GE 15328 Box Electrical-timers, 240 VAC, Water Heater 240VAC

I have installed this timer on my new electric water heater. The water heater runs only during super of peek time, 12am to 6 am, (25% duty cycle). This device is saving us a lot in water heating electricity.

The timer should include a second set of on/off keys.

It was a flimsy piece of equipment that i have very little faith. Take the GE name off of it, that's almost fraudulent.

Picked this switch because:1. Mechanical - short power outages will not leave us with out Hot Water.2. Exterior switch tabs - means I (or my family) don't have open the enclosure to turn on the heater. Keeps fingers out of the wires and timer.3. GE - hoping for better quality / reliability (to be determined).4. Value - slightly more than unknown brands.Installed, and working flawlessly on my 50 gallon (30 amp) water heater.Bottom Line: thumbs up.

Pretty easy to install. Worked right away. The levers did not align correctly with the openings in the front cover, but I just leave it open, so no biggie, but would be a problem if you need to lock the cover. Worked fine for 8 months but now the timer motor is slowing down, no longer keeping correct time, up to an hour or two off every 24 hours. Will have to replace it.

I like the finish quality and simplicity of this timer. The only issue I have is that there are tabs that stick out of the front cover showing if the unit is on or off. You can also push these up/down to override the system. My issue is that the slots are too tight with the tabs. There should be more clearance around the tabs as they have plastic ends that could rub and hinder correct operation. Otherwise a great device.

After installing this item for someone, I get a call a couple of weeks later to find out that it isn't keeping time. I come over to take a look at it and I observe the timing tripper is installed properly, but hits the gears in the back of the timing wheel. It eventually gets past it, but the time is already messed up. What a cheaply made item. I went with this item because the intermatic brand was not readily available. I missed the return date because I was not aware of the problem until it was too late to accept returns. That is the problem these days. If companies made something that would last, but this didn't even last 30 days of initial use. You buy something, get around to installing it for someone, and then learn a couple weeks later that it is defective, meanwhile...blah blah blah--right! Stay away from this product to avoid the frustration.

I can't address the easy to install question because my electrician did the install but it's a quality product. I'm looking everywhere to reduce my electric bill and a timer on the water heater is just what I needed.