I currently have six Intermatic SS7(c) electronic light switch timers
installed in a house. In the years since they were installed, I have
had four failures requiring replacement.

In the troubleshooting information (as well in some topics in here),
this problem is usually connected with cold temperatures. I live in an
area which basically never goes below freezing, and the majority of the
timers are inside the heated home, anyway. The one unheated switch, in
a garage, has yet to fail.

I contacted Intermatic, and they told me this is a known issue, they
are redesigning the SS7's and SS8's, and they're due out in March or
April.

I decided to try someone new, and found Aube Technologies. The prices
are comparable to Intermatics, and while I haven't found a local dealer
yet, I have found an internet supplier (http://www.atlantasupply.com)
which will ship these for free.

Has anyone had experience with Aube switches? Are they reliable? I am
looking at the T1034, which has a solar timetable, but I imagine
feedback on the regular, T1032 timer would be helpful as well.

While I probably won't go back to Intermatic again, I am looking at the
EJ500, which the Intermatic rep told me does not have the flaw of the
SS7/8's. Any experience with these would be nice, too.

Thanks for your input. Any other recommendations are welcome, too.

wrote in message
ups.com...
I currently have six Intermatic SS7(c) electronic light switch timers
installed in a house. In the years since they were installed, I have
had four failures requiring replacement.

In the troubleshooting information (as well in some topics in here),
this problem is usually connected with cold temperatures. I live in an
area which basically never goes below freezing, and the majority of the
timers are inside the heated home, anyway. The one unheated switch, in
a garage, has yet to fail.

I contacted Intermatic, and they told me this is a known issue, they
are redesigning the SS7's and SS8's, and they're due out in March or
April.

Were any of these timers used with compact fluorescents?

No, incandescents only. Why?

wrote in message
oups.com...
No, incandescents only. Why?


Some Intermatic timers specifically say they can't be used with CF bulbs.
Even so, I bought one which was supposed to be compatible, but 3 of them
fried over a period of 6 months. Intermatic said "not ready until...", and
the "until" kept moving from September to December to ......oblivion. Some
of their units also say they must run with a minimum of a 40 watt standard
bulb, or the world will end.

Doug Kanter wrote:

... or the world will end.


Haha

wrote in message
oups.com...

Doug Kanter wrote:

... or the world will end.


Haha


Well anyway...I need to control a compact fluorescent, and now that fishing
season's over and I'm bored, I'm prepared to go through a horror of running
a wire from the first floor porch light switch down into the basement, and
installing one of those mechanical timers in a grey metal box. Those things
don't fail.

"Christian Fox" wrote in message
...
In article ,
says...
Some Intermatic timers specifically say they can't be used with CF bulbs.
Even so, I bought one which was supposed to be compatible, but 3 of them
fried over a period of 6 months. Intermatic said "not ready until...", and
the "until" kept moving from September to December to ......oblivion.

Hmm... I'm planning on getting one of their SS8 timers to control three
compact
fluorescents. Is this the model you had? If so, did Intermatic at least
offer a
replacement?

Just found the instruction sheet - it *is* the SS8. Keep something in mind,
though: Intermatic did NOT say these failed because of being used with CF
bulbs - they said it was a design problem involving the tiny mechanical
switch inside. (When it switches off & on, you hear a "zzzzt" sort of
noise - not sure of what's really going on inside).

Lowe's replaced the first one at no charge. The second & third time, I
called Intermatic and they explained the situation, finally sending me
another model which is NOT designed for CF bulbs. If I were you, I'd call
them before wasting a trip to the store and the time it takes to install
them. By the way, they were VERY cooperative.

Phone: 815-675-7000

wrote in message
ups.com...
I currently have six Intermatic SS7(c) electronic light switch timers
installed in a house. In the years since they were installed, I have
had four failures requiring replacement.

In the troubleshooting information (as well in some topics in here),
this problem is usually connected with cold temperatures. I live in an
area which basically never goes below freezing, and the majority of the
timers are inside the heated home, anyway. The one unheated switch, in
a garage, has yet to fail.

I contacted Intermatic, and they told me this is a known issue, they
are redesigning the SS7's and SS8's, and they're due out in March or
April.

I decided to try someone new, and found Aube Technologies. The prices
are comparable to Intermatics, and while I haven't found a local dealer
yet, I have found an internet supplier (http://www.atlantasupply.com)
which will ship these for free.

