See BT’s response. It is possible the wiring is wrong. I know it’s a hassle, but the way to find out if the unit is defective, is to get another one, swap it in and if you have the same issue, it’s likely the wiring. I also swapped the load and line the first time and the thing didn’t work until I corrected it.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! Rather than the painful phone call to GE, this time it took me 3 minutes to program the second on of these I bought for an outbuilding. Kudos to you!
Thank you so much, like some of the other comments the printed instructions were horrible. I thought that once I set the time and selected the zone, and it told me the dusk/dawn times, I was done. Not! Per your video you MUST set specific programs to turn on/off at either dusk/dawn or specific times. I created 4 programs, one for weekday mornings, one for week day evenings, one for weekend mornings, one for weekend evenings. Works great now! Thank you so much.
Thank you! Just bought a new house with no information on 2 of these in my garage and now I know everything. Not as good as newer WiFi smart switches but definitely does the job.
Can't thank you enough for this. It just enabled me to help my 85-year-old mother program her new timer, while I was on the phone with her from the other side of the country! If you knew her, you'd know what an incredible feat that was! 😂 Thanks again.
Great video, I was frustrated it wasn't turning on and off and after initial programing. Didn't realize you needed to set a program for it to work automatically. Set program 1 for Dusk to Dawn Monday-Sunday. Thanks again!
@@BruceAlanRAny idea why it would just stop working? Mine did. Do these go bad after 6 months? Was working this morning, then didn’t come on this evening. Tried to reprogram and did everything in your video (have been successful before); nothing. Program 1 on and off times set for dawn and dusk. Display says Auto and On. No lights.
You are unbelievable! I had a hard time setting up a GE 32787 timer and could not quite get it done. Your clear instructions were a life saver, WOW! Thank you so much, very kind of you to do these videos.😀
Life safer! My electrician installed these and didn't leave the programming instructions. Searched internet high and low till finally found this! Thank you so much.
Thanks for an excellent video. Printed instructions are really inadequate and so tiny! Especially needed your comments on how to set Dusk to Dawn timing which is not at all clear in the instructions that come with the timer. Really appreciate your taking the time to do this!
I watched this video once after attempting to program my defiant timer multiple times with all resulting in failure. Your video was so clear that after one view I was able to program my timer. I am so happy. Please keep up your clear and informative videos.
You’re welcome. Do you experience extended power outages? Just curious since this timer has a battery, which should be able to hold the settings for at least a few hours. Unfortunately, I have experienced the battery “fades” over time.
@BruceAlanR Yes, I have had several power outages a year. One lasted 4 days recently. The battery does fade, and I wonder if I can replace it or if it's less headache to replace the timer.
I have yet to take one of our timers apart to see if the battery is accessible or not, and whether it's soldered in place. I'm guessing I'll eventually find out. @@Chris-uh7nm
Thanks for posting this video. Instructions that came with it, they should have given you a magnifying glass, besides not being very clear. If it hadn't been for your video, I would of had to return it. Again, Thanks!
What an excellent video! You did a great job of keeping to the exact information needed. I grabbed a chair, put my phone up and finished in the length of your video. Thanks so much!
Thank you so much for this video. The instructions that came with the timer explained how to set the ON time, but I didn’t know how to set up the OFF time. Your video set me straight. Can’t thank you enough.
@@BruceAlanR Same here. You should probably sell your video to defiant. The one they have is garbage. The only thing I'd recommend is noting that some States don't follow DST.
Thank-you so much for your detailed help. I have programmed 3 different timers over the years but this one was really a challenge because of having to push set after each command and having to get to all the commands. I sincerely appreciate your wonderful video as I couldn't have done it without your help!
Thanks for posting this. The printed instructions did not show me how to do what I wanted which was to have the program automatically shut off the light at midnight. With this video it became easy to figure out. Thanks!
@@fgjf1079It has a battery backup and should maintain settings and programs if power goes out; however, some folks have complained the battery only lasted a few years.
We've had this timer installed for years. I could never get it to work thinking it was defective and have been manually turning the light on and off for years, until I just saw this video. Thank you, thank you THYANK YOU !!!
