We're having a timer wired directly into the breaker box in the basement. The pump up by the pool has some strange plug-in and receptacle and we could not find any sort of adaptor to insert a timer. Wiring it into the box will be more convenient, anyway, since the pool is about 75 yards away from the house up on the hill. Id much rather go in the basement to make changes or turn it on/off than truck up there in the rain or depth of night. Yep, I tend to forget stuff, too