Grow Light Timer

jmsieglaff · January 2, 2015

Hello,

This year we are planning on visiting some family during seed starting season. I'm going to have somebody come and water seedlings while we are gone, but I'm going to need a timer for the grow lights. I have a single grow light and don't need anything fancy, but there are a variety of timers available. Does anybody have one they use and would recommend?

Thanks,
Justin

heirloomtomaguy · January 2, 2015

I use 2 of the cheapest one money can buy. The old style with the dial and buttons that you click down according to how long the lights are to stay on. It is the cheapest one at lowes and was 6 or 7 bucks. I have had them fir 3 seasons now without fail. two of them handle 4 flourowing grow lights and two fans with no problem. I like timers that are simple without digital readouts that go bad all the time.

saltmarsh · January 2, 2015

I've been using these for several years to control both lights and fans. Claud

http://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-7-Day-...5077/100685866

4 outlets are programable, 4 controlled by the switch. I use one to turn the lights on at 5AM and off at 8Pm and another to turn fans on at 6AM - 8AM - 10AM - noon - 2PM - 4PM - 6PM - 8PM for 15 minutes each day of the week.

shelleybean · January 2, 2015

I, too, have the cheap kind where you press down the "on" time buttons. I've had mine for many years and they still work. I used one outdoors for my Christmas lights this year, too.

Gardadore · January 2, 2015

This is the Grow light timer I have used for the last few years. My first one came from Lowe's but I needed another for a different set of grow lights last summer and found this two pack on sale at Home Depot. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Woods-Dai...4?N=5yc1vZc334

The only thing to remember is that if your light cord that you are planning to plug into the timer is 3 pronged you must get an adapter since the timer has only a two prong outlet on the side. I plug in a 6 outlet strip into it because it connects to a 6 light system so need the adaptor which is cheap. These are really price worthy and have worked just fine for me. They are not hard to program. I actually found them in the store but they can also be ordered and then picked up.

The one Saltmarsh is recommending looks interesting if you have multiple lights or fixtures to control.
Good luck!

Mark0820 · January 2, 2015

I also use the cheap kind that Heirloomtomaguy and Shelleybean mentioned. I have used it several years with no problems.

Worth1 · January 3, 2015

The old rotary timers are bullet puff.
I got mine years ago from Home Depot I don't know how makes it but it is orange and white.
It can also handle plenty of amps or watts.
They is the important thing how much your lights draw and how much your timer can handle.
If you get a cheap timer that cant handle the amount of current the lights draw they can start a fire or burn the timer up.

There are simple watts to amps conversion calculators on line to do this if the timer says amps and the lights say watts.
All you have to do is enter volts and watts to get amps.

Worth

jmsieglaff · January 4, 2015

Thanks for the input everyone. Sounds like many of you have had good experiences with basic cheap analog timers and that's the route I'll probably go, especially with only 1 fixture to worry about.

maccherone · January 5, 2015

Great Idea shealleybean!! For the cristmass light, I hadn't never thought. :-)

elight · January 5, 2015

Here's the timer that I use, from Harbor Freight: http://www.harborfreight.com/digital-timer-95207.html

If you have a HF nearby, it's hard to beat the price. And of course there's always a 15-25% off coupon floating around (Google it if you don't get them mailed to you or in a newspaper/magazine).

The timer has worked well for me and has two 3-pronged outlets, which is good, because I have two shop lights that use 3-pronged plugs. Most of the really cheap timers only take two prongs, although the previously posted power strip certainly looks like a good solution if you need more than two outlets.

drew51 · January 6, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by heirloomtomaguy

I use 2 of the cheapest one money can buy. The old style with the dial and buttons that you click down according to how long the lights are to stay on. It is the cheapest one at lowes and was 6 or 7 bucks. I have had them fir 3 seasons now without fail. two of them handle 4 flourowing grow lights and two fans with no problem. I like timers that are simple without digital readouts that go bad all the time.

I use the same one, works great!

Father'sDaughter · January 6, 2015

I have three of the cheap dial ones -- two for the plant lights and one for the sound machine in our bedroom (set to shut off just before the alarm clock goes off). They are all about four years old and still ticking. However, the "ticking" sound is starting to get annoying, so for the sound machine I just ordered the one that Harbor Freight sells (but under a different name). We haven't programmed and installed it yet, but the reviews for it were decent.

