Wiring for Light Switch Timer

kimbalee

I have attempted to install an Aube TI070 timer light switch. The switch has 2 black wires (load and line), 1 yellow, and 1 green. My switch box has 3 black wires, and 3 white wires. I have the green wire attached to a ground screw in the box, but I’m confused about the rest. The instructions don't show as many wires as I have. Please help!

I have the power to the switch working (the screen comes on), but the light will not turn on and off.

Thanks,
Kim

GetYourShineBox

a picture of whats going on would help. you may need 3 wire to wire the switch because you have 2 power wires.

MinConst

It sounds as though you might be looking at too many wires in the box. If you had a standard switch in there b4 then there should have been two wires and a ground connected to it. The ground is obvious and the other two possibly blacks would be feed and and switched that goes to the light. Or load and line as your referring to it. Line is feed and load is to light. The other two wires for the timer are not used unless your wiring into a 3way. The 2 black wires on the timer connect to feed and load doesn't really matter which is which. So you will need to know which is a hot black wire in the box, = feed and which wire feeds the light = load. Then its a matter of programing the timer which can be a challenge in itself.

__________________
Minichillo's Construction
I will never leave you hanging!

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.


To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

kbsparky

According to the manufacturer's web site, that timer should have a purple wire, instead of a yellow one.

Check your instructions against the one I have linked here, and tell me if there is any other differences between them, other than the wire color.

That timer can be wired as a single pole, or 3-way, and the instructions are specific on proper connections.

__________________
-KB

Life is uncertain -- eat dessert first!!
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

kimbalee

My instructions show a yellow wire instead of purple. But it is the 3-way wire. Maybe that's a difference between US/Canada? The rest looks the same.

I am wiring as single-pole. My problem with the instructions is that I seem to have 3 black wires, not 1 or 2 like the diagram shows (I think that means my switch is in the middle of a circuit?) And I have 3 white wires (that are currently all attached to one another). Also, there seems to be 2 diagrams in the instructions for single-pole. How do I know which one to use? One shows use of a white wire, the other does not.

I'm also unsure which wire is the "hot" wire. What tool can I use?

I have very little electrical knowledge, but really want to learn.

Thanks!

kimbalee

Maybe these pictures will help.

So, there are the 3 white wires connected with an orange wire nut. Then I have the black load wire from the switch connected to a black wire from the wall under the other orange wire nut.

I have 2 black wires from the wall connected to the black line wire from the switch, and the yellow 3-way wire from the switch.

The green wire from the switch is attached to a bolt at the back of my wall box.

At the moment the timer switch has power, I can program it. I can't turn my lights on or off though. The switch is currently set to manual mode, so I should be able to turn the lights on and off (if my wiring was correct).

Attached Thumbnails

   

theatretch85

Ah, DONT connect the yellow wire to anything, just put a wire nut on it and cap it off. Once you change that, everything should work just fine.

kimbalee

Nope, still doesn't work. I can still program the switch, but lights do not go on or off.

The instructions for single-switch install do show the yellow wire connected to a black wire. But I'm assuming this isn't important?

Attached Thumbnails

 

theatretch85

Did you change the way the wires in the box were connected originally? It's possible that of the two black wires connected together one should be connected to the other black wire. You may just have the incoming hot wire attached to the light wire directly there and the switch just happens to be getting its power at the same time.

If you disconnect all the black wires, what else other than the light do not work? What you probably have is power in, power out to the light, and power on to another part of the circuit, probably an outlet near by. Your timer is probably working correctly, just controlling something else and not the light.

I have a similar Intermatic timer that has a 3-way wire, and it does not use that 3-way wire for a single pole configuration. Using it and trying to turn the load on and off does not work.

Edit: looking at the recent picture closely, try ignoring the black wire going through the bottom of the box (ie disconnect it completely) and split apart the two black wires that are coming from the top, hook one to one of the black wires on the switch, and the other black wire from the box to the other black wire on the switch. If this works, you just need to find which of the two wires from the top is hot and wirenut it with the wire out the bottom of the box and one of the black wires off the timer. While you have the black wire through the bottom of the box disconnected, see if there is anything that doesn't work near by.

kimbalee

Yes, I probably did change the original way the wires were hooked up. I have no idea the original way anymore.

If all the black wires are disconnected, then my bathroom power doesn't work. The only way my bathroom power seems to work is if I have the 2 black wires (with purple and green hair ties on them ) together.

I currently have the yellow wire, and one of the black wires from the switch not connected to anything. And one black wire from the switch connected to the left-over black wire from my box. There is no power to my switch at the moment. I'm not sure what my next step is though.

Attached Thumbnails

 

theatretch85

Hmm, the only other thing I can think of would be to switch the two black wires on the switch. Looking at the diagram posted online, it looks like the black wire and the purple wire (yellow in your case) coming out of the bottom of the switch connect to power, and the black wire next to the green wire coming out of the switch above that set connects to the light. I can't tell from your diagram if that's the way you have it setup, and it shouldn't matter which black wire you are using for the line/load. The yellow wire shouldn't need to be connected, its possible its only telling you to connect it just so its not hanging loose and bare in the box to cause a short.

I am assuming if you connect the black wire out the bottom of the box to the other two black wires at the top that your light does indeed work? This would be a good way to check that its not an issue with the timer switch itself.

Edit: Also, make sure your load you are switching is rated more than 40 watts, but less than 600 watts. Its listed under "Application" in step 1 on the instructions. I am not sure what your are controlling so this may or may not be the issue here.

MinConst

Start here seeing you disconnected the original. You will need a little tester the ones with two probes and a bulb.
Cheap and handy to have.
1. Turn off the power.
2. untwist the black wires in the box and seperate them so they cant touch each other or anything else.
3. turn the power on.
4. hold one prong of the tester in one hand. Follow these directions and you won't feel anything!
touch the other prong on ONE black wire from the box. DO NOT TOUCH ANY OTHER WIRES OR ANYTHING ELSE WITH YOUR HANDS OR THE TESTER PRONGS.
5. when you find a small faint glow of the tester bulb you have the feed wire (power)
6. Now. touch this wire to one other black wires in the box. ONLY ONE other.
When your bathroom powers up you have the black wire for the bathroom.
7. The third black wire should be the feed for the light that would connect to the black wire on the timer.

__________________
Minichillo's Construction
I will never leave you hanging!

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.


To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

kimbalee

If I understand correctly, it seems as though my set-up should work. I have one black wire from the switch connected to 2 black wires from the wall (power and bathroom). I have the other black wire from the switch connected to the left-over black wire from the wall (feed to the light). The yellow wire is not connected to anything. The green wire is connected to a ground screw.

There shouldn't be any issue with the watts. I am using the switch to turn on a 3 bulb light fixture.

If I connect all 3 black wires from the wall, my light does turn on. So maybe it is an issue with the switch?

theatretch85

Does the little LED indicator in the lower right corner of the time light up when the load should be "on"? Did you check that the black wires coming off the timer switch were connected properly as in the diagram? Using the black wire off the bottom to power in, and the black wire above it to the power out.

It is very possible you may have a bad timer switch. Try the configuration with both the yellow lead disconnected, and the yellow and black leads off the bottom of the switch to the power in; see if it makes a difference or not (it shouldn't).

kbsparky

Connect the yellow wire in with the black wire which is your feed. Try it again after doing this. It won't work without the yellow wire connected.

__________________
-KB

Life is uncertain -- eat dessert first!!
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.