Timeswitch curiosity

[Dartlec]

Removed this this weekend from a house built in 1963.

Presumably originally to do some outside lighting and from the way it was wired may well have been original to the house, or at least installed not long after.

Were these common in domestic back in the day, or is this possibly an industrial unit that made it's way into domestic usage (previous homeowner was also a factory owner apparently).

All in very good condition for it's age if anyone's interested in it - Probably too recent for your collection @Lucien Nunes ?

It has a month as well as year clock, so I assume it has some method to allow for sunrise/sunset times changing through the year - Something most electronic timeswitches don't even do these days...

Will be doing an EICR on the house at some point - they seemingly installed aluminium twin and earth for downstairs lighting and no earth for upstairs - either used what they had or there was some reason for installing an earth on the downstairs circuit...

 

[SparkySy]

Still available today and I still use them from time to time, a proper bullet proof timer! Mainly seen them domestically for immersion heaters and lighting but not for a few years in a house, mainly agricultural and commercial buildings! There are several versions available, not surprised it's still in good Nick and working!

 

[loz2754]

Sangamo Solar clocks are most often found in common stairways in blocks of flats, and commercial buildings and churches. Nice find.

 

[Pete999]

Removed this this weekend from a house built in 1963.


View attachment 87980

Presumably originally to do some outside lighting and from the way it was wired may well have been original to the house, or at least installed not long after.

Were these common in domestic back in the day, or is this possibly an industrial unit that made it's way into domestic usage (previous homeowner was also a factory owner apparently).

All in very good condition for it's age if anyone's interested in it - Probably too recent for your collection @Lucien Nunes ?

It has a month as well as year clock, so I assume it has some method to allow for sunrise/sunset times changing through the year - Something most electronic timeswitches don't even do these days...

Will be doing an EICR on the house at some point - they seemingly installed aluminium twin and earth for downstairs lighting and no earth for upstairs - either used what they had or there was some reason for installing an earth on the downstairs circuit...

Sangamo yes very popular back in the day

 

[Avo Mk8]

I didn't realise they still made them!
Now with quartz movement and battery backup instead of the synchronous motor.

Q551 Suntracker

A 3-pin solar time switch that tracks sunrise & sunset to change switching times throughout the year.

www.sangamo.co.uk

 

[Lucien Nunes]

Yes definitely. I have an ordinary 24h version but this one as you say has the solar dial for exterior lighting. IIRC you set the one and off times using the screws for the hours relative to sunrise and sunset at the equinox, and the solar compensation does the rest. The movement in this one is made for a latitude of 52°N, that can't be adjusted, you need a different model for oop north.

Presumably it has a spring backup, I can't recall how long that runs for. Also IIRC there's an exercise cycle that unlocks the escapement every week or so and lets the clockwork run for a few minutes to prevent it becoming stiff through disuse, while the synchronous motor continues driving the going train and rewinds the spring.

 

[pirate]

Lovely old Sangamo! Our common lighting is run from a similar model, but with the knob in the middle...I guess installed in 1974 when the flats were built.
I replaced one of the hall lights, but didn't want to fiddle with it, so made sure i made the connections before 4:30pm (it was Winter) and made it by 5 minutes...have since found the isolator

 

[pirate]

I know, I know...tin hat on, ok?

 

[brianmoooore]

We had one of the daylight tracking ones, fitted in 1963 when mains electricity arrived. It was used to control the lighting in two chicken sheds.
Chicken, one shed and timeswitch long gone, but the second shed lasted until earlier this year, when a tree flattened it in a storm.

 

[Dave OCD]

There's an estate of small bungalows built in the early 1980s [around 270 in total !] a few miles from me and they all had electric underfloor heating on off peak controlled by heavy duty [60amp rated I think] versions of these. Great for testing and fault finding when it's handy to energise the 'off peak' with a little help from the seal fairy. ?. But sadly many have now been replaced with Radio Teleswitches or not very smart meters.

 

[freddo]

I have an old one here with a yellow face. Sangamo timers are superb though the newer quartz models have a shorter life as the backup battery tends to leak and rot out the PCB.

 

[R-fur]

Fitted a few of them over the years but they have pretty much been superseded by photo cells. I took one apart a few years ago and got it back together again! not a five minute job. BigClive did a youtube on them a few years ago, worth a look. As other have said the model you fit is dependent on your latitude. They are still made and you can get setting instructions etc. on the sangamo website.