Can i put a timer on my pump/filter?

[AnnaK]

Except that most timers have an easy on/off switch. So if you have to backwash, you will have to throw the breaker for the pump. And the timer will now turn on/off the entire sub-panel at the pool unless you run a separate circuit to the pool for lighting etc.

We do have a separate breaker for the non-pump electrical wiring, lights and receptacles and such.

My routine in the past has been to turn the pump breaker in the basement on/off during times when I wanted the pump to run/or not. Now, with the timer, I can manually provide power to the pump during times when it's normally OFF, such as to backwash, when there's a swimmer load, or to mix in chemicals. I set pump speed at the pump when I'm up there doing whatever I'm doing.

We have a number of ways to manipulate power to the pump:
1. The toggle on the pump itself.
2. A switch we installed on the deck near the skimmer, to facilitate manual vacuuming.
3. The timer.
4. The breaker.

I had the electrician install a little red light in the basement which tells me at a glance from top of the stairs whether there's power to the pump presently. That way I don't trudge all the way up the hill to the pool to vacuum only to discover I forgot to turn on the pump, and it reminds me to reset the timer to OFF after I'm done with my pool chores.

I'm not sure I understand why it would be a problem to wire ANY wierd plug to the timer.

That could, of course, have been done. At the time, we were still planning on doing the timer installation ourselves and couldn't find an adaptor for the strange plug. We aren't skilled enough to do wiring with actual bare wires. Then we had an electrical repair isue and we asked the electrician about the timer. He suggested wiring it directly to the breaker. Given the location of the pool and our intended use for the timer, this is far more convenient.