Lighting Flip Switch Timer for LED Lights

[Muddy]

If anyone has tried to hook up an in wall electronic timer for use with LED lights it's probably a good bet that it didn't work. At least that's been my experience. I tried several different ones from Honeywell, Intermatic and Leveton and they all eventually failed, some rather quickly. After doing some research and talking to customer support at all three of those companies I learned that there are no in wall timers that are designed to work with LED lights. This is primarily due to how those timers function. They pass a small amount of voltage through the light which is used to maintain the settings in the timer. LEDs do not allow that voltage to pass, or if they do, the LEDs will stay dimly lit. The result is the eventual failure of the timer. Honeywell even went so far as to send me two new ones to replace the ones that failed. They also failed. So it appeared my only options were to spend a lot of money on an expensive lighting controller or to use mechanical timers. All well and good but those mechanical timers aren't wall mounted and can usually only service 1 or two lights. In my case I needed to service 6 lights, two main and 4 side lights, so needed a wall mount that could control the whole circuit.

After much searching I found these:

This is a Woods Model 59744 Flip Switch Timer. It mechanically works the toggle switch, turning it on or off according to the program. It supports two programs which is one more than most of us need to toggle our lights on and off once a day. It mounts directly over an existing standard or designer type toggle switch. It runs on two AA batteries, has a battery low indicator as well as a handy daylight savings time button. Programming is simple and straight forward and so far, after about 3 months of use, is working to perfection. They are available on eBay, from WalMart, Lowes and Home Depot. I got mine off eBay for $13 with free shipping.

 

[AutoWonders]

I hope that timer continues to work well through the whole grow. Can't beat the price. I am curious how the longevity plays out for that timer.

 

[Ozone69]

If for whatever reason you start having issues with that one, take a look at a brand called Defiant. I used one of their 15 amp timer switches for a long while without issue (still works great, just I'm not growing anymore). I can distinctly hear what sounds like a mechanical relay switching when the lights go on or off. I originally ran two Platinum LED P150's and four 3' T5 fluorescent off it, then later switched to just a single, homebuilt COB LED rig and all never appeared to be on dim. In fact, the timer continues to run without any lights at all plugged in, so I don't see how it could require passing current through them to work.

Sounds like you've got it dialed in with what you found, but just thought I'd toss the Defiant out there for giggle and grins. :smoking:

 

[CoviklaFlaire]

I'm using mechanical timer for two lights.. SECOND year without any problems..

 

[Muddy]

If for whatever reason you start having issues with that one, take a look at a brand called Defiant. I used one of their 15 amp timer switches for a long while without issue (still works great, just I'm not growing anymore). I can distinctly hear what sounds like a mechanical relay switching when the lights go on or off. I originally ran two Platinum LED P150's and four 3' T5 fluorescent off it, then later switched to just a single, homebuilt COB LED rig and all never appeared to be on dim. In fact, the timer continues to run without any lights at all plugged in, so I don't see how it could require passing current through them to work.

Sounds like you've got it dialed in with what you found, but just thought I'd toss the Defiant out there for giggle and grins. :smoking:

What is the maximum voltage that it will support? That was one of the problems I ran into. The Intermatic support up to 1800 watts and the Honeywell up to 2400. My draw exceeds the 1800 which is why I switched to the Honeywell. The first one lasted over a year but the replacement only a few days. The replacements that Honeywell sent didn't last long either.

Any that use a battery backup don't pass voltage to the lights but the ones without battery backup usually do.

 

[Ozone69]

What is the maximum voltage that it will support?

It's rated at 15amps so should support up to 1800W. Dunno if they make a 20amp to run 2400 through (assuming 120v).

 

[Muddy]

It's rated at 15amps so should support up to 1800W. Dunno if they make a 20amp to run 2400 through (assuming 120v).

I seem to remember looking at that one as well and disqualifying it for some reason I don't remember now. I had gotten to the point where I had tried so many that I just didn't trust them anymore and wasn't interested in spending the time and money to try more. To me, this flip switch one was the perfect solution.

 

[BigSm0]

Over time I feel the longevity of these items will gradually decline even further. Shipping and retail markups on an electronic device that sells for $20. As they scream lower, cheaper, more. I don’t think it’s a quality control issue as much as a we can’t even buy the raw material for that price. @Muddy you may want to consider splitting the wattage to 2 timers. I know the max rating states it will work but I have also noticed running 1/2 of whats recommended will increase the life span.

 

[Muddy]

Over time I feel the longevity of these items will gradually decline even further. Shipping and retail markups on an electronic device that sells for $20. As they scream lower, cheaper, more. I don’t think it’s a quality control issue as much as a we can’t even buy the raw material for that price. @Muddy you may want to consider splitting the wattage to 2 timers. I know the max rating states it will work but I have also noticed running 1/2 of whats recommended will increase the life span.

I can't split them without doing some major rewiring, which I'm not inclined to do for several reasons. The flip switch timer is working just fine and if it fails, I'm only out the $13 I paid for it.