My timers suck. I have two in the house (both the "movable pin" type, where the pins are supposed to catch the on/off wheel), and they both suck for different reasons: One doesn't keep very good time (not so terrible... I can adjust daily). The other misfires on the "ons" and "offs", because the stupid pins slip past the wheel without catching, which seriously screws with any sort of schedule I'm going for. And I can't be here all the time to check on them. I know there are a million out there, but is there a good "type" out there? What should I look for? FYI - I don't need or want a high-powered relay timer, just something reliable from a Home Depot or wherever. Actually, I could probably MAKE a high-powered relay timer myself out of an electromagnetic relay switch and a timer, except I'd still need a reliable timer! Frustrating. Suggestions?
try buying one of the more expensive timers from home depot. I know around here they have digital ones, multi-function, multi-plug, etc. I've always used the pin one like you have and never had any troubles with it though!
I bought a mechanical timer from walmart. The first one didn't work but it was returned for one that does work. At first I thought this second one was broken too but patience showed me that it did work. It seems like it takes forever for it to turn off if you are watching it. If you gt a digital timer be sure it has a battery backup. Without a battery backup, one blink of the lights and your schedule could get messed up.