Removal of timer swich and replacement with faceplate

Hi,

I have a timer switch that operates some outside lights that I want to remove and replace with a faceplate - the lights have another switch that operates them (the timer switch and other switch were effectively wired in series). For the timer switch I have:

A red wire going to Load (Wire A)

red and yellow wire going to 2-way (Wires B+C)

Red wire going to Live (Wire D)

To replace with the faceplate, do I simply need to:

Wire B and C together (as they are already connected in current wiring)

Connect Wire A to Wire D

I am assuming that I need to close the circuit so that the separate switch does all the work.

Thanks

Frank

It's impossible to say from either the terminal idents, which will be peculiar to your timeswitch, or from wire colours, which are peculiar to your installation.  

The mention of a two-way is also  a confusion factor.

BUT, if you can identify the switch contacts (usually marked, or google the type), on the timer and connect those together it will be OK.  

Leave together other wires which are already connected together, just transferring them to a terminal block.

It seems odd that you don't mention a black wire, as the timer would have needed a neutral; that will be redundant, and be stowed in a terminal block.

Geoff1946 said:

It's impossible to say from either the terminal idents, which will be peculiar to your timeswitch, or from wire colours, which are peculiar to your installation.  

The mention of a two-way is also  a confusion factor.

BUT, if you can identify the switch contacts (usually marked, or google the type), on the timer and connect those together it will be OK.  

Leave together other wires which are already connected together, just transferring them to a terminal block.

It seems odd that you don't mention a black wire, as the timer would have needed a neutral; that will be redundant, and be stowed in a terminal block.

Click to expand...

Thanks Geoff. There is a blue wire in the cavity that is not connected to anything, and taped off.

The switch that I am removing is a "Superswitch model 2301". I am trying to attach a couple of pics of how the switch is connected. The 2-way relates to another switch (in the bedroom) so that the previous owners could turn off the lights from upstairs is they went to bed and forgot to turn off from downstairs

Apologies, I'm not an electrician so was assuming the switch could simply be removed by restoring the circuit with connecting in terminal blocks.

Ah! that's no ordinary timer.  You can google the manual.

It does not need a neutral because its clock is battery powered.  It can be used to replace one end of a two way circuit and give programmed periods of "light on" for security.

You really need to trace what wiring you have between the two switch locations.  

Forget what I said about connecting the timer's  LIVE and LOAD as that will possibly just leave the light permanently on.

Can you tell us what you have in the other switch? 

if you have a set of votalge probes it should be fairly simple to identify the live supply and switched output at the light switch, then disconnect everything else which should also take the timer out of operation, unles the live feed starts at that end, in which case identify the live supply, and use one of the other cables as unswitched feed to light switch.

If the switches were wired in series then that is very different to wired for two-way switching.....  

But then I am not sure that the concept of a Two-way timer switch would actually work....

How does the timer operated switch know if the other switch is on or off???

Unless it is really clever and able to detect the current if the light is already on when the on time arrives?

I think you need to actually test out all of the wires between the switches to verify exactly what you have got before you take anything apart.

Guinness

I was trying to figure out what cable are actually at the timer switch..

I am guessing 1x three core + earth with blue disconnected and taped off, leaving 1x red 1x Yellow.

Plus 1x Twin red + earth, giving 2x red in use along side the red & yellow from the three core cable...

It all sounds a bit of a bodge up to me...

I would recommend getting it all tested and checked to make sure you have no unconnected live conductors floating about in the back of the switch...

Guinness

Going from the descriptive I’m going to take a guess that the timer was originally a  two way switch and that the timer has been put in and wiring terminations modified. Hence why we need to know the cores and connections in the second switch. 

Thanks for all your advice on this... it's sounding a little more complicated than my basic DIY skills. Fortunately the timer switch is still working (and has a manual override) so I'll leave in place for now and get a professional in. The change was only cosmetic so can live with for a little while.