Looking for a Timer

I'm looking for a timer with a specific functionality. I want to be able to
set the thing to turn on an electrical appliance at a set time, then turn it
off after a selectible time. I don't want the thing to come on again until
I tell it to. Not one day later or 7 days later.The application is for the
pre-heaters on my RV-6. I've got a battery warmer and a sump heater.

The low-down is that I work 15 minutes from the airport, so I can drop by
very easily at lunch or right after work to set a timer if I think I'm going
to be flying the next day (this is particularly useful for flights early on
Saturday morning). There are many timers that will support this function.
The problem is that most of 'em will then turn on again at the same time the
next day, and the next, and the next. Or maybe, they will turn on a week
later. The situation I want to avoid is where I set the timer for, say,
Saturday morning, then plans go bad and I don't get to the airport for a
week or two and the heaters run on a daily basis or weekly basis until I
reset or unplug the timer.

I've tried the big box stores, Grainger, etc. and have not found a timer
that works the way I want.

Suggestions?

KB

A friend of mine uses a cellular activated timer....make a call to turn on
his electric pre-heater.....would something like that work for you?

--
Turbo Tiger

On Fri, 18 Feb 2005 18:33:35 -0500, "Kyle Boatright"
wrote:

I'm looking for a timer with a specific functionality. I want to be able to
set the thing to turn on an electrical appliance at a set time, then turn it
off after a selectible time. I don't want the thing to come on again until
I tell it to. Not one day later or 7 days later.The application is for the
pre-heaters on my RV-6. I've got a battery warmer and a sump heater.

The low-down is that I work 15 minutes from the airport, so I can drop by
very easily at lunch or right after work to set a timer if I think I'm going
to be flying the next day (this is particularly useful for flights early on
Saturday morning). There are many timers that will support this function.
The problem is that most of 'em will then turn on again at the same time the
next day, and the next, and the next. Or maybe, they will turn on a week
later. The situation I want to avoid is where I set the timer for, say,
Saturday morning, then plans go bad and I don't get to the airport for a
week or two and the heaters run on a daily basis or weekly basis until I
reset or unplug the timer.

I've tried the big box stores, Grainger, etc. and have not found a timer
that works the way I want.

Suggestions?

KB

This might suit you.
http://www.intermatic.com/images/ins...158ss11362.pdf The
description on their web site is too poorly written to be of much
help, but the instruction sheet might be useful. I haven't used this
particular model. But here's how its very similar brother the E120C
works - the device is 100% battery powered, a motor and gear train
operate the contacts. Tapping the cover hits the manual on/off key, so
it can be used as a normal switch. About $30. Fits in a standard box,
uses a decora cover plate.

I imagine the guts are very similar on the interval version above, but
the controls and logic are different.

There are plenty of affordable universal interval timers that plug
into an octal socket. About $50 for the timer and socket. There are
also lots of spring-wound types. There's even an outfit (don't have
the URL handy) that will make you a custom spring-wound one.

Wayne

"Pianome" wrote in message
news:7tvRd.9396$4D6.5649@attbi_s51...
A friend of mine uses a cellular activated timer....make a call to turn on
his electric pre-heater.....would something like that work for you?

--
Turbo Tiger

Somewhere, I saw an ad for one of these. It was several hundred dollars.
More than I wanted to pay for the limited use I intend. To add insult to
injury, you have to pay montly rent on a pager to serve as the trigger.

What I need is a $20 solution. I might spring for $50 if all else fails.

KB

"Kyle Boatright" wrote in message ...
I'm looking for a timer with a specific functionality. I want to be able to set the thing to turn on an electrical
appliance at a set time, then turn it off after a selectible time. I don't want the thing to come on again until I
tell it to. Not one day later or 7 days later.The application is for the pre-heaters on my RV-6. I've got a battery
warmer and a sump heater.

The low-down is that I work 15 minutes from the airport, so I can drop by very easily at lunch or right after work to
set a timer if I think I'm going to be flying the next day (this is particularly useful for flights early on Saturday
morning). There are many timers that will support this function. The problem is that most of 'em will then turn on
again at the same time the next day, and the next, and the next. Or maybe, they will turn on a week later. The
situation I want to avoid is where I set the timer for, say, Saturday morning, then plans go bad and I don't get to
the airport for a week or two and the heaters run on a daily basis or weekly basis until I reset or unplug the timer.

I've tried the big box stores, Grainger, etc. and have not found a timer that works the way I want.

Suggestions?

KB



An old auto-on coffee pot that automatically turns off in 2 hours or so?

"Blueskies" wrote in message
m...

"Kyle Boatright" wrote in message
...
I'm looking for a timer with a specific functionality. I want to be able
to set the thing to turn on an electrical appliance at a set time, then
turn it off after a selectible time. I don't want the thing to come on
again until I tell it to. Not one day later or 7 days later.The
application is for the pre-heaters on my RV-6. I've got a battery warmer
and a sump heater.

The low-down is that I work 15 minutes from the airport, so I can drop by
very easily at lunch or right after work to set a timer if I think I'm
going to be flying the next day (this is particularly useful for flights
early on Saturday morning). There are many timers that will support this
function. The problem is that most of 'em will then turn on again at the
same time the next day, and the next, and the next. Or maybe, they will
turn on a week later. The situation I want to avoid is where I set the
timer for, say, Saturday morning, then plans go bad and I don't get to
the airport for a week or two and the heaters run on a daily basis or
weekly basis until I reset or unplug the timer.

