How to Set an Outdoor Timer for Lights

Setting an outdoor timer for your home's lights is a very simple procedure anyone with minimal electrical knowledge can accomplish. Just make sure to cut the power at the circuit board, and everything after that should be smooth sailing. A lighting timer can help you save on your electrical bill, as you can be sure your lights won't be on throughout the day if you forget to shut them off after sunrise.

Things You'll Need

• Timer device
• Instructions
• Screwdriver
• Wire nuts
• Needle nose pliers
• Electrical tape

Instructions

1. Locate the switch that controls your outdoor lighting and turn it on. If there is more than one switch, turn them all on. Have someone go to the circuit breaker and start flipping switches as you observe the lights until they all go off. At the first sign that they are off, yell to the person at the circuit breaker to let them know the last one they flipped was the correct one. Continue the process for the second and/or third circuit if you have more than one circuit controlling your outdoor lights.

2. Take off the switch plate with your screwdriver. If you have lights on more than one circuit, you will need to have multiple timers, and you will have to unscrew the other switches operating other chains of lights on those different circuits.

   Once the switch plates are off, disconnect the wires connecting the old switch to the wall, paying careful attention to how they connect to the existing switch.

3. Connect the new timer switch. The wires are typically color-coded to make it easier. Use your needle nose pliers to expose the bare metal at the ends of the wires from the switch for connecting. There should be a switch loop in the box, consisting of two black wires, though the colors may vary. One of those wires goes to the black wire on the new timer, and the other black wire from the wall connects to the blue wire. The red (or white) ground wire is not used. Cap it off. Your load needs a neutral. Twist the wires together so they are intertwined at the ends. Screw a wire nut onto the connection and secure that with some electrical tape. Do this for all wires that need to connect from the new switch to the wall.

4. Turn the circuit breaker back on and test your lights before you re-fasten the new timer switch to the wall. Check to make sure the timer is working. If the lights turn on and off correctly at the correct times you set with the new timer, finish fastening the switch plate to the wall or outdoor box. If your lights aren't working, you should re-examine your wiring after shutting down the power again. Rewire the unit until it works.

5. Set your timer to turn your lights on and off at the appropriate times. Often, there are two dials with one for an "on" time and the other for an "off" time. Make sure you set the correct a.m. and p.m. times. Setting the timer for the desired effect should be the easiest part of the process. Be sure to buy a timer that is simple to install and not too complicated to set.

Resources

• Outdoor Timer Products