Customer Reviews

Leviton 612-6230M-W Decora 30-15-10-5 Preset Minute Electronic Timer, White

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I have been an electrician for 30 years. I installed 8 of these timers in my own house 5 years ago. Given that I installed them correctly they have worked wonderfully. I have never had one lockup on me. However, I have had 5 fail because the buttons broke off. They appear to rely on a set of very small plastic tabs that retain them against the spring tension. I have found that a tab will break off causing the button to hang crooked then eventually another tab will fail and the whole button will fall off. There is no way to repair short of total switch replacement as Leviton doesn't offer replacement buttons. The frequency of use certainly seems to be a factor as most of the failures are in the rooms most used. However, I think that they have a flawed design or material spec. problem. I recommend that you save your receipt for the warranty claim. Maybe they will get the message. I like the product just wish they would hold up better.

This is a fantastic addition or easy upgrade to your existing bathroom fan. Replace a regular toggle switch or "twist dial" style timer with this electromic timer.

Select your run time, 5, 10, 15, 30 minutes. A red LED shows you time remaining, flashing when it nears the end of its cycle. You can bump the time up or down at any time or override and turn it off.

A small locator LED at the base helps you find it in the dark if you plan to use it as a lighting timer in a seldom-used corridor or garage.

For your bathroom or kitchen fan, the major advantage is that you can leave the fan running for a while after you leave, helping to reduce moisture due to steam buildup.

Combine this with a quiet fan and enjoy a steam-free bathroom, year-round.

I previously purchased the Leviton LCD timer switch, which I would also highly recommend. Both switches require a neutral wire connection so check your wiring before purchasing. The switch itself is a bit bulky compared to a regular switch so if you have a lot of wiring stuffed in the box, you may have to move it around. Otherwise, installation is not particularly difficult.

[UPDATE 2010/08/16] Product image has been corrected since I wrote this originally in 2007. No problems with the switch yet.

We wanted an easy way to solve the problem of bathroom fans running all day at our house. This product seemed to be just what we needed so I ordered one. It was easy to install (although I have lots of experience in this area). I did find that the unit did not work using the 5 amp mode of installation (no neutral connection). The 15 amp mode with a neutral connection worked fine. We've been using this timer for a month now and we're all very happy with its looks, how it operates, and the function it performs. It'd would be nice if it was $5-10 cheaper.

This is a great product that works exactly as I had hoped. The timer operates silently except for a slight click when the switch turns on and off. The LED's are bright red, so fans of Cylons and KITT will have one more reason to love glowing, red rectangles. The LED's show time remaining, so if you hit the "30 min." button, that button will light up until 15 minutes are left, then the LED next to the "15 min." button will light, etc. The LED below the bottom button glows constantly when the switch is "OFF".

As other reviews have stated, this timer requires a white, neutral wire in the switch box. There is more than one code approved way to wire a switched fixture such as a ceiling light or bath fan in a residence and you may not have a white, neutral wire present in the box. The only way to know is to switch power OFF at the circuit breaker, then open up the switch box and take a look. If you don't see any white wires, you can't use this timer. (If you don't have a white, neutral wire, most rotary twist knob timers will work for you, but you should verify using the manufacturer's web site product page for the timer you want to install.)

To install this timer correctly, you may need to distinguish between the "hot" black wire (the one that brings power into the box) and the black wire that sends the power up to the fixture. This can be done safely by covering the exposed metal on the black wires with electrical tape or wire nuts, turning the power ON at the circuit breaker and using a non-contact voltage tester such as the Fluke 1AC-A1-II Volt-Alert AC Non-Contact Voltage Tester or the Gardner Bender GVD-504A Circuit Alert Non-Contact Voltage Tester. Once you've identified the "hot" black wire, label it or mark it with masking tape, turn the power OFF at the circuit breaker, then continue with the installation.

This timer has metal fins on both sides of the switch. If this switch is being used in a multi-switch box, you may need to break off the metal fins on one or both sides of the switch. The fins are pre-scored and can be removed by repeatedly bending the fins up and down using pliers.

I installed this switch 18 months ago in our bathroom (a room isolated from any outside venting thanks to a peculiar design decision made by the previous owners). Previously the exhaust fan had been operated by a standard toggle wall switch, and all of us would forget either to turn it on or turn it off while running the shower.

The installation was simple, and the "decora"-style block modernizes the room in a snap. The switches are labelled "30-15-10-5-Off" and that's what they do -- push one of them and the fan stays on for that length of time, in minutes. Each switch has an LED indicator next to it, and the time remaining is indicated by the LEDs lighting in turn, from top to bottom (e.g., when 10 minutes remain, the 15 minute LED extinguishes and the 10 minute LED lights). When two minutes remain, the 5 minute LED begins to flash. The OFF LED is a positive indicator that the device is off, and doubles as a night locator (good for our bathroom without windows!). It is unfortunately set a little too far into the lamp housing, which means it can't be seen unless one is facing the switch nearly head on.

As with other Leviton products, the circuitry is commercial-grade and reliable. Unlike some mechanical timers, this switch does NOT have an option to "hold" in the ON position. This may make it unsuitable for applications such as outdoor safety lighting where it is sometimes desirable to keep the lights on (say, when you're expecting company).

For a bathroom exhaust fan, it is close to perfect, and I recommend it without reservation.

I ordered 3 of these switches and installed them in an afternoon...I am not an electrician so if I can do this then I believe anyone can handle it.

I did run into a couple of problems that were not listed in the reviews that I read so I will touch on these problems:

1) metal flange: the switch will arrive with a metal flange on the left and right of the switch...this flange can be broken off with a pair of pliers. I had trouble fitting the switch into the wall receptacle until I broke off this flange, then the switch fit perfectly.

2)excess wiring: the switch is a lot deeper then the old switch that it replaced. I had a problem placing the excess wiring back into the wall receptacle, it would not fit behind the switch so I had to maneuver it to the side of the switch.

The switches work perfectly. My wife was totally amazed that I could handle this without hiring an electrician.

We bought two of these - one for each bathroom. Installation was easy, and the timer works as advertised.

As other reviewers have noted, this product requires the unswitched power be available at the wall box where the timer is mounted. It can't be made to work if the unswitched power goes to the ceiling box where the ceiling fan is mounted and only the two wires for the switch come down to the wall box. If you've got that kind of setup, you'll need to go with an old-fashioned mechanical timer instead.

Just installed two Leviton Decora Preset Timers in our master bathroom. So far they are working great. They look better than a dial timer.

Installation does require a neutral (4 wires: Neutral, Load, Line, and Ground). The box is bigger than normal switches but I had no problem installing it. Very pleased with the purchase.

My only complaint, which another reviewer mentioned, is that there is a metal plant around the switch that is designed to fit under the plastic cover. If you are installing it into a multiple switch gangbox, the neighboring switch will overlap it. If you are installing it in a single switch gangbox this will not be an issue. I found this to be annoying when trying to make the switches flush with the cover. I actually got a hacksaw and cut off the excess metal and it worked fine. This is a small criticism.

Overall I am very happy with the purchase and have ordered 3 more for the other bathrooms in our home.

This is a high quality switch that I installed for my bathroom fan. It is very easy to install and convenient - the timer can be set at 30, 15, 10, and 5 minutes (once turned on, the time increments can be reset to more or less minutes at any time simply by pressing the desired button).

Just make sure that you buy the 20 amp switch (#6230 for 30-minute switch and #6215 for 15-minute switch)if you are using this to control a fan (the 5 amp switch won't work).

Definitely an energy saver!