electricalswitchtimerwiring
Top wire is painted white. bottom wire is looped. Timer has screws for line, load, neutral and ground. What goes where?
I am getting power but only half the light output with one part of black loop in line and the other in load and the “White’ In neutral. I have tried every combination i think. This is in a 3 switch box and one black wire runs to the next Boxswitch. That light works!
You can use a block connector (you can bridge it - on one side loop a a wire into each terminal to make it like one big connector)
or You can use a twist connector
I was searching for something like this. But an insulated version- i found something in china but the problem is it will never be approved to use that on internal circuits due to high risk of electrical shock. These are used inside distribution boards only - and can only be installed by qualified electricians.
Yes this is bad/dangerous because you now have current running on the ground wire at all times. This type of timer requires a seperate neutral (whereas most switches just interrupt the hot) so that the timer can be powered when the switch is in the off position.
In your configuration, the line (power) comes in at the fixture and there is likely a 14/2 cable running to the switch for the sole purpose of interrupting the hot. The other configuration is where the line comes in at the switch which then sends power to the fixture when the switch is closed.
In order for you to use this type of timer, you need a dedicated neutral in the box with the switch. You would need to replace the 14/2 cable with a 14/3 cable (extra conductor) so that you can have a dedicated neutral from the line, and then still switch the hot to control the light.
Depending on the position of the switch and fixture it may be easy enough to pull a new 14/3 cable.
Best Answer
The double wire is simply power being carried onward to other switches.
Note the solitary black wire. Follow it to see which cable that wire departs the box in. Now look at that cable's white wire and follow it back to a bundle of all-whites... Add your smarts witch neutral to that bundle. Do not remove any wires from the bundle, they are not spares.
Do not add it to any random bundle of whites you see. That will "seem to work" until you add a GFCI or AFCI, then will trip it. Add it to the right bundle.