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Comments on How can I test a monopole timer switch?
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How can I test a monopole timer switch? Question
I have a Lutron Maestro MA-T530G.
I installed this to control an old bathroom fan which was malfunctioning. I'm planning to replace the fan anyway later, but I wanted to have a timer in the meanwhile. After some time of working as expected, the fan stopped working entirely.
I know for sure the fan is broken, because I replaced the timer with a regular switch and it still won't work. It's probably because the low-voltage timer draw didn't play nice with the fan, but that's beside the point. I'm worried now that the timer is dead also, so I'd like to check if it is.
Best way I can think of is to wire it to a light and try it. But I don't want to needlessly mess with house wiring. Regular switches are easy to test with a multimeter, but I guess the time requires a current supply to switch on at all. I tried holding it down and using a multimeter, but got no contact - so either the timer is broken or that method doesn't work.
Is there a better way to check if it works?
Post
You can't test such a timer with just a voltmeter. It is possible that the timer requires the load to try to draw some minimum current, which a voltmeter probably wouldn't. Or, the timer might have a little leakage current, which would cause the voltmeter to read the full voltage even when the timer is off. A lightbulb would be a good load for testing the timer.
However, that's a terrible timer. It claims to work with "efficient bathroom fans", but gives no specs on power or current that it can switch. Since they won't tell you what it actually does, you don't know what you're buying and under what conditions it is supposed to work. Run away.
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