Remote/Timer for EBH

sorry, no help here. I just dont plug mine in on weekends because I never know when I'll be leaving the house, but I do know when I won't be..... any time before lunch !!!!

 

When I put Fiona in the garage each day, I plug in the EBH & set the green peg on the timer to come on at the appropriate time for the next day. If you go out every day, this system should work. OTOH if your plans change, then I guess having a remote would be nice. My garage is attached, so I can just step out into the garage & reset the green peg.

The thing I did get & really recommend is a contractor grade extension cord because the plug lights up when it is energized. Then I know at a glance if Fiona is feeling the heat or not. And because I am a chicken with electricity , I like knowing the power is off when unplugging (or plugging in).

 

I use a relatively inexpensive outdoor timer, mounted on my shed, with an extension cord running to the Prius. I can see the timer from the house. What makes this timer interesting is that it has separate programs for weekdays and weekends, AND it can be set to be manually off or on. So I have different times for weekends. But I usually manually turn it off when I get home on Fridays. That way I can control whether the EBH gets power at the timer. But the last feature of my timer is that it has two plug-ins. I plug a LED Night-light in the other plug spot. That way (if it's dark out) I can look out my window and tell if the EBH is on. Here's the timer I have Intermatic Timers - Consumer Outdoor Timers - Digital Timers - HB88RC (I found it at Lowes for $20).

 

That's the EXACT same one I have! lol, I also got it from Lowes. GREAT idea about the nite-lite! Thanks.

 

Just got back from Hawaii on a cruise. Really missed my Prius-shut off the easy start before I left. No problem when we got home.

 

It looks good, but I would have two concerns. First, it's indoor, so that means it can't handle much more than the occasional splash. Hopefully your garage is fairly well sealed and you will mount it high enough to prevent accidental contact with water. Being indoor, it probably also has a limited temperature range. Second, hopefully your garage is close enough to your house for it to work. It says 130 ft in open areas, so if you try to use it through a couple walls, windows, and/or doors, you'll never be sure if it worked, at least at a distance of >20-30 feet.

I bought an outdoor one at Target for ~$15 and the tabs are fairly easy to set at 15 minute intervals. You can set it on more than one cycle per day. I'll usually have mine set for a later hour than during the week, since we don't often leave the house early on weekends. And it doesn't matter if the switch turns on both at 5 AM and 11 AM on Tuesday. If the car's not plugged in at 11 AM, it's not drawing power anyway, so I don't care if the timer switches on. I can generally turn off the 5 AM program on Friday when I unplug the car.