Light timers recommendations and problems

thatguy2001 · Mar 16, 2022

Week 3 of flower and I woke up to find that two of my lights we on 5 hours after they should have turned off.

I have a controller that shuts off all but two of them, but the other two don't work with the controller so I have them on a separate time that failed.

This timer is a digital one with two outlets, so it worked perfectly in time with the controller until this morning. I tried cycling it through and it just doesn't turn off anymore.

This unit is only about two weeks old and replaced two analog timers that worked, but coordinating them to the controller every time we had a power outage or the time changed.

Two questions:
first, for those of you who use digital timers, are the any that can be trusted? My controller has never had a problem, I just need an outlet time that is reliable.

Second, would you recommend I change the controller to give 12 hours of dark from the time I pulled the plug? I would then try to rotate them back to their original schedule over a period of a week.

Pushrod Monkey · Mar 16, 2022

I’ve used 1 of these for 4 years before it didn’t shut off on time. Used daily for all that time. I’ve got 2 more going and no failures.

thatguy2001 · Mar 16, 2022

That's the one I used.
I thought it was awesome until I looked at my sleeping ladies on the security camera and saw that they were awake this morning.

phxazcraig · Mar 16, 2022

Pushrod Monkey said:
View attachment 1226521
I’ve used 1 of these for 4 years before it didn’t shut off on time. Used daily for all that time. I’ve got 2 more going and no failures.

I use one of these as well, since about 2 weeks. I previously was using an old analog timer where you pushed a little lever up or down to activate timer off or on in 15 minute intervals. Can't go far wrong with one of those analog jobs.

I got the digital timer just to set the timer more precisely. And after a day I noticed I was 4 minutes off, so I adjusted it. And found my lights on 40 minutes after they were supposed to be off! Turns out I had set my 10pm off time to 10am, so it thought it should be on all night. Fortunately I caught it before bed and fixed it.

As far as causing problems, I'm pretty sure I'm ok as I've seen no issues and caught it quickly. I think it may be worse to interrupt the dark cycle as opposed to not quite starting it.

freezeland2 · Mar 16, 2022

Lowes sells a digital dual outlet timer that works well and is so easy to program a cave man can do it.

Smokey0418 · Mar 16, 2022

When your done with the rest and would like the best.
I have used this type of timer for well over a century without an issue.

https://www.homedepot.ca/product/intermatic-30-amp-240-volt-dpst-electronic-water-heater-time-switch/1000718299

Blastfact · Mar 16, 2022

Theres my light timer hanging down in front of the Kill-A-Watt. It's been good since purchase 4 or so years ago.

freezeland2 · Mar 16, 2022

Blastfact said:
Theres my light timer hanging down in front of the Kill-A-Watt. It's been good since purchase 4 or so years ago.View attachment 1226536

Very similar to the ones Lowes sells. I replaced my peg timers recently with them. Work great.

freezeland2 · Mar 16, 2022

freezeland2 said:
Very similar to the ones Lowes sells. I replaced my peg timers recently with them. Work great.

I see you are a reloaded too.

Blastfact · Mar 16, 2022

freezeland2 said:
I see you are a reloaded too.

OOO yeah I gots to have my ammo. And at times a lot of it. My office can get very tight with all the reloading, tent/supply's, computers, 3d-printer, safe, motorcycle parts and gear, tools and other man stuff. Yeah know how it goes....

thatguy2001 · Mar 16, 2022

I'm curios if anyone has developed or modified a photocell timer that turns power ON at daylight and OFF at dusk. This would be ideal for me, since most of my lights go on and off at the set times. It's just these two that I'm having issues with.
I keep thinking that if there isn't one already, I could buy two photocell switches where the first one turns on at lights out and controls a small light in another location, triggering the second one to think it's daytime and turn off the power to the real lights.

But now I'm thinking like a tweaker, which I'm not. I just want a foolproof system where I know that at 3am, the lights are going to turn off on their own.

I do like the timer @Smokey0418 linked to, but I decided to run 110 to each outlet so I'll have to search for a 110 version of that. I'm kind of dreading having to do electrical work in there right now, since my ladies have grown to about 6' and my outlets are lower than that. :P

freezeland2 · Mar 16, 2022

Blastfact said:
OOO yeah I gots to have my ammo. And at times a lot of it. My office can get very tight with all the reloading, tent/supply's, computers, 3d-printer, safe, motorcycle parts and gear, tools and other man stuff. Yeah know how it goes....
View attachment 1226546
View attachment 1226547

Yes I do brother. Ride a Road Glide Special.

Smokey0418 · Mar 16, 2022

thatguy2001 said:
I'm curios if anyone has developed or modified a photocell timer that turns power ON at daylight and OFF at dusk. This would be ideal for me, since most of my lights go on and off at the set times. It's just these two that I'm having issues with.
I keep thinking that if there isn't one already, I could buy two photocell switches where the first one turns on at lights out and controls a small light in another location, triggering the second one to think it's daytime and turn off the power to the real lights.

But now I'm thinking like a tweaker, which I'm not. I just want a foolproof system where I know that at 3am, the lights are going to turn off on their own.

I do like the timer @Smokey0418 linked to, but I decided to run 110 to each outlet so I'll have to search for a 110 version of that. I'm kind of dreading having to do electrical work in there right now, since my ladies have grown to about 6' and my outlets are lower than that. :P

I run mine 120. It’s a way heavy device but quality.

Light timers recommendations and problems

Light timers recommendations and problems

thatguy2001

Pushrod Monkey

thatguy2001

phxazcraig

freezeland2

Smokey0418

Blastfact

freezeland2

freezeland2

Blastfact

thatguy2001

freezeland2

Smokey0418

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