Hello,

How reliable are time switches?

I ask because once a year we use some for our Christmas lights, sow e
are not talking about heavy loads, but they are not working properly.

A few years ago I used some digital ones from Wickes. They stopped
working. I had them exchanged and the replacements stopped working
too.

So then I decided to give up on digital technology and invest in some
clockwork time switches from B&Q. They worked fine last year but this
year they are not keeping time: I am not expecting quartz accuracy but
the dial says 6am when it is 10pm!

Do the clocks seize if not used for long periods? These only get used
in December.

Any suggestions on what type to replace these with?

Thanks.

In article ,
Fred writes:
Hello,

How reliable are time switches?

I ask because once a year we use some for our Christmas lights, sow e
are not talking about heavy loads, but they are not working properly.

Are timeswitches what you really want?
I use a movement detector to switch the Christmas tree lights on
for 15 minutes, which means they go off when the room is not
occupied, or if everyone falls asleep (which can happen at that
time of year;-)

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

On 2007-12-05 11:40:54 +0000, Owain said:

In descending order of quality:

Venner
Sangamo
Smiths

Owain



You shouldn't denigrate yourself so.... :-)

"Fred" wrote in message
...
Hello,

How reliable are time switches?

I ask because once a year we use some for our Christmas lights, sow e
are not talking about heavy loads, but they are not working properly.

A few years ago I used some digital ones from Wickes. They stopped
working. I had them exchanged and the replacements stopped working
too.

So then I decided to give up on digital technology and invest in some
clockwork time switches from B&Q. They worked fine last year but this
year they are not keeping time: I am not expecting quartz accuracy but
the dial says 6am when it is 10pm!

Do the clocks seize if not used for long periods? These only get used
in December.

Any suggestions on what type to replace these with?

Thanks.

I had the same experience with cheap 3-pin plug-in timeswitches.The digital
ones forget their settings (even the ones with a backup battery) and the
clockwork ones stop working after a while, presumably due to mechanical
wear.

In the end I bought a digital timeswitch designed to be permanently wired to
an immersion heater, mounted it on a bit of wood alongside a 4-way
powerstrip, and fed it from a 13amp plug on the end of some flex. I think
it's made by Smiths. It has been very reliable, but the programming
procedure was designed by a martian.

Andy Hall wrote:
On 2007-12-05 11:40:54 +0000, Owain
said:

In descending order of quality:

Venner
Sangamo
Smiths

Owain



You shouldn't denigrate yourself so.... :-)

Loved it.

Fred wrote:
Hello,

How reliable are time switches?

I ask because once a year we use some for our Christmas lights, sow e
are not talking about heavy loads, but they are not working properly.

A few years ago I used some digital ones from Wickes. They stopped
working. I had them exchanged and the replacements stopped working
too.

So then I decided to give up on digital technology and invest in some
clockwork time switches from B&Q. They worked fine last year but this
year they are not keeping time: I am not expecting quartz accuracy but
the dial says 6am when it is 10pm!

Do the clocks seize if not used for long periods? These only get used
in December.

Any suggestions on what type to replace these with?

Mechanical time switches have been utterly reliable in my experience.
Prior to burglar alarms being available, we used mechanical time
switches to flick on and off various lights and radios around the house
whilst we were away from home. We still do with the same mechanical
switches which are over 25 years old as well as the complete burglar
alarm system for the house.

On 7 Dec, 00:35, "clot" wrote:
Fred wrote:
Hello,

How reliable are time switches?

I ask because once a year we use some for our Christmas lights, sow e
are not talking about heavy loads, but they are not working properly.

A few years ago I used some digital ones from Wickes. They stopped
working. I had them exchanged and the replacements stopped working
too.

So then I decided to give up on digital technology and invest in some
clockwork time switches from B&Q. They worked fine last year but this
year they are not keeping time: I am not expecting quartz accuracy but
the dial says 6am when it is 10pm!

Do the clocks seize if not used for long periods? These only get used
in December.

Any suggestions on what type to replace these with?

Mechanical time switches have been utterly reliable in my experience.
Prior to burglar alarms being available, we used mechanical time
switches to flick on and off various lights and radios around the house
whilst we were away from home. We still do with the same mechanical
switches which are over 25 years old as well as the complete burglar
alarm system for the house.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I've always wondered, why do people buy burglar alarms? No-one pays
any attention to them when they go off, and a dummy box on the front
of the house would surely just put enough doubt into the opportunistic
criminal's mind to send him to the house next door instead.

Matt

On Dec 7, 4:02 pm, wrote:

I've always wondered, why do people buy burglar alarms? No-one pays
any attention to them when they go off, and a dummy box on the front
of the house would surely just put enough doubt into the opportunistic
criminal's mind to send him to the house next door instead.

That's what I've got, with a battery powered flashing LED that keeps
going for over 5 years on a couple of D Cells.

In uk.d-i-y, wrote:
I've always wondered, why do people buy burglar alarms? No-one pays
any attention to them when they go off, and a dummy box on the front
of the house would surely just put enough doubt into the opportunistic
criminal's mind to send him to the house next door instead.

That wouldn't work here because there is no house next door. However the
alarm system is remotely monitored so someone *does* pay attention if it
goes off.

--
Mike Barnes