Intermatic ST01 timer on 3 way circuit operating a light

Doesn't load for me. I used

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assume it is the same.

If the 'far' switch closed then wires blue and red at the timer are connected. Far switch open then blue and red are not connected. The only way the circuit made sense to me (eventually) was that the timer was sensing whether red-blue were open or closed. It could use the battery to sense open/closed. And that is consistent with the other 2 items I mentioned, which don't make sense if the 'far' switch is being used in a power circuit.

It doesn't make sense that the 'far' switch is in a power circuit, so there must be another answer. IMHO the power circuit is the timer switches black-blue on or off. (In a single switch configuration that is what the timer does.)

Alternate ideas? There is always the gnome theory of cause and effect (everything is caused by gnomes).

Reply to
bud--
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I probably read your comment wrong. The circuit from Intermatic

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shows the 'far' end switch connections as common terminal and a traveler terminal - as ordinary single pole switch. Or as an alternate it shows using an ordinary SP switch.

Connecting only to the the traveler terminals would be mystifying. But there is

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Reply to
bud--

e:

The problem is, it's not the same at all. I agree the above diagram shows the 3-way used as a regular on/off switch. That other diagram shows something very different. First it shows a typical 3 way switch diagram with a 3-way switch on the left connected to power. Two traveler wires go from that to the 3-way switch on the right. Coming out the other side of the far switch, the wire goes to the light. With me so far, right?

Then then show how to use the timer 3-way switch. They use it to replace the 3-way switch on the power side. Then they show two wires going from this new switch to THE TERMINALS ON THE FAR SWITCH THAT WERE CONNECTED TO THE TRAVELERS. Nothing is connected to the pole/common terminal that previously went to the light. In other words, that switch is doing nothing.

He should wire it per the Intermatic diagram above.

Reply to
trader4

SUCCESS !!!! Ok, I took several pieces of advice here and here's what I did. I took off the timer and the switch from both ends of the 3 way circuit so I had just loose wires. Then I tested each end to find the hot wire. The hot wire was in the garage (makes sense since the circuit box is in the garage too). Then I switched the timer and switch locations so now I have the 3 way switch in the kitchen and the timer in the garage. I tested it and it works now from both ends. I did notice that when I put the timer into manual mode and it was on, the 3 way switch in the kitchen worked fine. However if I shut the timer off in manual mode, the 3 way switch in the kitchen no longer worked. I presume the timer will control the circuit when it is in a timed situation too but I haven't gotten that far yet. As I said earlier, I don't like the timer in the garage but that's another story.

I want to THANK ALL who replied since I couldn't have done this fast for sure without your help !!! A big THANKS .

ps-- This timer has good reviews but from my experience, the mfgr does not give good support or let me say it this way... that when I left a question on their site as instructed if you have questions, they never got back to me and it's almost a week later.

Reply to
Doug

used

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> I assume it is the same.

The waterheatertimer link worked fine today.

I see what your objection is. They don't draw the switch consistently. They use black as the color for the "common" 3-way terminal. If you use the black screw as the "common" the diagrams are all OK. But they move the black screw on the diagram you object to - it is the "common" on that diagram, on all the others it is a traveler. Changing the way the switch is drawn on a wiring diagram is a real bad idea, a major flaw in what otherwise look like a good diagrams. I wonder how many people had trouble wiring the timer because of the diagram.

The timer has a lot bigger battery than I expected.

Reply to
bud--

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