If you follow the rules of thumb I've given they will be fine. Not all Immersion heater timers will handle an inductive load and that is probably why you had your problems. Also timers can fail because of badly made connections, loose neutrals giving the biggest problem. My proffesion means that I have to know what I'm talking about with this stuff, and I've the qualifications to say I know what I'm talking about. The only reason I won't ellaborate on that is for security. Though I will say that I'm approved by several regulating bodies including NICEIC.
At the end of the day, if people want to use a contactor, that's fine and perfectly safe. I'm not going to tell anyone that that is wrong, because it isn't. What is essential is that you pick the right components to work together.
Me, I'll just carry on using my £13.00 timer with my 500w of HPS lighting, safe in the knowlege that it will last for years, and not cause a fire.
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