Light Timer as wave maker

[smit1260]

I picked up some SYLVANIA SA100 Lamp light timers for $4.99 a piece. They have the attached buttons and can be set every 15 minutes. I have two 900 maxi-jets facing each other, one the left and one on the right. I plugged the pumps into the light timers and and set them 7.5 minutes apart. So I have the following cycle

0.00-7.50 minutes pmp 1 on pmp 2 off
7.50-15.0 minutes pmp 1 on pmp 2 on
15.0-22.5 minutes pmp 1 off pmp 2 on
22.5-30.0 minutes pmp 1 off pmp 2 off

repeats every 30 minutes

Not a bad wavemaker for 10 bucks

 

[ChrisRD]

Yeah, regular light/appliance timers work fine for this. Actually, many of the wavemakers made for the hobby tend to cycle the pumps too fast IMO.

 

[saltank]

I like that setup. Does the constant turning on/off of the powerheads tend to shorten their life?

 

[ChrisRD]

It's definitely harder on the pumps than continous operation, but some powerheads seem to handle it fairly well. Maxijets are a popular choice for on/off use as they're fairly durable in this application.