Timers

Timers

Two very different products sit here and the wiring is what separates them. An immersion or boiler time switch is wired into the circuit and controls the heating or hot water directly, so it is fitted by an electrician and rated in amps to match the load, typically 13A or 16A for an immersion element. A plug in timer needs no wiring at all: it sits between the socket and the appliance plug, which makes it the answer for lamps, heaters, Christmas lights and anything portable. Mounting matters on the wired units. A flush switch sits into the wall for a neat finish where the cabling is already buried, while a surface unit fixes onto the wall and is the straightforward replacement in an existing airing cupboard. Nearly everything here is a 24 hour mechanical dial, which repeats the same on and off pattern every day and is set by pushing segments or pins around the face. That simplicity is the point: nothing to program, nothing to lose in a power cut beyond the clock time, and the setting is visible at a glance rather than buried in a menu. A manual on and off override is worth having, since it lets you force hot water outside the set pattern without disturbing the timer settings. Check the amp rating against the appliance before ordering a wired unit.

Powermaster and Masterplug cover the plug in end, with a 24 hour plug in timer and 24 hour mechanical timer adaptors in white available singly and in a 3 pack. Suevia supplies the IMM24F/S 24 hour immersion heating timer at 16A in a flush pattern, and Lincoln a 24 hour immersion time switch with an on and off override. APT covers immersion boiler time clocks including a 24 hour 13 amp unit. For sockets, leads and adaptors see Extension Leads, and for room heating Heating, Cooling & Air Treatment.