January 2, 2015	#1
jmsieglaff Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Southern WI Posts: 2,742	Grow Light Timer Hello, This year we are planning on visiting some family during seed starting season. I'm going to have somebody come and water seedlings while we are gone, but I'm going to need a timer for the grow lights. I have a single grow light and don't need anything fancy, but there are a variety of timers available. Does anybody have one they use and would recommend? Thanks, Justin

January 2, 2015	#2
heirloomtomaguy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2013 Location: glendora ca Posts: 2,560	I use 2 of the cheapest one money can buy. The old style with the dial and buttons that you click down according to how long the lights are to stay on. It is the cheapest one at lowes and was 6 or 7 bucks. I have had them fir 3 seasons now without fail. two of them handle 4 flourowing grow lights and two fans with no problem. I like timers that are simple without digital readouts that go bad all the time. __________________ “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."

January 2, 2015	#3
saltmarsh Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: 2 miles south of Yoknapatawpha Zone 7b Posts: 662	Grow Light Timer I've been using these for several years to control both lights and fans. Claud http://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-7-Day-...5077/100685866 4 outlets are programable, 4 controlled by the switch. I use one to turn the lights on at 5AM and off at 8Pm and another to turn fans on at 6AM - 8AM - 10AM - noon - 2PM - 4PM - 6PM - 8PM for 15 minutes each day of the week. Last edited by saltmarsh; January 2, 2015 at 05:10 PM. Reason: add more info

January 2, 2015	#4
shelleybean Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 2,648	I, too, have the cheap kind where you press down the "on" time buttons. I've had mine for many years and they still work. I used one outdoors for my Christmas lights this year, too. __________________ Michele

January 2, 2015	#5
Gardadore Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Saylorsburg, PA Posts: 261	This is the Grow light timer I have used for the last few years. My first one came from Lowe's but I needed another for a different set of grow lights last summer and found this two pack on sale at Home Depot. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Woods-Dai...4?N=5yc1vZc334 The only thing to remember is that if your light cord that you are planning to plug into the timer is 3 pronged you must get an adapter since the timer has only a two prong outlet on the side. I plug in a 6 outlet strip into it because it connects to a 6 light system so need the adaptor which is cheap. These are really price worthy and have worked just fine for me. They are not hard to program. I actually found them in the store but they can also be ordered and then picked up. The one Saltmarsh is recommending looks interesting if you have multiple lights or fixtures to control. Good luck!

January 2, 2015	#6
Mark0820 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Cincinnati Posts: 907	I also use the cheap kind that Heirloomtomaguy and Shelleybean mentioned. I have used it several years with no problems.

January 3, 2015	#7
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	The old rotary timers are bullet puff. I got mine years ago from Home Depot I don't know how makes it but it is orange and white. It can also handle plenty of amps or watts. They is the important thing how much your lights draw and how much your timer can handle. If you get a cheap timer that cant handle the amount of current the lights draw they can start a fire or burn the timer up. There are simple watts to amps conversion calculators on line to do this if the timer says amps and the lights say watts. All you have to do is enter volts and watts to get amps. Worth

January 4, 2015	#8
jmsieglaff Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Southern WI Posts: 2,742	Thanks for the input everyone. Sounds like many of you have had good experiences with basic cheap analog timers and that's the route I'll probably go, especially with only 1 fixture to worry about.

January 5, 2015	#9
maccherone Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Europe Posts: 9	Great Idea shealleybean!! For the cristmass light, I hadn't never thought. :-)

January 5, 2015	#10
elight Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Allentown, PA Posts: 349	Here's the timer that I use, from Harbor Freight: http://www.harborfreight.com/digital-timer-95207.html If you have a HF nearby, it's hard to beat the price. And of course there's always a 15-25% off coupon floating around (Google it if you don't get them mailed to you or in a newspaper/magazine). The timer has worked well for me and has two 3-pronged outlets, which is good, because I have two shop lights that use 3-pronged plugs. Most of the really cheap timers only take two prongs, although the previously posted power strip certainly looks like a good solution if you need more than two outlets.

January 6, 2015	#12
Father'sDaughter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: MA/NH Border Posts: 4,919	I have three of the cheap dial ones -- two for the plant lights and one for the sound machine in our bedroom (set to shut off just before the alarm clock goes off). They are all about four years old and still ticking. However, the "ticking" sound is starting to get annoying, so for the sound machine I just ordered the one that Harbor Freight sells (but under a different name). We haven't programmed and installed it yet, but the reviews for it were decent.