I bought 3 plug-in timers from Wickes.

On the outside of the packaging it says "suitable for a 3KW
resistive load".

On the inside (ha ha!), it says:


"Should not be used for immersion heaters" - Why is this?
I bought the things with a view to using one for an immersion
heater! What problem might this cause? This is a big PITA.

Because the immersion is a fixed appliance and should not be on a plug. You
can buy timer units for immersions but they are not of the plug in variety

These timers are also not suitable for washing machines -
presumably because of the inductive load.

We used a cheapo plug-in timer with a washing machine before when we
wanted
to make the most of Economy 7. No problems experienced when we did.


I would not expect any problems running a washing machine from a 3KW timer.
I am sure you could run an immersion from these timers without a problem ,
it just does not meet the required regs.

Adam