Help - Timer for Outdoor Lights??

8 years ago

This is such a silly post and question, but I am very perplexed and need help!

We moved into a new (old) house in June of last year. There are two brick pillars at our driveway that have lights on them - see pic. The lights come on at 12 midnight every night and stay on until 12 noon the next day. This timing obviously makes no sense and we would like to adjust the timing, but my husband and I cannot figure out where the timer is?! Asking the old owners is not an option. And yes, I'm sure we could call out an electrician, but that seems absurd. We have looked all over the lights and brick posts themselves and don't see anything. Where could the timers be - is there somewhere in the house that we be a logical place for them to be and what should we be looking for visually? We are so confused! HELP!

Featured Answer

homepro01

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

Based on the fact that this come on and midnight and goes off at 12noon, I am going to say you are looking for a timer switch. If power is cut to the timer switches, many of them revert back to 12. This used to happen on my intermatic and leviton timer switches. Do you see any timer switches around the house? If not, try an electrician.

Good luck!

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Comments (7)

greg_2015
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
If it's not on the pillar, then check around the breaker box in the house. Or the area where the cable would leave your house to go outside.

What could it look like? It could be something like this:

But it may or may not have a cover like the picture.

It could also be something more digital with a screen, depending on when it was installed.
MRBr04
Original Author
8 years ago
Very helpful, thanks! I did some Googling and saw that same picture come up over and over so we're currently on the hunt for it!
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weedmeister
8 years ago
garage, perhaps.
Bruce in Northern Virginia
8 years ago
The timer pictured is similar to the ones use for a water heater, which draws a lot more power. A timer for a 15 amp circuit with a couple of light bulbs may be much smaller.

Can you figure out which breaker turns off the lights? Once you know that, you can start looking for other receptacles and fixtures on the same circuit (that also turn off with that breaker), which may give you some hints about where the timer is.

Bruce
DavidR
8 years ago
The grey metal box timer pictured is typical for a hard wired one; but you're right, a small wall-mounted switch style timer is also a possibility.

One more arrangement which I saw back in the 1980s still makes me cringe a bit. There was an open junction box on the cellar wall where the UF (underground feeder) cable went out to the outside light. The homeowner had disconnected and taped the (presumably switched) feed to the box. He'd wire-nutted a lamp cord to the UF and plugged it into a cheap Intermatic wall-plug timer (similar to this more modern version; no endorsement intended). The timer was then plugged into a nearby receptacle.
kudzu9
8 years ago
It's highly unlikely to be on the post as it would require a more expensive outdoor timer and/or enclosure. When the light is on, flip the breakers one-by-one so you can at least figure out which one controls the lights. If the breaker is in the garage or some place where you can see the wiring runs, you might even be able to simply trace the circuit wire until it leads you to the timer.