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The lights are on, but nobody's home.

My outdoor lights are on a timer - and Intermatic Model SS7 Series - which you might want to avoid. In fact they no longer seem to sell the model I have even though Home Depot had plenty at the store today.

It is a programmable timer that replaces a standard light switch allows you to set multiple on/off cycles. This morning I noticed that at 9 am, well past the normal off setting, my front lights were still on. I pushed the switch and nothing happened. I looked at the display on the switch and it was displaying "no Op".

I grabbed the instructions and checked the troubleshooting section, only to find that "no Op" means that the "mechanism is inoperative". Their suggestion? Replace the timer.

I've had the device for about a year and a half so it is no longer under warranty. I bought this timer expecting a quality product. Instead I seem to have purchased a disposable piece of junk.

Posted by larry at June 5, 2005 10:09 PM | TrackBack

Comments

I have the same problem as you mentioned. The lights are still on and I have tried all sorts of things to this timer, but the light would not turn off. It continues to show noOp if I try to manually switch off the lights. How did you get around this problem? Please advise. The lights have not turned off the past 2 days.

Posted by: Sudhir on June 17, 2005 12:32 PM

The SS7 relies on a micro-motor and gears to push the 120-volt power switch. The micro-motor can easily shift out of alignment and stop working. While it's possible to open the unit, the whole assembly is very difficult to re-assemble. Fortunately, Intermatic is very generous with their warranty. I've had success with getting my unit replaced from them.

Posted by: Jon on June 30, 2005 02:30 PM

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