Wiring a Time Switch for a Outside Light Fixture
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How can I replace a wall switch with a time switch for my outside lights? How to Wire a Timer Switch for Outdoor Lights, The Most Common Wire Colors and Connections for a Time Switch and How to Connect Them. |
Wiring a Time Switch
Electrical Question: How can I replace a wall switch with a time switch for my outside lights?
- I have a wall box with two switches. One controls a light in the hall way and the other controls the light outside.
- I wanted to replace the switch to outside light with a timer. The strange thing is, the cable into the wall box is only one way – i.e., the cable goes in from one side of the box, connects the two switches, and there is no cable going out from the other side of the box.
- The cable has 4 wires – black, white, bare copper and red.
- The timer has 4 wires – black, white, green and red. The timer’s instruction indicates to connect black power wire to black wire of the timer, and the black power wire at the other end of the box to the red wire of the timer.
- Since I do not have the black power wire at the other end of the box, I disconnected the two switches and connected the timer to the cable – black to black, white to white, green to copper and red to red. But doing so I lost the control to the indoor light. Is this the correct way to do it?
- Why does the wall box has only one power in, but no power cable out?
This electrical wiring question came from: Susan.
Dave’s Reply:
Thanks for your electric wiring question Susan.
How to Wire a Timer Switch for Outdoor Lights
Application: Wire a Time Switch to Control Outside Lights.
Skill Level: Beginner to Intermediate – This project is best performed by a licensed electrician.
Tools Required: Basic Electricians Pouch Hand Tools and Voltage Tester.
Estimated Time: Depends on personal level experience and ability to work with tools.
Precaution: Identify the light circuit, turn it OFF and Tag it with a Note before working with the wiring.
Notice: Installing additional fixture wiring should be done according to local and national electrical codes with a permit and be inspected.
Materials: Make sure the replacement light switch has the same amperage and voltage rating as the original switch, and is fully compatible with the electrical circuit, the light fixture and the type of light bulbs being used.
Time Switch Wiring Connections
- The Most Common Wire Colors and Connections for a Time Switch
- The Black wire is for the Line, also known as the Power Source.
- The Red wire is the Load, which is the Light Fixture.
- The White is the Neutral Wire which is required for both the Timer and the Light Fixture.
- The Bare Copper wire or Green wire is the Ground wire which is required for both the Timer and the Light Fixture
- NOTE:
- Due to some home electrical wiring variations may differ, especially when only one cable is found in the switch box.
- It may be found that the White Wire is not a Neutral Wire but is instead being used as a Switched Leg, or the power loop which is used only for the switching process.
- The exact wiring configuration is best discovered using a voltage tester.
More about Cables and Wiring Light Switches
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Wiring a Light Switch – Diagram 1
- Wiring Diagrams
- Fully Explained Light Switch Wiring Diagrams. Detailed Electrical Wiring Diagrams and Pictures assist your Home Electrical Projects.
The following may also be helpful for you:
Learn more about Home Electrical Wiring
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Be Careful and Be Safe - Never Work on Energized Circuits!
Consult your Local Building Department about Permits and Inspections for all Electric Wiring Projects.
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Strip Off Wire Insulation without Nicking and Damaging the Electric Wire!The Wire Stripper and Wire CutterMy absolute favorite wire stripping tool that I have had in my personal electrical tool pouch for years, and this is the tool I use to safely strip electrical wires. This handy tool has multiple uses: The wire gauges are shown on the side of the tool so you know which slot to use for stripping insulation. The end of the tool can be used to grip and bend wire which is handy for attaching wire onto the screw terminals of switches and outlets.. The wire stripper will work on both solid and stranded wire. This tool is Very Handy and Easy to Use. |
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I want to replace a light switch for an outside light fixture with a wall timer. The timer has a white, black, red, and green wires. Inside the electrical box there are white, black and green wires. What do I do with the red wire coming out of the timer?
Hi Robert,
The typical electric wire connections for a time switch are the following:
White wire – connects to the circuit neutral.
Black wire – connects to the circuit power.
Red wire – connects to the light fixture to be controlled by the time switch.
So – as you can see, the timer switch that you have requires a separate neutral wire, and from what you have described, the light switch that you have does not have a neutral wire, so the time switch will not work for that location. A standard switch with only two wires is a switched leg which is the white wire, and the power source which is the black wire. There are a few time switches that do not require a separate neutral wire, however they will only work with light fixtures that have incandescent or quartz lamps. If this describes the type of light fixtures that you have then you may want to locate a time switch that does not require a neutral wire.
I hope this helps,
Dave
I want to replace the outside light switch with one that turns lights Off and On automatically. The existing switch has a copper wire connected to the switch frame. two other wires connect to the switch, one above the other. A fourth wire connects to the bottom of the switch on the other side opposite the copper wire. The new timer only has three wires. Of course the wires coming from the box are all black except for the copper ground. The new switch wires are labeled green-black-blue for ground-line-load respectively. How do I know which 3 wires off the old switch to use?
Hi John,
You will need to identify the existing light switch, which sounds like it may be a 3-way switch that works with another 3-way switch in another location of the home. If the existing switch is in fact a 3-way switch then you could not use the automatic control switch without modifying the wiring of the existing 3-way switches. The modification would include identifying the line wire of the circuit power and the load wire that leads to the light fixtures. The electric wiring of each of the 3-way switches may need to be examined because there are several ways to wire 3-way switches, but it all translates back to identifying the wires of the Line and the Load. After completing that stage of the process you may want to remove the second 3-way switch, cap off any unused wires, and place a blank cover onto the box, or just leave the switch in place, but understand that it will not be operational if the modification has been successfully achieved. the only wire left in this scenario would be the ground wire which is the green or bare copper wire.
I hope this helps,
Dave