I bought the above switch, and was going to install it; however, I have a conundrum. There are two wires coming from the wall - one black and one red. At the back of this timer, there are 4 wires, a green one at the top, and three others - blue, black and white coming from the bottom. There is no wiring diagram in the package. Suggestions?

Hi Sara,

Please read this entirely before attempting.

I am an electrician and would like to help you with this problem. You have provided great detail of your situation, yet I am confused about the statement describing how you wired it:

"-Red Wire (used in 3-way installation-tagged) from switch to the red wire in wall."

Before checking wiring, be sure to shut off the power to the circuit.

The "tagged" wire should be the one you identified with tape (when you removed the original) that was connected to the dark colored (called a "shunt" or "common terminal") screw of the switch.

In a 3 way installation, both red wires from the dimmer switch are used. In a single pole installation, only the UNinsulated red wire is used and the insulated wire is not.

To which wire do you affix the "tag"? If it was a short wire that ran between the the bundled black wires and the shunt terminal screw of the old switch, then the dimmer switch's black wire should be combined with these bundled black wires. One of the dimmer switch's red wires would be connected to the red wire in the box and the dimmer switch's last red wire would be connected to the remaining black wire in the box. I understand that this is the way you have it currently wired - but without being able to dim.

If this is all correct, did you check / change the Minimum Brightness Adjustment setting for the switch as detailed in Step 7 of the directions?

"This Dimmer incorporates a
minimum brightness adjustment
that allows you to set the level of
light when the slider control lever is
in the lowest position.
Move slider to the lowest position.
Using a small, insulated screwdriver,
rotate the adjustment screw as
shown until the desired level of
minimum brightness is obtained."

I hope this helps and good luck!

11-1-12
Thanks for link to manual.
Solution might take more response for full clarity, and you seem a good electrician.
I have numbered two questions that may be unimportant.
Add a comment, response after 5 pm CST

Here is illustration showing Black Hot and White Neutral in attic junction box, as you described. With black-red-blue wires connected as shown in Broan manual. And each device connected to White neutral wire in junction box.
http://waterheatertimer.org/images/Triple-fan-light-night-light.jpg

You have access to attic, and can drop another cable down wall into switch box. This will give necessary total 4 wires between switch and Broan
http://waterheatertimer.org/OWB1.html

Key start point: Junction box in attic has the Black Hot wire and White neutral coming from circuit breaker box.
This cable powers the junction box.

There are 3 cables in junction box, each cable with black and white.
Cable from breaker box with Hot and Neutral. Cable going to light switch.
Another cable jumps power to next box in the circuit, and will be reconnected when finished, black-to-black white-to-white

Old light switch in wall was single pole.
1) How many cables are inside switch box? Just one cable from attic with black and white wire?
2) 3-way switch is the wrong switch, unless you mean 3-pole triple switch with 3 screw terminals on one side of device?

Here is another link that shows wiring choices if you decide to use 3 separate switches (or timers or occupancy sensor to turn on night light) instead of triple switch: Install triple box.
http://waterheatertimer.org/How-to-wire-switches.html#4-f

If you need further help, I’m available over the phone at https://www.6ya.com/expert/gene_9f0ef4df2f9897e7

i need a little more info, could you post a picture of the switch you are trying to install?

What timer are you installing?

Intermatic battery-operated timer with red, blue, black and green
Green connects to bare ground
Red is capped off.
Blue connects to one wire
Black connects to other wire
Push on-off button: if light comes on, timer wiring is correct.
If light does not come on, then reverse blue and black wires.

Other in-wall timers except Aube have red, black, white and green
Green goes to bare ground
Red connects to one wire
Black connects to other wire.
White: in back of electrical box are white wires twisted together and covered with wire nut. Connect white white to these other white wires.
If box does not have white wires described above, then connect white wire to bare ground along with green wire.
Push on-off or override switch: if light comes on, timer wiring is correct.
If light does not come on, then reverse red and black wires.

The key seems to be that you changed wiring in the ceiling box.

I suggest you make a drawing of the wires before and after. Track the route that the Hot wire takes.

The key question is this: Does Hot wire from breaker box arrive in the ceiling box first? Or does it arrive in wall box first?

I think Hot from breaker arrives in wall box first. And from there Hot wire goes to ceiling box ... and from ceiling box the hot wire goes to other plugs in room. If this is true, you will be one wire short for installing fan control switch.

I always make a drawing of existing wires before starting, so I can put it back the way it was. It sounds like you got a good handle on which wire goes where.

We used to solve the one-wire-short problem by making a simple project bigger. Figure out which direction ceiling joist run. See if you can slide fish line from fan ceiling box over to wall. If that works. Over at the wall, chop small hole in ceiling so you can feed wire up to fish line. Pull wire over to ceiling box. Next, staple other end of wire along ceiling over to location above wall box. Chop another small hole so you can feed wire down to wall box. And then install beautiful crown molding to hide the mess, and paint the room so you need new furniture.

I can help with this but I need some more clarification. Does the switch on the wall not do anything at all, or does it turn them both off or on. The black wires are the power wires and the whites are your neutrals. You figure out what wires are coming from your switch. If there was a switch on the wall that controlled your chandelier before that there has to be a white and black wire that go to that switch. Look at the switch in the wall. If all you see in the switch box is a black and white wire then they did a switch loop, which means they started the power up in the fan box, sent it out to the switch through the white wire and brought it back to the fan through the black wire in which case the one white wire up in the fan box is a powered wire. If there are four wires in the switch box (2 black two white), then they brought the power into the switch box, tied the whites together as neutrals and connected the blacks to the switch. So then up at your fan the white is neutral and black is power. To wire a switch loop at your fan, find the power wire, connect it to the white wire that goes out to your switch and the black wire from your switch will get connected to your fan motor and fan light. If it was not a a switch loop connect fan to the black coming from the switch and all whites will get tied together. Good luck!!

The black and white, The red wire is the ground. Ron

Make sure you turn off the power at the power panel.
If you are lucky you will find the following in the electrical box behind the light:

1. A black wire that brings power from the fuse/breaker panel--connected directly to one or two other (black) wires (not to the light).
2. A white wire from the panel--connected to one or more white wires including one to the light.
3. A black or white (maybe taped black) wire that comes from the switch and is connected to the light.
4. A green or bare wire connected to the box and maybe also to the light.

If this is the case then you can run a new cable to a new electrical box in the wall for the GFI. Connect the new black wire to the Line In terminal/black wire of the GFI outlet and to the group of black wires in (1) above. Connect the new white wire to the Neutral terminal/white wire of the GFI outlet and to the group of white wires in (2) above. Connect the new green/bare wire to the Ground terminal/green wire of the GFI outlet and to the original box or ground wire. If there is a Load/Feed through wire on the GFI outlet, tape the end of it and do not use.
If the black and white wires described in (1) and (2) above do not appear in the electrical box at the light then they are probably in the switch box and there will be only one black wire and one white wire that connect to the light on the wall. In that case you will need to run a new cable from the switch box to the new outlet. You will not be able to wire the new outlet from the existing electrical box at the light unless you do it through the switch and it will not be on unless the switch is on.

the two black wires spliced are Live wires ( same value as RED) the other single black is the return. The two twisted blacks from the wall go into ther active hole of the new switch and the single into the return. No third wire for earth is needed

in your ceiling box should be three wires. a red goes to the three way switches, a black goes to the hot and the white is the neutral. the fan wires are black, blue and white. since you have a remote, connect the [fan] blue & black together with the [line] black. connect all white wires together. the remote will now ramp up your lights from off to full on and the fan remote will let you choose lo med high and off. just tape up the red wire in the box.