GE Push-Button Countdown Timer Switch, 5-15-30 Minute/1-2-4 Hour, ON/Off, No Neutral Wire Needed, Ideal for Lights, Exhaust Fans, Heaters, Wall Plate Included, Light Switch Timer, Fan Switch, 15318 White

I bought two of these for my two bathroom ventilation fans because I've forgotten to turn them off every now and then (because they're whisper quiet) and end up wasting power for hours and hours at a time. I did not want anything too fancy or too high-tech. I just need a switch that is simple and easy to use and looks good.Before purchasing this, I compared with Woods 59007 (http://www.amazon.com/Woods-59007-Decora-30-15-10-5-30-Minute/dp/B002KS1DBU/ref=pd_sim_60_4?ie=UTF8&refRID=1FJHTTBV5NCTJ3RESSJ2), which is similar to this. The Woods has over 600 reviews with 4.5 stars overall, while this one only had 100+ reviews, but also with 4.5 stars overall. So, it seemed the Woods would have been the better choice just based on more reviews. However, let me share with you why I bought these GE timers over the Woods.- The wiring is much easier than the Woods. You only need to connect 3 wires instead of 4 on the Woods. Plus, you don't need the Neutral wire, as specified in the product description. If you need to connect 4 wires, it may be a bit more troublesome for those who are not familiar with electrical wiring. If you are replacing an existing power switch, some electrical boxes might not have a neutral wire, since most common basic wall switches only need 2 hot (black) and ground (green) wires, so then you might have to find other means to connect the neutral on the Woods.- This timer gives you a wider range of time options. The Woods can only go up to 30 mins. If you want more time, they have a different model which goes up to 8hrs, or even 12hrs. However, the time range will also change. For example, on their 8hr switch, your options are 1,2,4, or 8 hrs. So if you sometimes want 10 minutes, or sometimes 2 hrs, you can't do that with the Woods.- The style of the buttons look a lot better than the Woods. The Woods has one small button (too small in my opinion). In my personal opinion, for a wall switch you want the button to be big and easy to locate, especially if it's used often. The GE has 7 buttons. While it may seem a lot, however it is designed to be more practical, intuitive, and easier to use. On the Woods, you have to press the one small button a certain number of times to "set" the time you want to use. This is kind of a pain, and without instructions it may take a bit of time to figure it out. On the GE, you can press just once any of the clearly labeled 6 time buttons or press the big button, which will use your "last used/saved" time settings. There is no need to really "set" the time. It's all one press of a button. Easy and simple to use. This is important for my use since one of the timers I bought is for a guest bathroom, I don't want guests to have to try to "figure out" how to use the timer switch to select a desired time.- The style and color of the indicator lights look cleaner, more subtle, and modern. The Woods uses 5 lights that look a bit out of style. The GE uses very subtle LED blue lights on all 7 buttons, and each one only blinks momentarily when you press it to turn on.- They don't print their logos on the switch or the face plates. The Woods have their logos below the switch, which I really did not like. It looks like an added distraction on the wall. From the pictures, the logo is not very subtle, which sort of ruins the clean look of all my other switches on the wall. For those who like to have a clean, minimalist look, the logo may bother you.- The GE timer includes a face plate. I'm not sure if Woods includes one, but from the pictures it doesn't look like it includes one. I couldn't use it for my installation because I have 2 switches next to each other. However, the extra plate can come in handy whenever one needs to be replaced in the house.The only downsides (that I can think of) about this product compare to Woods and any other similar timer switches available in the market are:1. This one does cost a little more. Compare to Woods (depending on model) and some other brands, price difference range from $3-7 dollars more. However, in my opinion, the few dollars you pay is worth it for the reasons above.2. The maximum time is 4 hrs. If you need more time, then I would suggest going with Woods (like this one: http://www.amazon.com/Woods-59007-Decora-30-15-10-5-30-Minute/dp/B002KS1DBU/ref=pd_sim_60_4?ie=UTF8&refRID=1FJHTTBV5NCTJ3RESSJ2) or some other brands.Installation:These are very easy to install. With main power turned off, you just remove an existing switch (if you are replacing one), and use the included wire connectors to twist and tie 3 wires (Black(hot) to black, Red(hot) to the other black, and Green (earth ground) to Green). When powering back up, just wait for about a minute while the timer charges (I think it probably has a capacitor inside that discharges). Once charged, it will first turn ON automatically. From then on, it's pretty much straightforward to use. All buttons are like toggle switches. Use the labeled time buttons to turn on and run for the selected amount of time, or use the big button to turn on using the "last used" time settings. Press again to manually turn off.Overall, I'm very satisfied with my purchase. The timer was easy to install and it's very easy to use. I definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a simple timer switch, especially for a bathroom fan!

Good replacement for original timer switch

Good product

The switch mostly performs as advertised. But there are some gotchas that you have to look out for.Fair Warning: I am not an electrician.Installation was not difficult. The switch has black, red and green wires. According to the instructions, the black is for the hot side, the red for the load side (bathroom fan in my instance) and the green for earth ground. I could not tell which of my black wires was the load side, so I made my best guess and continued. Upon flipping the circuit breaker back on, the switch/fan came on. According to the instructions this is normal as it "takes about 1 minute to fully charge (the switch)" after which it turned off. I pushed the 5min timer button and the fan came on as expected. I immediately tried pushing some of the other buttons to get a feel for how they worked whereupon the switch turned off and would not come back on no matter which button I pushed. The instructions state "This happens if you cycle the load to(o) many times in a short period. Wait 1 minute and the timer will be ready for use." I waited 1min, didn't work. I waited 5mins, still didn't work. I waited an hour, still didn't work. Lacking any other ideas, I began to wonder if I'd attached the red wire to the hot side. So I rewired the switch and now it seems to work. Cycling the load several times within a short period doesn't seem to cause malfunction.The switch has a small blue light next to each timer button (5min, 10min... etc). When you push one of the buttons, the blue light next to it flashes on twice... and never again until the time expires. Why can't the blue light next to the chosen timer stay on when the switch is on? There's certainly power flowing through the circuit. According to the instructions, "Timer will blink every 20 seconds to show the last time used". **THIS DOES NOT WORK**. Whether the switch is on or off, the chosen timer does not blink every 20secs.Overall it gets the job done (as long as you wire it correctly, it seems). But I wish the light next to the chosen timer stayed on. There's no way to tell what timer the person before you chose.UPDATE: The instructions also state "If you hold the big button down for 5 seconds it will turn on and stay on until hit again" **THIS DOES NOT WORK**. I've tried holding the button down for 5 secs and more. The switch eventually turns off based upon the last timer chosen no matter how long you hold the button down.

I have been using this for several months on my master bath fan. Works great. Adding now to other fans and a recirculation motor.I've experimentally proven that the wires are tinned copper, by scraping off the tin at one location, exposing the copper. The assertion by another reviewer that the wires are aluminum, and are a fire hazard, is false, probably an assumption from appearance.