands next to the butt or well, for more water, longer hoses and sprinklers.

What to look for

Check the specifications for the flow rate in litres per hour and the delivery head or pressure. A sprinkler needs more pressure than a hose with a nozzle, and the higher or further the water has to go, the less comes out at the end. A water butt pump with a telescopic tube fits butts of different heights. Do not let a pump run dry and store it frost-free in winter, just like the butt itself. Rainwater is not drinking water: use it for the garden only.

Cordless or mains?

A cordless water butt pump is handy when the butt is far from the house: no extension lead across the garden. A mains pump needs no battery and can run as long as you like. For a cordless model, the title states whether a battery and charger are included or whether it is the bare tool. Irrigation pumps stay in a fixed spot next to the butt or well and usually have a cable. Whichever you choose, keep the cable and plug away from standing water.

More watering

Water butts and diverters can be found at water butts and rainwater tanks, hoses at garden hoses and hose reels and everything together at watering.