Taco SmartPlug

I have a Taco SmartPlug that is used on a recirculating pump for my water heater. The last few weeks, the plug has mysteriously just turned off for extended periods of time. I was considering replacing it, but the plug is so expensive compared (about $150) to other smart plugs that I could purchase and just program to run at specific intervals throughout the day. For those of you who install recirculating pumps, do you use the Taco SmartPlug, just let the pump run continuously, or something else?