Digital timer switch turning off and on

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Brock503

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I am installing 4 digital timer switches for a friend. He bought the switches and I said sure I will wire them up. The switches require a neutral and there is conduit run in the building, so I yank the neutrals down from the junction boxes overhead. When i get everything made up and turned on the switches turn off and on sporadically. The only thing I can come up with is, The load is florescent and what paperwork comes with them does not say directly that they are good for florescent loads. The load being drawn on the 1 switch I was troubleshooting is only .52 amps. Do i need to find a different switch or go with a time clock?

Any insight would be appreciated

Thank You
 
ELA

ELA

Senior Member
Occupation
Electrical Test Engineer
Does the data sheet list a minimum load?
 
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Brock503

Member
It is a Tork model SS720A Series - Tork 7 Day In Wall Digital Timer. The sheet that comes with the switch is not very informative. It does not call for a minimum load though. The Tork website just seems to list the features (I believe the same model is also sold as a GE).

The loads it says it is good for are.

* 125VAC,60Hz, 15A Resistive & General Purpose
* 125VAC, 15W Tungsten
* 125VAC, 1 HP

The front of the packaging advertises that the switch is good for CFLs.

As far as what kind of load, to be honest I am not sure what you are asking. I have not looked that hard at the lights but they are fairly new and am sure they are electronic ballasts. The facility (it is a barn) is only about 4 years old.

I have seen wall timer switches in my research online that list and inductive load rating as well. The ones I have here do not...

Tomorrow I will test it in an circuit serving incandescent lamps only and see what happens. I'll post what I've come up with.
 
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wireguru

Senior Member
if the flourescents in question have electronic ballasts they may be turning on from the leakage current from the triac in the switch. Try adding a 'ghost load' with an incandescant lamp and see if the problem goes away.
 
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gidyup1313

New member
Digital Switches

Digital Switches

I have just installed 10 of the Tork SS720A Digital Switches referenced above...they drive a box of contact switches that run twenty 30-amp circuits in our Gidyup Garden Waterfalls and Ponds display area...I am having no electrical problems with the switches...my problem is with the switch itself and the function of the top two buttons...they are activated by pressing the cover plate to manually change switch from the on/off positions...however, word on the street is that they also have a 5 minute/30 minute delay capability...the documentation, as stated above, is very minimal and does not address this issue...the problem I am having is with the timers shutting themselves off, as if they are following a program, when in fact they are not programmed yet...does anyone have any insight to the function of the top two buttons under the cover???

http://www.tork.com/tork/productdetail.aspx
 
kbsparky

kbsparky

Senior Member
Location
Delmarva, USA
There is no minimum load on those if there is a neutral conductor involved.

I use similar timers to drive a general purpose contactor, controlling multiple circuits simultaneously.

I'd check those "neutrals" for integrity, or maybe you got a bad batch of timers?
 
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