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Timer

Doggggboy

Doggggboy

Ultra Member
I need recommendations for a timer to run a wet/dry vac.
I have a drip mat under my wife's Yukon but it fills up quickly some days and spills over onto the floor with all the expected mess.
I'm thinking a wet/dry vac on a timer would help. Set it up so that the suction house was on the mat and then just have it turn of for a couple of minutes every couple of hours or so. Empty it once a day or whatever.
I need a timer that could be set to turn on multiple times /day and run for a few minutes.
The old style mechanical timers don't usually have that option.
Would I be better off with a programmable outlet or just a programmable timer?
I know some of the programmable outlets use wifi but that won't be available in the garage. While I could program it in the house I'm not sure if it would continue to work properly in the garage with no wifi.
 
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In the spirit of how things are done here, rather than provide the answer you seek, I advise you to jackhammer the floor, and install a 10' long trough style catch basin and drain to a sump... then pump to the 50,000 gallon cistern you need to install 8 feet below grade in your side yard to store water for the apocalypse.

Now, I would have advised integrating the cistern into the floor but then there is all that complicated underpinning process and I'm not sure your local contractors would get it right and not collapse your home.

BTW I use these to control grow lights, they have multiple time periods in 24 hour cycle and they're cheap. No wifi required.

 
Thanks.
I'm sure at some point somebody will tell me I should have bought a Ford or BMW instead, as well.
Or that their FIL burned down the house with a faulty timer connected to a frayed extension cord during a lightning storm.
Any advice is appreciated although some is more useful than others.
I find the thread drift here to be quite entertaining most days.
 
A real answer. This style of timer allow multiple on/off sequences.

IMG_0013.jpeg


 
Another real answer - a bit more $ than @whydontu . But we like spending as much of your money as possible.

An electronic timer, or a home automation timer you can run through your smart home and manage from your smart phone. Just make sure that the timer can handle the amperage of your vacuum.

And yes, by all means build a sump to collect the liquids and help us all solve global warming before its too late.
 
As a side question, how are you going to get the vacuum to suck up the water off the mat and not suck up the mat and kill the vacuum?

I have a mat under my wife's vehicle that fills up as well. I have tried to vacuum it up, but it tends to pool in various places and not all in one spot. So I have to move the vehicle out to get too the water. I usually put down sawdust/planer shavings and when they get full of water sweep them into the garbage can. They do a great job of reducing the free water till i can get to cleaning it up. Does track into the house a bit, but she already brings in sand/salt mix on her boots from work, so it doesn't add that much to the mess to have the bit of wet sawdust.
 
whydontu said:
A real answer. This style of timer allow multiple on/off sequences.

View attachment 55484

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I have used a couple of these for plant lights. The issue with these is that the on time is a minimum of 30 minutes, far too long for what I need.
I want the vacuum to only run for about 5 minutes, if that. It really doesn't take long for the water to drain off the mat.
 
Susquatch said:
Another real answer - a bit more $ than @whydontu . But we like spending as much of your money as possible.

An electronic timer, or a home automation timer you can run through your smart home and manage from your smart phone. Just make sure that the timer can handle the amperage of your vacuum.

And yes, by all means build a sump to collect the liquids and help us all solve global warming before its too late.
Click to expand...
The garage is not on the same circuit as the house so I'm not sure that would work.
I really don't want to have anything to manage other than unplugging and dumping the vacuum. It will all be moot when we're not parking a snow covered vehicle come June.
And with 192 solar panels and geothermal heat for 6000 square feet of building, I feel I'm doing my part for global warming.
 
Hruul said:
As a side question, how are you going to get the vacuum to suck up the water off the mat and not suck up the mat and kill the vacuum?

I have a mat under my wife's vehicle that fills up as well. I have tried to vacuum it up, but it tends to pool in various places and not all in one spot. So I have to move the vehicle out to get too the water. I usually put down sawdust/planer shavings and when they get full of water sweep them into the garbage can. They do a great job of reducing the free water till i can get to cleaning it up. Does track into the house a bit, but she already brings in sand/salt mix on her boots from work, so it doesn't add that much to the mess to have the bit of wet sawdust.
Click to expand...
There is a significant slope to the floor from North to South so the water all collects at the south side. I find just having the hose lay in the mat is enough to collect most of the dripping once the vacxuum is on.. If the timer would turn the vacuum on for a couple of minutes once or twice an hour it would be fine, maybe.
 
Hruul said:
As a side question, how are you going to get the vacuum to suck up the water off the mat and not suck up the mat and kill the vacuum?

I have a mat under my wife's vehicle that fills up as well. I have tried to vacuum it up, but it tends to pool in various places and not all in one spot. So I have to move the vehicle out to get too the water. I usually put down sawdust/planer shavings and when they get full of water sweep them into the garbage can. They do a great job of reducing the free water till i can get to cleaning it up. Does track into the house a bit, but she already brings in sand/salt mix on her boots from work, so it doesn't add that much to the mess to have the bit of wet sawdust.
Click to expand...
I initially thought the same thing, but I just assumed that Dogg was smart enough to work out that aspect of the problem
Doggggboy said:
The garage is not on the same circuit as the house so I'm not sure that would work.
I really don't want to have anything to manage other than unplugging and dumping the vacuum. It will all be moot when we're not parking a snow covered vehicle come June.
And with 192 solar panels and geothermal heat for 6000 square feet of building, I feel I'm doing my part for global warming.
Click to expand...
you know my response included a serious answer at the end... please do check the link to the product
 
DavidR8 said:
I'm voting for selling both the car and house as the combo is clearly not working. :D
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My wife LOVES the new Yukon as it will hold her and her dogs and their crates and all the assorted shit that goes along with them and still has enough room for groceries and a friend or 2 and gets 30mpg and will tow the travel trailer.
As for the house, we built it and plan on dying in it.
So Imma vetoing that vote :)
 
Hruul said:
BTW the obvious answer, and one I am surprised @Susquatch didn't mention is to not park in the garage. I have not been able to get that one to work unfortunately.
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The upside of parking in the garage is that even though unheated, it is significantly warmer than parking outside and doesn't collect frost or additional snow covering.
 
TorontoBuilder said:
I initially thought the same thing, but I just assumed that Dogg was smart enough to work out that aspect of the problem

you know my response included a serious answer at the end... please do check the link to the product
Click to expand...
I did and it looks like it may be the answer.
I'm just leaning into the thread drift for a while.
 
Doggggboy said:
The upside of parking in the garage is that even though unheated, it is significantly warmer than parking outside and doesn't collect frost or additional snow covering.
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frankly I'm aghast that anyone from SK would suggest parking outside.

I could not start my car at U of R at least 100 different occasions due to the cold
 
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