It all depends on how the light on the pole is wired. The switch you have is meant to interrupt the power between the circuit breaker and the light, just like the switch does now. The new switch uses power to run itself, so you need an additional wire. Usually the lights on a pole have the power coming in on top, and a wire coming down for the switch - black and white. Lets say there was no switch - on top of the pole there would be a black wire going to the hot, or center contact on the pole light, and the white wire would go to the ground, or outside of the bulb. If (BIG IF) things are wired like they are supposed to be, there will be a black wire (hot) coming in from the breaker, down the pole, instead of going to the light. The switch you have in place now interrupts the power so you can turn it off/on. Then when you turn the switch on, power goes up the white wire to the hot, or bottom of the bulb. Theoretically, there should be another black wire going back up to power the light once it leaves the switch. People normally use regular wire, which has a black and a white inside a plastic casing. So, bottom line - you need to run a red wire from the light to the new switch, hook the white wire up to the ground. So: power coming in on top goes down pole to new switch to black. Red wire hooks up to pole light where it is now white, goes down pole to red on switch. Old white wire gets unhooked from light on top, and hooked to common (ground) on top.
SOURCE: I would like to install this timer to my hot water
Below is a link to download the manual (in English) for your timer. Pay particular attention to figure 5.
Download manual here
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SOURCE: GE digital timer. Instructions say to: 1)
Find the Hot wire:
Your switch has 2 wires. One of these wires is Hot, and one goes to load. Disconnect wires from switch. Turn on power. Do not stand on wet surface. Test each wire to bare copper wire. When tester lights up, that is Hot wire. The other wire goes to load.
Connect wires:
Hot wire goes to Black timer wire
Wire to load goes to Red timer wire
White wire connects to white wires that are twisted together
Bare copper wire connects to Green wire from timer
How to connect white wire to white wires that are twisted together.
a) Strip white timer wire so you have 1-1/2 " of bare wire. Stranded wire will wrap around other wires easily.
b) Remove wire nut. DO NOT UNTWIST wires.
c) Hold all whites together so bare copper lines up. Wrap stranded copper around the twisted wire.
d) Replace wire nut, or use larger wire nut. Twist real tight. Do not use tape. You can solder the connection.
e) When done, pull on white time wire to make sure it is held tight. Push whites back into box.
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