Help with wiring timer switch for bathroom fan.

[Doug3]

The damn kids never shut it off, so I'm trying to replace the traditional on/off switch with a timer switch.(Leviton 6230).The problem is that the existing on/off switch has 2 wires (1 black + 1 white) and the new timer switch has 4 wires (1 black +1 white + 1 blue + 1 green).
I'll attach a link to the instructions. If anybody could tell me in plain English which wires to connect. TIA!

http://www.smarthome.com/manuals/4253.pdf

[TheSoundMan21]

Ok see if I can help you here. On the new switch you have Black, white, blue and green. In the wall all you see is 4 wires of which you have black and white. Is that correct?

If the previous was correct this is how you hook this mess up. First you must identify which wires go where. What I mean is this which wires come from the panel and which wires are going to said exhaust fan (or fart sucker as we call it in the engineering buss.) Second check you breaker that you turned off (should say somewhere one the breaker 20amp. Once you figure that out this is how it works as follows.

If it says 20amp on your breaker. Hook the white from the switch to the 2 other whites coming out the box. (This should be the correct way to do it if you house is wired correctly.) Least mine is anyway and its to code.

The Blue wire is your positive for your fan. So find the black wire that goes to the fan and hook the black and blue up.
The black wire from your timing switch is your positive into your switch from the panel. So find the positive wire from the panel (should be black) and hook it up.
The green is your ground there should be a bare wire in the box its going in hook the green to that.

Assuming they hooked up your house right this should work flawlessly. If not worst that can happen is it trips the breaker... u might burn out the switch MAYBE but I doubt it.

I helped my dad build the house and Im a cad guy for an engineering firm and I have done some electrical work in my time so ya.

[Doug3]

Originally Posted by TheSoundMan21

Ok see if I can help you here. On the new switch you have Black, white, blue and green. In the wall all you see is 4 wires of which you have black and white. Is that correct?

If the previous was correct this is how you hook this mess up. First you must identify which wires go where. What I mean is this which wires come from the panel and which wires are going to said exhaust fan (or fart sucker as we call it in the engineering buss.) Second check you breaker that you turned off (should say somewhere one the breaker 20amp. Once you figure that out this is how it works as follows.

If it says 20amp on your breaker. Hook the white from the switch to the 2 other whites coming out the box. (This should be the correct way to do it if you house is wired correctly.) Least mine is anyway and its to code.

The Blue wire is your positive for your fan. So find the black wire that goes to the fan and hook the black and blue up.
The black wire from your timing switch is your positive into your switch from the panel. So find the positive wire from the panel (should be black) and hook it up.
The green is your ground there should be a bare wire in the box its going in hook the green to that.

Assuming they hooked up your house right this should work flawlessly. If not worst that can happen is it trips the breaker... u might burn out the switch MAYBE but I doubt it.

I helped my dad build the house and Im a cad guy for an engineering firm and I have done some electrical work in my time so ya.

There are 3 wires in the box (1 black + 1 white + 1 ground)

[TheSoundMan21]

Originally Posted by Doug3

There are 3 wires in the box (1 black + 1 white + 1 ground)

um...is that just the number of colors take a pic of it.

cause you should have like atleast 4 wires looking at you. 6 total with the ground


see how many wires are going to this GFI recept. Should be the same amount comming out where your working.

cause see you have to have your power from the panel 1 wire (black) hook to the switch. Then it goes into the switch and back out as the Blue wire which hooks into the positive wire on your fan.

Then you have your negative wire from the fan (should be like white) hook into the white wire on the switch and the one from the panel.

Then the Green which is your ground. Which runs to the panel then into the ground. Effectivly the same as the white wire.