Intermatic time switch: mechanical vs electronic

[yeldogt]

In the past I have only used the old school mechanical time switch .... Anybody use the electronic version?

It seems the electronic can have more on/off cycles (don't need) and it has a battery back up capability (may be nice) ... not sure if comes with the battery or type needed. I am just using them to turn on and off outside lights .... If the electronic was set up to adjust for daylight savings ... that would be nice.

I'm inclined to stick with tried and true no issue mechanical

 

[Norcal]

Stick with mechanical time switches, more reliable & a few min of time to adjust for time changes is a small price to pay for reliability.

 

[The Cobbler]

there's decora wall switch timers s with an astronomical clock built in, can be programmed for sunrise/sunset/time changes

 

[Mike Folks]

Wal Mart sells GE and Brinks programmable timers with the push in times, I used several, when my late wife and I went on trips, the neighbors had house keys if something happened.

 

[nadogail]

I am a fan of the old school mechanical timers, I installed one to charge my son’s electric car during the Super Off Peak electrical rate period. It was sold as a water heater timer, but I repurposed it for a car charger timer.

 

[66cj225]

I'm happy with my Honeywell time switch replaced the in- the- wall on/off. Been providing astronomic adjusted front lights for a couple of years now with no problems. Like anything electronic, it can be blown out of the park by lightening or bad grounds or garbage power for that matter.

 

[alfredeneuman]

there's decora wall switch timers s with an astronomical clock built in, can be programmed for sunrise/sunset/time changes

I installed 4 of these in an office building once.
All 4 lost their programs one by one within a year (the backup batteries were good).
A case of 10 gallons of technology in a 5 gallon bucket.

 

[Stuart in MN]

I agree the old style Intermatic mechanical timers are built like tanks and are very reliable, I've used many of them over the years. The main advantage of their electronic timers is they have more features, but if you don't need those features I'd stick with the mechanical ones.

 

[infinkc]

I switched to using all electronic timers now, no issues, easy to use.

 

[dogdog]

I used the WIFI switches now a days 10x better and easily adjustable...
More specifically I have the Wemo (don't like it too much), and I have the Costco version of the FEIT electric wifi switches/plugs I put that for everything else , FAN/Pet Lights/etc.

 

[yeldogt]

Should have been a bit clearer ..... I'm talking about this type.

My new house has various outdoor lights. I put a timer in the mechanical room and it feeds a 4/5 gang box with individual switches/ dimmers to feed the lighting. I prefer layered lighting outside -- Some will go on all the time even if we are not there .... more when we are there ... The timers makes this easy.

 

[sparky 1971]

There is a reason the Intermatic T101 has been around unchanged forever. They work, and work well. The only downfall is the lack of a battery backup, but the time can be corrected in less than five seconds.

 

[rburke65]

As said, the Intermatics have been around since...the 60s..?... they are pretty bullet proof

 

[Garageguy65]

Should have been a bit clearer ..... I'm talking about this type.

My new house has various outdoor lights. I put a timer in the mechanical room and it feeds a 4/5 gang box with individual switches/ dimmers to feed the lighting. I prefer layered lighting outside -- Some will go on all the time even if we are not there .... more when we are there ... The timers makes this easy.

I had that timer running my pool pump. I have went thru two of them in the last few years as they quit working. Tried new set pins and still would not work proper.
I switched to the digital timer from Intermatic.. No problems so far.

 

[rharman]

I went with the Malibu brand digital and never looked back. So much easier to deal with than the mechanical.
Only does one cycle but that's all I need for landscape lighting.

 

[dscheidt]

I installed 4 of these in an office building once.
All 4 lost their programs one by one within a year (the backup batteries were good).
A case of 10 gallons of technology in a 5 gallon bucket.

You sure it wasn't vandalism, or just someone poking at the buttons trying to change it? The ones in my house are going on six years with no problems.

 

[alfredeneuman]

You sure it wasn't vandalism, or just someone poking at the buttons trying to change it?

