One of the reasons I installed a switch, is as a safety backup. If my temperature controller failed, I can easily shut off the second element and run it as a stock Bradley. Secondly, I store my Bradley outside 24/7, under a Bradley cover. There are several times when I smoke/cook something I don't need the temperature controller, or the extra heat; so I can just run my Bradley without hooking everything up. Third, sometimes I will just want to test a recipe just using the stock features of the Bradley, to see how long it will take from start to finish; using one element.