A timer on my plug or not?

Question

Who uses a timer on their plug for their light controller? I have recently bought a new one that controls two lights and I don't want to bugger it up. As the controller has it's own switch on it, is it advisable to use it in conjunction with a timer on the plug? The timer will just suddenly let the power run through to the box unexpectedly and I'm not sure if this will reduce the life span of the light unit.

Anybody been using a timer without any problems occurring?

Answer 1

We use a timer on both of our tanks (we have a fish tank, and a turtle tank).  The only time we ever have problems is if the electric goes out during a storm.  Other than that, it works great!  I'm glad we have it, since it is more accurate than I am!

Answer 2

I have all my plugs on timers and thats for UV, basking lights, heat mats...

After a few years, i still haven't had to replace anything except the bulbs.

As mentioned you do have to be careful of powercuts as you then need to reset the time on the timer but they happen only ever very rarely and you immediately check on your heat dependant animals in this situation anyway.

Answer 3

I'm not sure what your light controller is. However, were you to switch it on and then plug it into the mains, would it be okay? This is equivalent to what the timer switch will do. Lights are pretty simple loads and generally do not present problems when switching on and off. It's loads like motors that you want to worry about. Motors are inductive loads and can cause big voltage spikes.

Answer 4

Thats a good Idea I'm gonna try it.