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Top wire is painted white. bottom wire is looped. Timer has screws for line, load, neutral and ground. What goes where?

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I am getting power but only half the light output with one part of black loop in line and the other in load and the “White’ In neutral. I have tried every combination i think. This is in a 3 switch box and one black wire runs to the next Boxswitch. That light works!

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    You have line and load there. You need neutral, Show is a picture looking into the back of the box.
    – Tyson
    Commented Feb 2, 2019 at 18:56
  • Thanks. Added picture of junction box. It is messy! And i cannot move timer farther out unless i unwire. Everything inside seems to be connected
    – Dreamfarm
    Commented Feb 2, 2019 at 19:14
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    That paint is just slop from painters/drywallers by the way -- it has no meaning re: wire color Commented Feb 2, 2019 at 19:24
  • Can you post a photo that shows the back of the rest of the box? Commented Feb 2, 2019 at 19:25
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    Is there a bundle of white wires into a wirenut in the back of the box? It looks like there darn well ought to be, but I can't see it Commented Feb 2, 2019 at 20:20

1 Answer 1

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The double wire is simply power being carried onward to other switches.

Note the solitary black wire. Follow it to see which cable that wire departs the box in. Now look at that cable's white wire and follow it back to a bundle of all-whites... Add your smarts witch neutral to that bundle. Do not remove any wires from the bundle, they are not spares.

Do not add it to any random bundle of whites you see. That will "seem to work" until you add a GFCI or AFCI, then will trip it. Add it to the right bundle.

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