I've tried the big box stores, Grainger, etc. and have not found a timer
that works the way I want.

Suggestions?

KB



An old auto-on coffee pot that automatically turns off in 2 hours or so?

If I understand this correctly, an auto-on function is something I really
want to avoid. You don't want to preheat every morning, just the ones when
you're likely to fly.

KB

"Kyle Boatright" wrote in message ...

".

Suggestions?

KB



An old auto-on coffee pot that automatically turns off in 2 hours or so?

If I understand this correctly, an auto-on function is something I really want to avoid. You don't want to preheat
every morning, just the ones when you're likely to fly.

KB

No, the coffee pot has a switch that enables the auto on function (Proctor Silex machine) You have the clock set to the
time you want the coffee to turn on. It then stays on for a couple of hours and shuts itself off - one shot after delay.
It will not turn on again until you tell it to...Hack into the plate and have it fire off a relay (if your heater is a
big draw) or use it directly...
http://www.proctorsilex.com/use_care/index.html

"Kyle Boatright" wrote in message
...
I'm looking for a timer with a specific functionality. I want to be able
to
set the thing to turn on an electrical appliance at a set time, then turn
it
off after a selectible time. I don't want the thing to come on again
until
I tell it to. Not one day later or 7 days later.

Cheap wise, you need two timers. Get a wind up 24 hour timer, and use the
"on" juice coming out of it to run a 24 hour programmable timer. Plug your
heater into that second timer.

So, you go to the airport and wind up the timer, set the correct time into
the clock timer, and the time you want stuff to come on. Since the windup
timer will only run hot for 24 hours, after that the clock won't work any
more.
--
Jim in NC

"Morgans" wrote in message
...

"Kyle Boatright" wrote in message
...
I'm looking for a timer with a specific functionality. I want to be able
to
set the thing to turn on an electrical appliance at a set time, then turn
it
off after a selectible time. I don't want the thing to come on again
until
I tell it to. Not one day later or 7 days later.

Cheap wise, you need two timers. Get a wind up 24 hour timer, and use the
"on" juice coming out of it to run a 24 hour programmable timer. Plug
your
heater into that second timer.

So, you go to the airport and wind up the timer, set the correct time into
the clock timer, and the time you want stuff to come on. Since the windup
timer will only run hot for 24 hours, after that the clock won't work any
more.
--
Jim in NC

Sounds like a homebaked lash-up, which is perfect for me. ;-) I just wish
they had a 48 or 72 hour wind up timer so I'm not tied to going to the
airport inside a day of needing the heater to run.

KB

*sigh* this is REALLY a 'no-brainer'. Get *two* timers.

Timer #1 is a garden-variety 'seven-day' type, and is plugged into the wall.
Make sure it is adjusted for the 'correct' time, and set it to turn 'on'
at the appropriate time, and to run for *AT*LEAST* as long as desired.
(Setting it to run 'longer' is better -- this ensures that timer #2 is the
one that really controls when things turn off.)


Now, timer #2 is a 'single day' timer with *REMOVABLE* trippers, and is
plugged into timer #1. Set the time to 12:00 (regardless of what the
"actual" time is), and put an "off" tripper at the interval _after_ 12:00
for the desired run-time. And *manually* switch _this_ timer "ON".

Now, plug the heaters into timer #2.

Since timer#2 is *not* powered, the 'clock' on it does -not- run. *UNTIL*
timer #1 turns on, that is. Once it does start running, it turns the
heaters OFF after the desired interval.

Obviously, once timer #2 turns off, there nothing to turn the heaters
back 'on' again (because there is *no* "on" tripper installed on timer #2).

This may not be as much "fun" as hacking a coffee-maker, but it does have
the advantages of being a 'plug-and-play' solution, and "UL-Listed".
And takes a whole 3 minutes or so to set up. *grin*

"Intermatic" (available at Graybar, Grainger, the various BORG, as well as
many hardware stores) makes timers with removable trippers. Three different
varieties of 'em, in fact. 1) that plugs directly into an outlet, 2) a
'corded' table-top box, where the cord plugs into the outlet, and 3) a
unit that is 'hard-wired' into a circuit (*doesn't* fit in a standard
switch/outlet junction box -- is a bigger "surface mount" box, with it's
own hinged cover).



In article ,
Kyle Boatright wrote:
I'm looking for a timer with a specific functionality. I want to be able to
set the thing to turn on an electrical appliance at a set time, then turn it
off after a selectible time. I don't want the thing to come on again until
I tell it to. Not one day later or 7 days later.The application is for the
pre-heaters on my RV-6. I've got a battery warmer and a sump heater.

The low-down is that I work 15 minutes from the airport, so I can drop by
very easily at lunch or right after work to set a timer if I think I'm going
to be flying the next day (this is particularly useful for flights early on
Saturday morning). There are many timers that will support this function.
The problem is that most of 'em will then turn on again at the same time the
next day, and the next, and the next. Or maybe, they will turn on a week
later. The situation I want to avoid is where I set the timer for, say,
Saturday morning, then plans go bad and I don't get to the airport for a
week or two and the heaters run on a daily basis or weekly basis until I
reset or unplug the timer.

I've tried the big box stores, Grainger, etc. and have not found a timer
that works the way I want.

Suggestions?

KB