I just installed a timer for the hall bathroom vent. I got the idea from my BIL. Using a timer will run the fan run a few minutes after you leave the bathroom to give the vent time to remove any remaining oders.
We paid $18 for this mechanical spring timer. The main reason we chose this timer is it can be installed using a standard non-decora face plate.
I have found that the hardest part of wiring stitches and recepticles is mechanical in nature, not electrical. It can be tough to find space for all the wires and devices in the gang box and can be tough to maneuver the stiff wires.
I am convinced that the engineer who designed this timer switch has never wired anything himself. You would think that you could just attach two wires and the ground to the switch and be done. Unforturnately, the device had to be taken completely apart in order to connect the house wires to the terminals located INSIDE the timer switch. After attaching the wires, it was difficult to get all the parts to fit back together due to the unreasonably tight tolerances. In addition, the pictures in the instructions were for a switch that was manufactured differently than the switch in the package.
My wife bought me this electrician's screwdriver while were building the house. This is one of my favorite tools. It has a couple different ratchet mechanisms that really speeds things up. It comes with two phillips head and two straight head drives that are easilly interchanged. You can also use it to twist a wire nut. It is my screwdriver of choice whenever I need a manually operated screwdriver.
I eventually got the switch installed and so far it seems to work fine. We plan to install another timer switch in the master bath. We'll see how we like this timer switch. I already know I don't like the ease of installation.
This timer switch made me wonder how an electrician would charge a customer for installing it. It would likely take him longer to install the device than the electrician would guess. Who would expect to have to take the thing completely apart in order to hook the wires to the terminals?