Metal Halide Timer

I have a GE indoor outdoor non digital timer that is rated at at least 15amps that controls my 2x250 MH ballasts. I got it at walgreens a while back for like 8 bucks. It works like a charm. I will have to get a pic and the model number for you. It was in the christmas light section.

 

Ive gone through countless timers. So far the only ones working for me for over a month (and this is on non-MH lighting so its kind of useless to you, but sorta ontopic) are the First Alert heavy duty timer that is sold at a local store here called "Meijer". Ive also used one from Sylvania which worked fine. The others I had from home depot are dead.

Plus over time you start to hear when they're clicking on and off as if the mechanics are wearing down and getting 'noisier'.

 

Mine has been in use close to 2 years powering my 2x250 over this tank and my 90g. It is a heavy duty one, as I have had issues with cheaper ones as well, only on t5hos.

My local Ace HW store sells one for 15 dollars or so that is an intermatic and very heavy duty, but only has 1 plug receptacle, so you would need 2.

 

Thank you all very much for the comments....I think it would be best to just break down and get the RKL 1 ....by the time I trial and error timers I could be at that price anyway.

 

for this use you are really going to enjoy it..

 

I just ordered it from Marine Depot....man, everytime on go on those sites I wind up spending 150.00 or more....always adding to the damn cart!!!

 

Yeah, I know the feeling.. No wonder im always low on spending money;D

 

ok I'm confused here.

I have a very good working knowledge of electrical systems... I don't see why a MH ballast would ruin any decent timer.

I run my 2x150 Sunlight Supply Galaxy on a $20 digital timer from home depot just fine.

Are you rewiring the ballast to run the output side through the timers? That would be the WRONG way... but all I can imagine that would ruin a timer.

...

If you use a magnetic ballast you have to have a timer rater for an inductive load, which all but the cheapest are. Any good appliance timer would be rated for 15 amps, so current isn't an issue unless you're running more than 1000 watts of lights on a single timer.


There ARE timers out there that are "lamp only" designed to run a resistive load only, and can be rated much lower than an appliance timer.... but they're not common.

A 15 amp appliance timer from home depot ranges from $8-20 depending on brand and function. The lower end being the mechanical "dial" timers, the better being the 7 )or 8) day digital timers. I use one that actually calculates seasonal sunrise/set variation based on latitude and will adjust the rise/fall time of your timer to closer mimic natural light cycles. Just looked, it's an Intermatic DT27 self adjusting timer. Cost around $20.

The only other thing i can figure is that you've got bad ballasts that are putting out some kind of high voltage or high frequency signal on the 115v input line, which could damage a timer, but would also be frying other electronics in your house, and possibly neighboring houses... i.e. you'd KNOW something was wrong.

-Doug