Leviton Vizia 24 hr timer - How do I install?

Question

I bought a Leviton timer and when I went to install it, I ran into a problem. The outlet box has ONLY three wires - Black, White and a bare copper ground. Looking at the wiring diagram for the Leviton timer, I don't know where the RD wire is supposed to be connected. I connected the Black from the box to the Black on the timer, and similarly White to White on the timer. When switched on, the timer lights up and I can hear a click but the outside light does not turn on. That's because the Red wire from the timer is not connected. Can someone please help me figure this out? I am replacing the currently installed timer with this Leviton one. But the previous timer had only 3 wires - black, white and ground. So I had no problem installing that previous one. Am attaching a pic to show my arrangement.

Answer 1

Your timer needs requires four wires.

• Black is "hot"
• Red is the load wire, which is only hot when the switch is on (closed).
• White is neutral, which allows the timer itself to use power to operate.
• Bare/green is safety ground.

The box you're working at, does not have a neutral. It's what's called a "switch loop", so only has a hot, switched hot, and ground.

You'll either have to run new cable to this box, or buy a timer that doesn't require a neutral.