Sterno Home GL33600 Low Voltage Landscape Lighting Transformer with Dusk-to-Dawn Timer, 12V/600W, Grey

Title says it all. Otherwise great product.

I wish all timers on low voltage transformers were this easy to program.This is the reference standard in well designed low voltage transformers.

June 2018. Prior to making this purchase I was using three separate transformers to power my landscape lights. Two of them up and died after being used 10 to 15 years so I decided to purchase this single unit to replace all three. My previous transformers were old and I hadn’t realized that much of my lighting had dimmed over time because they were end of life. I started using this unit and my lights are so much brighter. This was particularly noticeable with my low voltage halogen rock lights lighting my waterfall. That lighting was fine in the dark, but if I had a fire in the fire pit next to the waterfall then I could barely see the waterfall. The light of the fire was drowning it out. My eyes couldn’t see the dim lighting behind the fire. With this new transformer the waterfall is lit plenty bright using my same lights so that it can be seen even when the fire is going. I found setup of this unit to be pretty easy and it seems to be performing well.This thing is big and heavy and closed up so no connections are exposed to the elements. The full page instructions were easy to follow. Thankfully they weren’t microscopically printed on a slip of paper the size of a credit card which is too often the case. Upon powering up the unit it was already correctly on central time and had the correct date. The time was off by an hour, but I chock that up to DST and it was easy to change. (Not DST – the time.) I’m not using any timing features so the date and time don’t matter to me. Just thought it was interesting. There are two pairs of contacts under the front door each being 300 watts. You’ll need to split up your landscape lights between the two pairs of connections. I had no problem placing two pairs of wires under each connection. Three pairs might be difficult so they would probably have to be spliced together prior to connecting them to the unit. I found the unit easy to set up. I played with them, but I didn’t use any of the auto or timing features. I wanted it to come on with some separate LED up lighting so it’s all plugged into a single outdoor outlet on a stake with it’s own photo sensor with this unit simply set to the ‘on’ setting. Even though there was no power to the unit until dusk when that outlet came on and provided it, the unit remembered the setting and came on with my other lights. I really like the load indicators on the easy to read LCD screen that help to keep you from overloading and overheating the unit drastically shortening its life. Of course, I can’t say anything about longevity at this point, but I found those load indicators (mine of which both show a low load) very helpful. I intended to over buy when selecting this 600 watt unit and, judging by the load indicators, I did. I have a total of 30 lights that are anywhere from 8 watts to 20 watts each. I expect the units life expectancy to be substantial given what it’s capable of and the low load I’m using it for.This unit has it’s own preservation instinct. Nearly being done with my installation and going around adjusting lights I noticed some of the lights had gone out. I looked at the unit and one side was on while the other side was off. (Indicated on the LCD screen.) I turned the off side back on and it immediately clicked back off. Yes, there was an audible click sound. Looking around I finally found a frayed wire on one of my lights causing the issue. During my trouble shooting time I turned the off side back on several times and it immediately clicked back off. There is no reset button. Should it shut off due to a short you just turn it back on – assuming you’ve resolved the issue – and it comes back on. If you haven’t solved the issue then the unit will protect itself by shutting the offending side back off. You can’t turn that side back on until you find and resolve the light fixture with the issue. The side that remains on is obviously not affected by any issues with the faulty side.I just installed this unit so I really don’t have anything bad to say about it. That said, I’ll say something bad. Although the thing appears to be heavy duty, the door that covers the wire connections is apparently vulnerable to damage. Mine was broken off on arrival. The door is in the front on the bottom and simply swings up to expose the connections. I opened the door and it fell off. No force was used. There were no cracking or breaking sounds. I lifted the door – literally with one finger, looked at what was under it and let it close. I moved the unit over a couple of feet and looked down to see the door laying on the ground. At first I thought the door must be removable, but closer examination show clean breaks at the hinges. This leads me to believe I may have gotten a returned item. When I originally opened the box I noticed that although the unit was packed well it was not inside a plastic bag. Usually, when you buy something like this it is slipped into a clear plastic bag before being packed in foam and placed in the box. I noticed right away that this was not the case but dismissed it. Then the door fell off. Maybe the unit wasn’t supposed to be in a plastic bag but this brand new unit should not have arrived with a broken door. This leads me to believe that someone may have bought it, broke the door and returned it. I’m not a guy who likes to return things unless they don’t work at all so a little super glue took care of it. However, I don’t like getting what may be a returned item without knowing it. Twice I’ve purchased ‘refurbished deals’ only to have issues both times. (This purchase was not a refurbished item.) Those deals are no longer an option for me. Hey, maybe this isn’t a return. Maybe some dweeb broke it at the factory and stuck it in the box anyway to avoid getting a demerit on his permanent record. Instead of two small plastic tabs for hinges it should have just one long hinge the width of the entire door. That would make it more durable. Anyway, the only weak point with this unit is the door, but once you set everything up you won’t be messing with it so – just be careful with it.Back on track, I like this unit. It has more than met my expectations and I expect our relationship to be a long and happy one.Update: A week after installation one side of the transformer turned off for no apparent reason. I suspect this may be indication of a serious issue. Of course it was dark when I noticed one set of lights didn't come on. I looked at the LCD screen on the transformer. It does light up although it is fairly dim. Granted, I didn't have my glasses on but something didn't look right. The next day I took a closer look to find that water appeared to be under the plastic window of the LCD screen. Wait, maybe it's just that thin film of plastic placed there to protect the product. I pull that thin film off and there is still water under the plastic. I note that the left side of the screen is missing most of