Product Description

24 Hour, Flush Mount Programmable Timer, 7 On/Off Settings Per Day, For 2 Way & 3 Way Switching, Self Adjusting Option Follows Daily Sunrise & Sunset, Battery Backup, 500W Resistive, 120 Vac, 60 HZ.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #989 in Home Improvement
• Color: White
• Brand: Intermatic
• Model: EJ500C
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 8.31" h x 6.63" w x 1.75" l, 1.77 pounds

Features

• Programmable 24-hour timer; mounts flush to wall, replacing standard switch
• 7 on/off settings per day; for 2-way and 3-way switches; 4 programming options; 7-day timer
• Durable plastic housing
• Includes timer and 2 backup battery
• 4.31 by 1.73 by 1.29 inches; 6-year warranty

From the Manufacturer
Intermatic digital flush mount programmable 24-hour wall switch timer is a replacement for your standard indoor wall switch. The optional self-adjusting features automatically change with daily sunrise and sunset time changes. Set it once and no resetting is required.

Customer Reviews

Good timer
We purchased one of these four years ago to control our entry lights. That was the last time we touched it. The unit asks you to set the turn on - off times, and set the time and date when you install it, then you really don't have to do much else. With the auto adjust feature, it resets for daylight savings time, and one setting will automatically turn the lights on when it's getting close to dusk, then off at your preselected time - nice if you don't want to install a photocell or manually change start times throughout the year.

My only complaint is that the LCD screen is very small, particularly showing day of week, which means when you do decide to change times you'll have to really squint to see what you're doing. But fortunately, for most, this won't be a regular event.

So Far, So Good
After going through three Intermatic SS8Cs in three years, I gave up on them and bought one of these. It's only been in a month so I can't speak to its long term reliability, but so far it's been working better than the SS8C. It's quieter - no mechanical switching (I guess it must be all electronic), it offers all the same programming options as the SS8C, plus it looks a bit sleeker on the wall. Not only that, it's cheaper than the SS8C by about $14. I did take off one star, though, because it's not DST 2007 compatible. I had to turn off its built-in DST feature and now I'll just manually spring forward and fall back.

Regarding compact fluorescent bulbs, last night we bought eight 40 watt-equivalent "n:vision" brand soft white compact fluorescent bulbs (9 watts, 550 lumens, green and white package) from Home Depot and installed them this morning. I was concerned they might not work since the packaging says the EJ500C is not compatible with compact fluorescent bulbs, but happily they do work absolutely fine! I took down eight 60 watt bulbs and am now saving 408 watts of electricity. The only thing I can think that might not make the EJ500C work with compact fluorescent bulbs is that it supposedly requires a load of at least 40 watts, so possibly too few compact fluorescent bulbs might not be enough of a power draw. For me, though, I'm happy to be saving electricity and hopefully I've got a porch light timer that will stay working more than one year.

In use for over 2 years without a problem
I've had one of these set up on my porch light for over 2 years and have not had a single problem. Some of the complaints I read about surprise me. Why would you hook this thing up to your Christmas lights? That isn't what it was designed to do. There is a comment about not being able to use the thing with fluorescent lights. I replaced the regular incandescent bulb in our porch light with a CFL a year ago and have not had any problems. Frankly, I am little concerned about energy savings. I use this to have the porch light come on in the evening and off in the morning. Regarding comments about programming. It has an auto set function that controls when the light comes on and off. You don't have to tell it anything. It is preprogrammed with when it gets dark and light in whatever time zone. It even changes the on time randomly by 15 minutes everyday to make it seem like someone is home. You set the clock, tell it whether to adjust for daylight savings, and turn the function on. I have not had to make any adjustments since day one. As far as the time display being too small, how often do you actually need to look at the clock? Only when you are programming and standing right in front of it. The display is certainly larger than your watch. The door may be a little flimsy but, I have not had to open it since I first installed the unit. You can manually turn the light on and off just by pressing the door which acts as a switch. It includes a "watch" battery for storage of time and program in case of power loss. There are other models but few have the auto settings feature. Another bonus to this one is that it installs flush. Other models I have used and seen stick out or have the buttons showing. This one looks much cleaner. How good is this one? I went to HD to get one for my folks and they were all sold out.