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My grow light timer just quit on me right before a big bloom
It happened two nights ago, around 8 PM. I walked in and my whole indoor setup was dark, which is a full hour before the lights should have shut off. The digital display on the timer was just blank, and flipping the switch did nothing. I had to manually plug the light strip back in and set a phone alarm to turn it off later that night. Has anyone else had a timer fail like this, and is there a brand you actually trust?
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sean485mo ago
Man, that's the worst feeling, walking in to find the lights out early. I had a cheap timer fry itself last year mid-vegetative cycle, and the sudden dark period really stressed my plants. It's so frustrating when you're counting on that consistency, especially right before bloom. I ended up switching to a simple mechanical dial timer from the hardware store, the kind with the physical pins you push down. It's not fancy, but it hasn't failed me yet after daily use for months. I hope you find a solid replacement without any more hiccups.
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taylor.jessica5mo ago
Totally agree with sean48 about the mechanical timers. Those digital ones seem smart until they just die for no reason. The old school dial kind might be dumb, but dumb and reliable beats smart and broken every time.
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wells.evan4mo ago
Ngl, I feel the_riley's point but after having this happen to me twice, I just couldn't trust digital timers anymore. I went through three different brands and each one would just randomly reset or stop working after a few months. Honestly, I switched to a mechanical dial timer like you mentioned and it's been smooth sailing for over a year now. The pins are a little annoying to set at first but once they're in, they're in. Tbh, I think the peace of mind is worth the extra minute it takes to program it. Plus, if the power flickers, it just keeps ticking along like nothing happened. That reliability is way more important to me than having a fancy display.
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the_riley5mo ago
Ugh, is it really that big of a deal? I mean, the plants got a little extra dark time, it's not like the power went out for days. Sean48 makes it sound like a total disaster, but plants are tougher than that. My basil on the windowsill deals with random cloudy days all the time and it's fine. Maybe it's just me, but I'd just get a new basic timer and not overthink it.
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