Glad it helped! It doesn’t seem like the batteries last as long as they should. I don’t know what kind of battery it is, but my guess is it’s soldered into the board and hard to replace. I have batteries in old stereos and desktop computers that have lasted 20 years so Defiant must have cheaped-out on the battery in these timers.
You're welcome! We have two of these installed and luckily the backup batteries are still working. Once they fail I’m sure I’ll need to revisit my video to remember how to reprogram them. 😂
@@yorikvatral929There’s a little cell battery in the unit that prevents the programs from being erased when power goes. Unfortunately they’re not replaceable so as the timer ages you may need to reprogram it after a black out.
Thank you for taking the time to create and share this video. It was well done very helpful! My switch now does exactly what I need it to do. Defiant or Home Depot should contact you about using this on their websites. 😊
Great video, man - thanks! Did some rewiring on my garage yesterday to have this switch controlling the two exterior lights. Couldn't figure out why they didn't turn off this morning until I watched this and realized I didn't actually set the off time. Huge help!
Been there! Ha! These are great timers in my opinion. I really like the convenience of not having to run around and turn on and off outside lights every night.
Your instructions are so much better. I got stuck setting dst. I didn’t know my region and the 20 sec went by. Couldn’t get back in to complete setup. Hit reset and it went to default but pressing the set button didn’t do anything. I pressed reset and set, then i was in. I set them on time, but didn’t know to press program to set off time. Not in the instructions. You saved my sanity. Just gotta make sure they shut off in the am! Thanks! You are awesome! 👍
Extremely helpful. Literally...the included instructions for this timer suck. No other way to say it. Without your video, this thing would have never gotten programmed correctly. Now...works like a champ! Thank you very much for doing this.
This timer is somewhat complicated, so thanks for the video. This unit is very deep and had a hard time getting the Neutral wire connected and it fitted in to the wall box with two other switches. The wiring was very compressed. It is very difficult to see the LED screen. We shined a flashlight on the screen and could then actually read it. You video was most helpful. I almost took it back to Home Depot, but they had no good alternative.
Glad the video was helpful. I’ve installed two of these in three switch gang boxes and agree they can be a challenge. One of the boxes had two toggle dimmers which was really tight.
Very helpful! This timer is tricky. I would have changed it out for a simpler, more intuitive model had it not been for your video. Now, when I need to re-program it, I skip the instructions and go directly to your video. Thank you!
Same unit but I lost or tossed the instructions and could not figure it out by myself. Thanks and subscribed. On your way to 10k subs so best wishes here in 2023.
I searched and searched for instructions for the GE 53122 (SKU 32787) timer and only found videos 3 - 5 yrs old, and none of them looked like the GE Sunsmart In-wall 7 day timer I bought. It's the same as the Defiant model in this video, to a T. Even the manufacturer's web site, Jasco, doesn't have an instruction video. And the instructions had typos and sections that seemed to repeat the previous sections. Now, after watching this, my two timers are set. One to go on and off at a certain time and the other for dusk to dawn. Thank you.
I am glad I found this video! I had just moved into my new house and was struggling to find anything online on how to program these lights to turn on and off by themselves and because of this video don't have to manually turn my lights on and off now! Thank you!
Hello, THANK YOU! I misplaced the English version of the directions and can't understand the Spanish version so your video was timely and great! My lights would not turn on and off automatically after installing and your video told me why! According to Defiant's map, I'm in the Central Timezone, when in reality, I am actually in the Northeast timezone! I also didn't set Prog 1 On & Off for Dawn & Dusk. Instead I was using times. Hopefully tonight, the lights will go on by themselves! Thanks again!
This video was excellent! I bought a GE sunsmart timer but couldn't find decent programming instructions. Just by luck, I found this Defiant timer video and it is obviously the identical timer , no doubt made by Jasco. Your instruction was far superior to the vague written instructions that came with it. Kudos!!
Ha! I thought the same thing which is one of the reasons I decided to make the video. The other reason was so that I could refer back to it if need be. Thanks for leaving a comment and I’m glad the video was helpful.
Glad it was helpful! I’m about to install another one of these so I’ll likely have to watch the video again to remember how to do it. 😃 thanks for leaving a comment!