Has anyone had experience with Aube switches? Are they reliable? I am
looking at the T1034, which has a solar timetable, but I imagine
feedback on the regular, T1032 timer would be helpful as well.

While I probably won't go back to Intermatic again, I am looking at the
EJ500, which the Intermatic rep told me does not have the flaw of the
SS7/8's. Any experience with these would be nice, too.

Thanks for your input. Any other recommendations are welcome, too.


Just wondering, do you have any voltage flickering issues in your area?
I have never used these timers so I am in the outfeild with a WAG.
As electronics have progressed, gotten cheaper. The parts are made to
tighter tolerances.
Voltage fluctuations and poor grounding have been the bane of the industry
for a long time.
I lost a garage door opener cause of a voltage flicker issue. I since
installed a surge arrestor at my electrical panel. Nope I am not saying that
this is your problem.
Stray voltages do have an effect on electronics.
I have ordered from Atlanta Supply and was please with the response I got.
Sorry no experience with problems and Atlanta Supply.

wrote in message
ups.com...
I currently have six Intermatic SS7(c) electronic light switch timers
installed in a house. In the years since they were installed, I have
had four failures requiring replacement.

In the troubleshooting information (as well in some topics in here),
this problem is usually connected with cold temperatures. I live in an
area which basically never goes below freezing, and the majority of the
timers are inside the heated home, anyway. The one unheated switch, in
a garage, has yet to fail.

I contacted Intermatic, and they told me this is a known issue, they
are redesigning the SS7's and SS8's, and they're due out in March or
April.

I decided to try someone new, and found Aube Technologies. The prices
are comparable to Intermatics, and while I haven't found a local dealer
yet, I have found an internet supplier (http://www.atlantasupply.com)
which will ship these for free.

Has anyone had experience with Aube switches? Are they reliable? I am
looking at the T1034, which has a solar timetable, but I imagine
feedback on the regular, T1032 timer would be helpful as well.

While I probably won't go back to Intermatic again, I am looking at the
EJ500, which the Intermatic rep told me does not have the flaw of the
SS7/8's. Any experience with these would be nice, too.

Thanks for your input. Any other recommendations are welcome, too.


I have to intermatic ones and I will not replace them with intermatic. They
failed shortly after they were installed for no apparant reason other than
poor design/assembly.

Let the group know if the other brand works.

Rich

"Christian Fox" wrote in message
...
In article ,
says...
Just found the instruction sheet - it *is* the SS8. Keep something in
mind,
though: Intermatic did NOT say these failed because of being used with CF
bulbs - they said it was a design problem involving the tiny mechanical
switch inside. (When it switches off & on, you hear a "zzzzt" sort of
noise - not sure of what's really going on inside).

Interesting - I managed to dig up a web page talking about this problem:

http://www.fifengr.com/intermatic/

Lowe's replaced the first one at no charge. The second & third time, I
called Intermatic and they explained the situation, finally sending me
another model which is NOT designed for CF bulbs.

Why didn't they send you the same model (one that works, of course)? What
did they tell
you when they explained the problem? ETA for a fix?

If I were you, I'd call
them before wasting a trip to the store and the time it takes to install
them. By the way, they were VERY cooperative.

I'm not sure if calling in advance is going to help - the timers are
designed to work
with CF bulbs, but my concern is whether the timer will be reliable. I
guess it's good
that there's a warranty. How willing was Intermatic to send you a
replacement (did you
have to argue with them, provide a receipt along with a blood sample,
etc.)?

Sorry - I wasn't clear about this. They sent me a total of two identical
units at no charge, and, by the way, they didn't ask me to return the bad
ones. They sent the same ones because I preferred NOT to go back to using an
incandescent bulb, and the person I spoke with figured that popping in new
ones might buy me some time until they figured out their problem. She said
the ones they were sending would very likely die like the earlier ones.

Thinking all this through, it means I went through 4 units. 1 purchased, 1
replaced by Lowe's, 2 replaced by Intermatic. The fiasco began in early
2005. Suggested ETA for a fix was September. But by then, they had sent me a
different model, and I'd gone back to incandescent.

I finally asked for a different unit because my wires were getting shorter
and shorter. The timers come with stranded wire. I will not use wire nuts to
attach stranded to solid - just crimps.