If you're a Christmas Enthusiast, y'all accept a lot of pride in your holiday displays. You lot get through a lot of work to put them up every year and suffer no small expense in buying and maintaining them.

And while you lot certainly bask the breathtaking beauty of your Christmas light displays, yous get even more satisfaction from the joy that they bring to others: your kids, neighbors, and even wayfaring strangers sightseeing through your neighborhood attracted past the visual banquet then generously provided by yourself and others.

Christmas Light Timers


Except For When You Forget to Plow the Lights On...

Ouch!

All that work and expense to create a masterpiece of holiday beauty, and all for naught considering yous (or someone) forgets to flip a switch! Or maybe you're non home when the lights should be turned on. Whatsoever the reason, if your lights aren't on when they should be, what a waste material!

And speaking of waste - how about all those times when your lights are burning at 3 a.k., sucking upwards expensive electricity with non a soul in sight?

Remember the former philosophical question: "If a tree falls in a forest and nobody is in that location to hear information technology, does information technology make a sound?" Here's a variation for Christmas Enthusiasts: "If your Christmas lights are burning in the wee hours when nobody'due south looking at them, are they even so using electricity?" Yes, it's a light-headed question - the answer is printed in blackness and white on your utility bill!

Turning lights on, and turning them off - a elementary job. A mere flip of a switch. But somebody's got to remember to flip that switch, and at the right times, both on and off. Otherwise, there's a toll to be paid.


A Simple Solution

If you're still turning your lights on and off manually (when you don't forget!), why not let a bit of loftier-tech gadgetry handle that chore for you? Hook your lights upwardly to an electric timer, and gear up and forget. Your lights will exist turned on AND off similar clockwork, exactly when y'all want.

Nosotros offer several models of Christmas low-cal timers. All are quite inexpensive and extremely reliable. Our timers come in one of two categories: photocell and standard. Photocell timers are the more than popular, and in most cases, the more user-friendly.

Hither are the differences:

  • Photocell. Photocell timers are equipped with a calorie-free-gathering device that enables them to distinguish daylight from dark. Most photocell timers have multiple settings. The most common are: always-on, sunset to dawn, 2 hours, 4 hours, 6 hours or 8 hours. With a photocell timer, you tin be sure that your lights volition never be burning futilely in broad daylight, like a h2o sprinkler running full-blast in a raging rainstorm. One notation of caution if yous're considering a photocell timer: If you lot live in an area with lots of ambient light at dark, a photocell timer may not work for you. The elevated levels of nighttime low-cal might fool the timer into 'thinking' it's notwithstanding daylight long afterwards the dominicus has fix.
  • Standard. A standard timer triggers on-off sequences based upon an internal clock. You'll set the time on the internal clock, and program in your on-off sequences. A standard timer isn't quite as convenient every bit a photocell timer, because it relies upon the user programming both the internal clock and the on-off sequences. Another disadvantage with standard timers is that if the outlet loses power, such equally the GFI trips, the timer will have to be set once more once the GFI is reset. Standard timers are available with digital touchpad controls or analog rotary dial controls.


Exist Conscientious Not to Overload Your Timer

Some timers come with multiple outlets, giving you the flexibility of plugging in multiple strings of calorie-free. That'due south a cracking convenience, but you should take care not to exceed the maximum wattage rating of the timer.

You can easily mensurate the wattage requirements of each string with a Kill A Watt Electrical Usage Monitor . This handy product volition measure the corporeality of power used by each cord that you'll be plugging into your timer. If the total doesn't exceed the maximum rating of the timer, you lot're skillful. Otherwise, you may need to distribute the load among two or more timers.

And y'all'll be wise to use simply heavy-duty timers that are UL labeled for outdoor employ, and that are rated at 15 amps (1800 watts). While 8 amp timers may be cheaper, they aren't likely to hold up also as 15 amp timers.


Some Jobs Are Better Left to Machines

It's a unproblematic task - turning lights on and then turning them off again. But given our forgetful nature, it's a chore that we humans aren't all that adept at. Automatic timers are simple, inexpensive devices that handle "that one" task with extreme reliability.

It's what they're good at. Why non allow them handle it?