Help installing wall switch light timer Aube TI071

Rachey · 05-07-2010, 01:00 PM

I have never done any kind of electrical work and I am trying to install a wall switch light timer (Aube TI071) for my porch light. I followed all the instructions:

http://www.aubetech.com/manuel/2/TI071.pdf

My current light switch had two black lines going into it (line and load) and it was also connected to the bare copper (ground wire), then a group of white (neutral) wires in the back.

The instructions say to connect the BlUE wire on the timer to the Blue (load)... Mine are both black which makes it tricky. I connected the top wire to blue and figured I had a 50/50 chance of getting it right, and if not it just wouldnt work right? And connect the BLACK wire on the timer to the black (line). Then to connect the white wire on the timer to 2 (neutral lines). There is no place for the (ground) wire so I have no idea where to put that one??? Is it ok to just leave it free floating around in there or do I just cap it off?

So I did all that and tried it. It was working and I programmed it. However, the light switch with the porch light also has 3 other switches in the box, which I did not touch or do anything with their wires, but after installing the Timer, the lights for my living room shine 20 times brighter than they used to and they are not adjustable brightness lights. It was really worrisome to me b/c they shined so bright they looked like they would burst. Like they were getting too much power or something.

Then a while later the timers LED screen started flickering, and the bright lights were flickering too. It scared me so I shut the power off. I thought some wires were maybe just loose so i went back and retightened them all and put electrical tape around them, turned the power back on and it didnt turn on at all now. i thought that the wires must be in the right place if it turned on the first time, or is it possible the line and load wires and switched?? I don't know what else to do. Please help. Thank you!

sparks1up · 05-07-2010, 01:18 PM

It sounds like you lost the neutral! When you made up the splice to the white wires it must have either been left out or was done loosely and fell out when you push the splice back into the box.

That neutral (white wire) is shared with another circuit so unless you can identify and shut off both circuits I recommend you shut off power to the whole house before trying to repair it.

The reason the lights got brighter is because when a neutral that is shared between two 120-volt circuits on opposite phases is opened the voltage can fluctuate between the 2 phases and rise as high as 200-volts or sink as low as 60-volts. If you haven't already burnt something you are very lucky.

Rachey · 05-07-2010, 01:38 PM

thanks for responding, but i dont really know what that means though? there were a group of white neutral wires all capped off together and i just took 2 from there. do i have to take certain ones? i just rechecked to make sure all the wires were hooked up and connected well and tried again and the timer led is still blinking and the lights that were really bright before now just turn on for a sec and turn off. what do you mean by burnt something?

oooooooooh i think i figured out the problem. i think im supposed to connect the white neutral wire on the back of the timer to the whole group of white neutral wires. not just two of them.... i separated out two b/c the picture in the diagram showed it connected to only two neutral lines. oh i will try and let u know. oh i hope i didnt blow anything like u said....

Rachey · 05-07-2010, 02:06 PM

well i connected all the neutrals back together along with the white wire on the timer. the lights in my living room went back to normal brightness... so thats a relief, thanks for the heads up about those neutral wires... but now the timer is not turning on at all. i dont know what else could be wrong.

sparks1up · 05-07-2010, 03:58 PM

The timer is probably cooked because you separated the neutrals and sent 200-volts through it!

Never undo a neutral splice with power on! If you get between the neutral and the load that 200+ volts will flow through you! Not to mention the damage you can do to electronics and other devices! I am surprised the bulbs didn't pop and if they are low voltage fixtures with transformers and you didn't kill them with that stunt you have certainly shortened the life expectancy!

Rachey · 05-07-2010, 05:42 PM

yeah i thought i blew the timer too, so i switched it with a brand new one b/c i had gotten two. the new one didnt turn on either. so i figured only thing left i can do is swap the blue and the black wires around and IT WORKED!

LED screen lit up and i was able to program it. Only problem was the lights wouldn't turn on. Like you said.... I burnt them out... hahahha... So I replaced the bulb and its working like a charm!

THANK U THANK U THANK U....

Oh ya and luckily that timer has a 3 yr warranty in case it dies early. Haha..

Andy-n-ATL · 05-07-2010, 06:07 PM

Rachey? Two thumbs up for lining up your trim screws vertically when you installed the wall plate.

This thread was awesome.

Rachey · 05-07-2010, 07:18 PM

why thank u andy.... and yes my nicknames rachey. im a girl. lol. thats y the screws must be lined up pretty. im so proud of myself for installing it by myself.

Andy-n-ATL · 05-07-2010, 08:41 PM

I get twitchy when the screws aren't lined up. I'm proud of you too. Close call with the neutrals though

KathyK · 12-24-2010, 11:12 AM

Hi, guys. I bought this same timer, and like Rachey, I know nothing about working with electricity. I did manage to install the last two timers by myself, but they were a different brand and had different wiring. They had a blue, a black and a red wire. The red wire didn't hook up to anything, it was just taped to itself and lay hanging. The black wire and blue wires hooked up to matching colored wires inside the box, so it was very simple. Now this Aube timer says it requires a white neutral wire. Inside my box, there are only black and blue wires, and some black wires that were painted white (and I doubt by the manufacturer). With the old timer, the blue wire from the timer is joined together with a a black-painted-white wire from the box in the same plastic screw cap (don't know what those thingys are really called). The black wire from the timer is joined together with a black wire from the box in the same plastic screw cap.
Should I install the new timer putting the white wire from the timer with the black-painted-white wire from the box into one screw cap, the black with black and the blue with blue, so there will be 3 separate joined wires?

kbsparky · 12-24-2010, 12:02 PM

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