Posted: 7/13/2012 5:12:42 AM EDT
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So I picked up one of these because a friend has them in his bathroom and my wife and I liked the idea. I went to install it last night and there is a problem.
My bathroom fan has black and white. This new switch has black and white and red. 
This is not actually mine, just a pic on the net, but it looks the same. Black and white, with paint all over the black just to piss me off, and a bare copper grounding wire. 
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What you should have now: All neutrals in the box tied together. Hot goes to the switch. Switched hot goes from the switch to the fan.
Best guess on the new switch: White ties in with the rest of the neutrals in the box. Black goes to hot. Red goes to fan. The difference is that the timer requires power to operate. Therfore, it requires the addition of the neutral. |
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Quoted:
You don't have a switched wire going to the fan and light separately. Both are switched on together. You can't use that timer without running another wire from the switch box, to the fan. <–– is electrician, btw Assuming there is a light that comes on with that switch, (one was not mentioned), he can still use the timer the way it's wired. It will just work the fan and the light. <––- is rocket surgeon. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
You don't have a switched wire going to the fan and light separately. Both are switched on together. You can't use that timer without running another wire from the switch box, to the fan. <–– is electrician, btw Assuming there is a light that comes on with that switch, (one was not mentioned), he can still use the timer the way it's wired. It will just work the fan and the light. <––- is rocket surgeon. This. <___electrician. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
You don't have a switched wire going to the fan and light separately. Both are switched on together. You can't use that timer without running another wire from the switch box, to the fan. <–– is electrician, btw Assuming there is a light that comes on with that switch, (one was not mentioned), he can still use the timer the way it's wired. It will just work the fan and the light. <––- is rocket surgeon. Or he can install a double gang box and give the light it's own switch if it's like you mentioned above. I'm guessing the light already has it's own switch though. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
I have two switches. One controls the light and one controls the fan. Both switches are just a black and a white. You are GTG. As mentioned already, line in to black, red to fan, white with other whites and ground to grounds. Yeah, I see it now. I have a degree in electrical engineering, but home electrician stuff always messes me up. It was a royal pain in the ass getting a switched outlet to only have one switched and one steady outlet. Black should be ground damn it!!!! BLACK IS GROUND!!!!!!!!! Trust me. I'm an EE. I know like, um theory and stuff. 
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Quoted: Wow 30 years as an electrician and I never had an EE admit that Quoted: Quoted: I have two switches. One controls the light and one controls the fan. Both switches are just a black and a white. You are GTG. As mentioned already, line in to black, red to fan, white with other whites and ground to grounds. Yeah, I see it now. I have a degree in electrical engineering, but home electrician stuff always messes me up. It was a royal pain in the ass getting a switched outlet to only have one switched and one steady outlet. Black should be ground damn it!!!! BLACK IS GROUND!!!!!!!!! Trust me. I'm an EE. I know like, um theory and stuff.  You sir are a rare breed. My hats off to you.BTW black is only ground on ships & the rest of the world, not in the USofA because we are special |