They were in a hallway recess, with a locked plexiglass cover.

 

[Bert_]

I don't know if you run lights all night or just certain hours. I much rather a simple photocell if there is the option. You can still wire it with a single photocell to multiple switches/lights.

 

[66cj225]

Should have been a bit clearer ..... I'm talking about this type.

My new house has various outdoor lights. I put a timer in the mechanical room and it feeds a 4/5 gang box with individual switches/ dimmers to feed the lighting. I prefer layered lighting outside -- Some will go on all the time even if we are not there .... more when we are there ... The timers makes this easy.

I will add that my wall switch Honeywell is still on its original time setting and default astronomical setting; haven't reset it even for power outages. Do that with your mechanical!
That being said, I just checked the time vs network time and it's off 4 minutes! So WiFi man will be able to one up me.

 

[yeldogt]

I don't know if you run lights all night or just certain hours. I much rather a simple photocell if there is the option. You can still wire it with a single photocell to multiple switches/lights.

Did use the photocells for control many years ago --- but, they like incandescent bulbs.

This is a vacation house and in the winter I like more light when we get there ... no snow or ice to worry about in the summer so less and different ones on. Still have lights controled w/ switches by the doors ...

 

[Bert_]

Did use the photocells for control many years ago --- but, they like incandescent bulbs.

I'm not sure where you got that idea. Photocells have been used with HID and FL for decades. Now you can also get ones specifically designed for led.

I've put in both kinds of time clocks, mechanical and electronic. No real issues with either.

 

[gtcs]

While the environment is very different from a house, in the oilfield we have a lot of those old intermatics sitting outside (they are not rated for that) that have been in use for 20-30 years.

we also have the new electronic ones that we have to replace after every storm passes through.

 

[Yankeefarmer]

I have an old intermatic timer combined with a photocell for controlling lights in the chicken coop. I actually rewired the timer because I didn’t want the photocell to be powered on and off by the timer, because the photocell would momentarily by “on” when powered up before turning off. This system has worked reliably for 12 years now, powering LED‘s that replaced the original incandescent bulbs.

 

[yeldogt]

I'm not sure where you got that idea. Photocells have been used with HID and FL for decades. Now you can also get ones specifically designed for led.

I've put in both kinds of time clocks, mechanical and electronic. No real issues with either.

Have had issues with them connected as I describe ... time clock is easier. This way it's all in the mechanical room ... they are fine for a one off situation when they are attached to the device itself or in the case of a low volt power supply.

 

[alfredeneuman]

I have an old intermatic timer combined with a photocell for controlling lights in the chicken coop. I actually rewired the timer because I didn’t want the photocell to be powered on and off by the timer, because the photocell would momentarily by “on” when powered up before turning off. This system has worked reliably for 12 years now, powering LED‘s that replaced the original incandescent bulbs.

We had a monthly maintenance contract for the outside lighting with a big construction and management firm.
All had the same setup. On with the photocell, off with the mechanical timers.
Aside from the occasional needs for resetting the timers when there was a power failure it worked flawlessly.
All it involves is disconnecting the hot wire to the clock motor and feeding it with constant power.

 

[yeldogt]

We had a monthly maintenance contract for the outside lighting with a big construction and management firm.
All had the same setup. On with the photocell, off with the mechanical timers.
Aside from the occasional needs for resetting the timers when there was a power failure it worked flawlessly.
All it involves is disconnecting the hot wire to the clock motor and feeding it with constant power.

That's not a bad system .... more utility maybe. I can see how that fixes the "on" for many applications. Maybe me .. but, I find the photo wait too long (too dark). These are all line voltage fixture types -- some are buried driveway and walkway .. have some down lights to highlight along the building .... they all wire back to the mechanical room.

 

[MattN03]

I bought a couple Intermatic digital timers for our 2 water heaters and really like them. They are easy to program, easy to manually override if necessary, and offer plenty of scheduling options.