Normal household timers are not built to take the high inductive loads
produced by HID ballasts. If used with a HID ballast the contacts inside
the timer that open and close the timed circuit will overheat and weld
together, breaking the timer and leaving your grow lights permanently
on. The PowerPlant Heavy Duty Timer is different. It is designed to take
high loads and has no problem dealing with the inductive loads produced
by a 600w ballast. This means that no separate contactor is required,
saving you money. It is a 24 hour, 15 minute segmental timer, with 96
switching operations within a 24 hour period (every 15 mins). The heavy
duty contacts mean it can take high inductive loads. It is suitable for
timing 600w HID ballasts, is very reliable and has a high quality timer
unit. Along with a robust case design with socket and timer
dust/moisture covers. This unit is ideal for timing 400w and 600w
ballasts. Do not use more than one 600w ballast per timer.