the information that is duplicated on the right side of the screen. (Each side relates to one of the 300 watt connections.) I also note that the numbers showing time at the top of the screen are dim and incomplete. It's definite, rain water has already gotten inside of this brand new transformer. I was able to get both 300 watt sides of the transformer operating correctly, but I must wait to see if the water evaporates from within the LCD screen and if the screen will return to normal. I now have the transformer in a more sheltered location although that should not have been necessary as it is supposed to be weatherproof. Unfortunately, I had to leave town for several weeks so I won't know if the transformer recovers or not. I will update again when I return home. It just lost a star.October update: Purchased this the end of June. Installed a week later. It is now nonfunctional. The LCD screen never did return to normal. It is now the second week of October and my landscape lights did not come on. Since the LCD screen was ruined by the rain I can't check the settings and make any needed settings to get my lights back on. Remember, I had the transformer plugged into a timed outlet with other lights. All my lights were on last night. This evening I planned an evening of sitting by the fire pit in front of the waterfall, playing music through my outdoor rock speakers with the whole area lit by my beautiful landscape lights. I started the fire and noticed some LED lights plugged into my outdoor timer had come on, but my landscape lights did not. None of them. I pressed a button on the transformer and the screen lit up, so there was power, but since water had leaked into the screen and ruined it I could not get my landscape lights on. Yeah, that LCD screen never did recover from the water leaking in to it several months ago. Pressing random buttons was no help so I gave up. All I got was a lit up blank LCD screen. My evening was ruined. I'm buying a different more reliable transformer now and will stay away from anything Paradise by Sterno Home. This unit only served me for three months before completely crapping out.Sorry, this is the next day and I had to add this final update. Having ordered a new transformer of a different brand I decided to take this Paradise unit apart and have a look inside. I disconnected it from my lights and picked it up only to have water run out. I lifted the door covering the landscape light wire connections to find water pooled in there. How? Well, that small part is clearly not sealed up tight. It's just has a loosely hanging door. Okay, let's dry that out and get to opening this thing up. I set it on a table and am soon working in a small pool of water. I remove all the screws and pop the thing apart noticing that there is a very thin rubber gasket between the front and back halves of this unit supposedly making it weatherproof. I also notice something else. The whole thing is full of water. I've never posted a picture with my review before, but I had to do it this time. Take a look. The inside of of this thing looks like it's been sitting on top of a steamer or humidifier. Weatherproof? Not this guy. Not even weather resistant. No wonder it stopped working. Please note folks that literally one third of nearly 300 reviews on this thing are negative. Many describing the same issues I have described although with less detail. I had high hopes for this unit and stupidly ignored the negative reviews. I wasted over $150. Save yourself some aggravation and look elsewhere. If you're set on this unit then I suggest you crack it open and line the edge where the gasket is with additional sealant. Probably just remove the useless gasket. Maybe you'll get more use out this transformer than I and so many others did.One more thing. Here is a quote from the manual, "There are no serviceable parts inside the power supply unit.DO NOT DISASSEMBLE." NOT TRUE! If your unit is not working right but not waterlogged like mine, there is actually a little button battery inside the case. The problem could possibly be this battery even though your unit is plugged in. Batteries are meant to be replaced eventually. Right? I would call that a serviceable part. (That battery in your computer tower under your desk seems to last forever, but eventually it does give up the ghost and your computer no longer remembers it's system settings. You must crack open your computer and replace that battery. Also, when the battery in my Las Vegas Game Maker video poker machine gets low or dies the machine stops working even though it's plugged into a power outlet in the wall.) Even if this transformer had a rechargeable battery, (which it does not), eventually it would fail. Unfortunately, in order to change the battery out you have to remove all those screws and crack the case open. (Now you get to see that insufficient gasket that allows water to seep inside the case.) I just downloaded the manual to double check and there is no mention that this battery even exists. It's where I got the above quote. I assume this battery is there in order to maintain your settings should the unit lose power. I don't really know since it's not mentioned in the manual. The screen blinking or not working right? Maybe it's telling you the battery needs to be replaced. I don't really know, but it's got to be there for a reason. So, if you've stuck yourself with this thing, it's wacked out and there is no obvious reason, maybe check this mysterious battery inside the case. Good luck.

everthing was great good job thank you

Like the ease of setting up this transformer and how the enclosure is NOT red hot when it is operating. Dislike the instructions. Rather have the English Instructions separated from the others. Also, although programming is a little wonky, The Sunwise setting must be set up, but only if you can figure out the go around.

I bought two of these a year and a half ago, I was adding lights and wanted dual 300 watts. The short of it, they worked until a month ago. while you can see the screen and make adjustments, both units just stopped turning on our lights. What cracks me up is the 20 year old transformer still working beside this garbage. If I was you, find something better.

This is substantial - two zones. We have 20 lights on one zone. Timer feature is good. I wish the power cord was a little longer.

Read the instructions and follow the example. Works GREAT !!

Works extremely well as a transformer. Details on set up vague especially on Sunwise setting. Changing loads is not explained well. You need to download detailed instructions from web site.

The screen stopped working at first and it was by many clicks to guess if I was even turning each side on or setting to auto, then it just stopped working all together after only a year!

Works 👍

Large and heavy but easy to install and program. I installed in an IP inclosure for extra weather protection, conflicting reports said it was/ was not good on IP, been working fine on both channels for about 3 weeks, lets see what happens but up to now all good here.

Just installed it and connectors already broken...overheated. Very bad quality and won’t last!