Timer for aero-cloner.........probably for free.........screw the hydro stores

[DonBrennon]

So I've been building an aerocloner and started researching timers including TMU's etc. I was stunned by the price of some of them and while searching noticed this youtube video

I had a couple of spare cheap timers lying around and decided to give it a go.........................well I'm now sat here giggling like a little girl, cos my bedside lamp is switching on and off every minute...............IT WORKS!!!!!! LOL My timer is a little different from the one in the vid, but the gear box is exactly the same

It's a fiddly and frustrating proceedure, but it saved me at least $90, thats $90 in my pocket, not the the hydro store guys. I think I'll follow the link where you can donate a dollar and donate a few.

 

[DonBrennon]

These are some of the alternatives I was looking at, I've really saved some money

https://www.growland.co.uk/GSE-Water-timer-with-230V-input-or-with-light-sensor?gclid=CN6tqpiHp8sCFRS6Gwod56QP9Q

http://www.dutchhydroponics.co.uk/monitoring-timers-c-96_97/imperium-tu-timer-p-1390

There were other timers, for around £40 which had to be plugged into a segmental timer to reduce 15mins on times down to anything like 1 min, but these wouldn't work for what I want, your time off would always have to be more than 15mins.

 

[Richard Drysift]

I use this:
http://www.amazon.com/Hydroponic-Adjustable-Interval-Controller-Cap/dp/B013S2CQCG
yeah fucker costed $80 but it's s tank. If a timer shits the bed while you are gone your aero grow could be dead before you get home. You need to set it to like 1 min on 1 min off. I tried using cheap recycle timers found on eBay but they lasted a few weeks & started sparking out...junk! I only use my aero bucket for cloning nowadays anyway but when I used to run aero rails aka stinkbuds system this timer saved my ass. Totally reliable...worth $80? Maybe not but peace of mind is priceless.

 

[DonBrennon]

I use this:
http://www.amazon.com/Hydroponic-Adjustable-Interval-Controller-Cap/dp/B013S2CQCG
yeah fucker costed $80 but it's s tank. If a timer shits the bed while you are gone your aero grow could be dead before you get home. You need to set it to like 1 min on 1 min off. I tried using cheap recycle timers found on eBay but they lasted a few weeks & started sparking out...junk! I only use my aero bucket for cloning nowadays anyway but when I used to run aero rails aka stinkbuds system this timer saved my ass. Totally reliable...worth $80? Maybe not but peace of mind is priceless.

I know where you're coming from with the peace of mind thing, the mechanics on these timers are very flimsy and I intend to run one for a while before I use it on the cloner. My biggest fear is that the switch within the mechanism is much easier to switch off than on, so if there is a fault, it's much more likely to lead to the irrigation being switched off for a prolonged period of time. I may try to install a 'normally closed' relay contactor into it, so it works in reverse and then if it does fail, the pump is constantly running, instead of bone dry.

 

[ButchyBoy]

I have a hand full of cheap timers I did this modification to. The first one to die did so after 2 years of service. I don't use a timer on my cloner, seems to do better running 24 hours a day.
I use the modified timers in series with un-modified timers to control the temps and humidity in my rooms. If the exhaust fan runs 24 hours the rooms drop to 50 degrees and humidity jumps above 60% during lights off with heaters running. The normal timer powers the short timer. The short timer turns on and off every 2.37 minutes during lights on. During lights off the main timer turns on and off every 30 minutes. Each 30 minutes on, the modified timer turns the fan on and off. This controls humidity and temps almost perfectly.
My lights run on a designated timer just for them.