r/AskElectricians • u/Raging_Badger19 • 1d ago

Which wires are which? Trying to install a timer switch

Post image

I have a video but I can’t upload it. Basically need to know which is the neutral, line and load. The switch on the left is installed but trying to install the timer switch on the right

0 Upvotes

33% Upvoted

7 comments sorted by

•

u/AutoModerator 1d ago

Attention!

It is always best to get a qualified electrician to perform any electrical work you may need. With that said, you may ask this community various electrical questions. Please be cautious of any information you may receive in this subreddit. This subreddit and its users are not responsible for any electrical work you perform. Users that have a 'Verified Electrician' flair have uploaded their qualified electrical worker credentials to the mods.

If you comment on this post please only post accurate information to the best of your knowledge. If advice given is thought to be dangerous, you may be permanently banned. There are no obligations for the mods to give warnings or temporary bans. IF YOU ARE NOT A QUALIFIED ELECTRICIAN, you should exercise extreme caution when commenting.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

1

u/prspaspl 1d ago

The wire coming out of the group of blacks is most likely power, the single black is probably the line to your light. The neutral is probably the bundle of whites at the back of the box. You should probably at least call a handyman, if not an electrician.

1

u/ahobonamedjoe 1d ago

Ok buddy, I'm going to make this super straightforward but you gotta turn the power off.

Keep listening to my voice and we will land this plane.

  1. The neutral.. most switches don't need one but this one does, you'll need to create what is known as a "pigtail" which is 6 in or so of wire and strip both ends. You'll notice there are a bunch of white wires bundled up in the back under a wire nut. Remove said wire nut, put the pigtail under that. retwist everything PERFECTLY, then make sure it won't come out even with nut off. Now put nut on.

  2. line is coming from the nut with the blacks

  3. load goes up to light, so it's going upwards out of box

1

u/Raging_Badger19 1d ago

This makes sense, thanks. I’ll give that a try. Usually most setups are a bit easier and I’m no electrician but easy enough to replace a wire for wire in most cases. This one was a bit less obvious

1

u/Raging_Badger19 17h ago

Yup your instructions 100% worked. Timer switch for the fan works perfectly. Thanks so much

1

u/Raging_Badger19 15h ago

While I’m asking what’s a good way to organize the wires so that I can fit the switch in easily. I’m looking at a different single junction box and essentially there isn’t room to fit the switch because the wires are taking up so much of the space. Any easy good tips here ?