Best Water Pumps to help Water the Garden (Expert Guide)

Keeping your garden well fed with frequent doses of water is vital to a healthy, blooming garden. But if you have a large garden with low water pressure, keeping your garden watered can be a real backache.

You can see it now. Stood at the kitchen tap, filling a large green watering can, only to lug it around the garden. You get back pain back just thinking about it.

Fortunately, you don’t need to struggle on any longer. Thanks to new pump technology, moving water around your garden just became so much easier.

Enter: The Garden Hose Pump

If you are in the market for a garden hose pump, then take a look at our recommended options below. All these garden pumps have been tested by our in-house engineers and are the best water pumps for garden hoses on the market.

The criteria our engineers tested against to find the highest quality garden pumps were as follows:

Ease of Use
Is the pump easy to set up? How difficult is it to move the pump? Do I need to learn anything to use the pump?

Price
Is the pump reasonably priced when compared to competitor pumps?

Quality
Will it break after one summer? Is it made of plastic that will degrade after each use? Or is it made from stainless steel that will last for summers to come?

Safety
Does the pump have built-in safety devices to stop the pump from running dry?

If you’re struggling for garden pump advice, call our dedicated pump experts for free advice on 0800 112 3134 or 0333 577 3134.

Leo XKS-304P Submersible Water Butt Pump - £49

Ease of Use - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Price - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Quality - ⭐⭐

Safety - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

For the cheapest garden pump on the market, look no further than the LEO XCS water butt pump. Costing only £49, simply drop the pump in a water butt, connect to power and pump up to 37 litres of water per minute.

image of a garden hose pump

Positives:

Removing water from locations without a tap connector - i.e. water butt without a tap, paddling pool, clean water well, etc.
Lightweight pump, making it easy to move around the garden
Acting as a pre-pump for a pressure washer
Long mains cable, making it easy to hook up to electricity
Can be used to transfer water in a variety of situations - i.e. flooded basements, flooded gardens, streams etc.

Negatives:

Doesn’t work well with dirty water (try one of the heavy-duty garden pumps below)
Not the best pump for shifting water under high pressure
No float switch (it could run dry and break if left unattended)

Verdict

The LEO XKS is the type of pump you buy when watering by can is becoming a problem. Cheap, safe, easy to use. You can’t really go wrong with this garden pump.

Search prices on the Leo XKS-304P here.

Grundfos JP5 Male Ported Booster Pump - £185

Ease of Use - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Price - ⭐⭐

Quality - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Safety - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

If you’re looking for a pump that can be used in a variety of home and garden applications, then look no further than the Grundfos JP5.

This pump is suitable for a wide range of water supply duties and can integrate with a water butt, stream, well or home water supply to transfer water around your garden.

picture of an automatic garden hose pump

Note: It is both illegal and dangerous to connect a garden pump directly to the mains water supply.

You must connect the pump to a break or water tank.

Positives:

Integrates with a wide variety of water supplies (garden wells, small streams, water butts etc.)
Ideal water pressurisation and lawn sprinkler boosting solution
This pump is self-priming, meaning it will clear passages of blocked air by itself

Negatives:

You must only pump clean, non-aggressive, fluids with the JP5
This pump has no float switch, meaning it could run dry and break if left unattended
The JP5 is not a submersible pump and needs to be kept dry

Verdict

The JP5’s ability to integrate with a variety of water sources will make this garden pump a great choice for many UK households. The only question mark is on the price. For a garden pump, it might be creeping towards the higher end of your budget.

Search prices on the Grundfos JP5 here.

Stuart Turner Jet 55-44 Centrifugal Booster Pump - £113

Ease of Use - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Price - ⭐ ⭐⭐

Quality - ⭐⭐⭐

Safety - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

It may look small and funky, but this jet pump from Stuart Turner is one of the best garden pumps available.

Similar to the JP5, the Jet 55-45 can integrate with a whole range of water sources and is designed for water pressurisation and lawn sprinkler boosting.

image of a stuart turner jet garden pump

Note: It is both illegal and dangerous to connect a garden pump directly to the mains water supply. You must connect the pump to a break or water tank.

Positives:

Integrates with a wide variety of water supplies (garden wells, small streams, water butts etc.)
Ideal water pressurisation and lawn sprinkler boosting solution
This pump is self-priming, meaning it will clear passages of air itself and start pumping
4.5 bar performance that works with a high-pressure suction hose

Negatives:

Again, you must only pump clean non-aggressive fluids with the Jet 55-45
This pump has no float switch, meaning it could run dry and break if left unattended
The Jet 55-45 is not a submersible pump and needs to be kept dry

Verdict

This pump is easy to use, high powered and can integrate with almost any water source. And for only £113, we think this is the ideal garden pump for most British homes.

Search prices on the Stuart Turner Jet here.

Stuart Turner Boostamatic - £236

Ease of Use - ⭐⭐⭐

Price - ⭐

Quality - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Safety - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

If you want the very best garden pump with all the latest bells and whistles, then you really need a Stuart Turner Boostamatic.

Featuring all the tech found in the JP5 or Jet 55-45, the Boostamatic has several exciting features which take this pump to the next level. The first is the float switch which protects the pump’s components by stopping the pump from running dry.

The second is the brass components stolen from its shower pump range. The parts drastically reduce the noise and vibration emitted from the pump, leaving you to enjoy a well-watered garden in peace. image of a stuart turner jet boostamatic

Positives:

Integrates with a wide variety of water supplies (garden wells, small streams, water butts etc.)
Designed for complete water pressurisation and lawn sprinkler boosting
This pump is self-priming, meaning it will clear passages of air itself and start pumping
Built with a float switch to stop the pump running dry
Fully automatic control meaning it can be left completely unattended
Brass components drastically reduce the noise emitted from the pump

Negatives:

You must only pump clean, non-aggressive fluids with the Boostamatic

Verdict

This garden pump has it all. It’s quiet, it can integrate with almost every water source imaginable, it can work without you having to monitor it. The only problem is the price. But, as they say, you get what you pay for. If you can afford the best, then the Boostamatic is for you.

Search prices on the Stuart Turner Boostamatic here.

Which is the best garden pump?

Each garden pump has its positives and negatives. It all really depends on your unique set of requirements. If you’re looking to pump occasionally from a water butt, then the LEO XKS is probably the ideal solution. If you’re looking for something that can integrate with your home water supply, then spending a little extra on the Stuart Turner Boostamatic is probably a good idea.

If you’d like to discuss your unique requirements with a pump expert, feel free to give us a call on 0800 112 3134. Our experts are happy to find the ideal pump for your needs.

Saying that, you can also use this table to find the best garden pump for you:

Water Butt: This pump can transfer water from a large container to the rest of your garden with ease

Well/Stream: This pump can transfer water from a nearby well or stream to the rest of your garden

Break Tank: This pump can integrate with your home water supply via a break tank

Self-Priming: This pump can clear passages of air by itself

Float switch: This pump has an automatic off switch

Quiet: This pump runs quietly in operation

Need help finding the best pump for your garden? Contact us!

Pumps can be quite complicated, especially if this is your first time buying a pump.

There are many different types of outdoor water pumps to suit specific applications. If you have a particular problem, then please contact Anchor Pumps to discover the best pump for your garden.