Replacing light switch with timer switch

13 years ago

I bought a timer switch to use for the bathroom fan. I tried installing it today and couldn't get it to work. The timer has black, red and green wires and I know which black wires in the electrical box are "hot" and "load", and hooked those up fine. Also in the box are 4 ground wires that are not connected to anything (2 are for the light switch and 2 for the fan switch.) The timer must be connected to ground in order to work. I tried each of the ground wires and no luck. One wire is coming out of the same group as the hot black wire, but I have no idea which is going out to ground.

I've never done anything electrical before, so I must be missing something!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (8)

Ron Natalie
13 years ago
Something is not right here. The timer shouldn't give a rats ass about ground. That's purely for safety. If it doesn't work without a ground connected, you've done something else wrong. What do you mean the grounds aren't connected to anything? Are they not connected to each other?

Is there not a white wire on the timer. What model is it?
bus_driver
13 years ago
Is your timer spring-wound or electrically powered? I suspect that you have a timer that requires neutral for it's own power and that the installation location has no neutral. The spring wound work just like a conventional switch for the electrical connections.

Here is a link that might be useful: Timer switch
Related Professionals
Fort Worth General Contractors · Cedar Rapids General Contractors · Springfield General Contractors · Plattsburgh General Contractors · Saint Marys General Contractors · Jackson General Contractors · Magog General Contractors · Augusta Home Remodeling · Sioux Falls Home Remodeling · Salinas Home Remodeling · Bend Home Remodeling · Fayetteville Bathroom Remodelers · Dallas Bathroom Remodelers · Superior Bathroom Remodelers · Las Vegas Bathroom Remodelers
Ron Natalie
13 years ago
The string wound intermatics don't tend to have leads (they have wire terminals either screws on the older ones or clamps on the later ones. The only ones that have leads all have a white lead which is necessary. He needs to tell us what model timer he is using.
Ron Natalie
13 years ago
That should say SPRING not STRING. The idea of starting a timer by pulling a string like you were starting the lawnmower is amusing.
quone
Original Author
13 years ago
The new timer is a GE Pushbutton Timer, made for lights or fans, and it says on the package "no neutral wire needed". It has black (hot), red (load), and green (ground) wires. In the wall I have wires for both the light and the fan switches. Two black go to the fan switch, white wires are just bundled together, and ground wires are bundled together (not connected to switches).

The instructions say the ground wire must be connected for the timer to work.
greg_2010
13 years ago
Is this the manual for the timer? (see link below)

Note this line:
Once power is restored it will take about 1 minute to fully charge. The timer will not function until it is fully charged. When charged, the 5 minute light will flash.

Did you wait a while before trying it out?

Here is a link that might be useful: 15318
brickeyee
13 years ago
Sound like a 'power stealing' device.

It may just be lightly capacitively coupled between the line in and ground.
quone
Original Author
13 years ago
Yes, that link does show the manual. I did wait at least a couple minutes each time I hooked it up to one of the ground wires. The first time, the fan turned on, like the instructions said, and turned off in a minute, but the timer lights never blinked so the ground connection must not be right.