Installing a GE digital wall timer. Instructions say" connect Hot/live wire of main to black of timer. Connect Hot/live wire of load to red of timer. connect white of (neutral) to white of timer. green to ground. My current switch has a Bleck and Red wire, also two white wires connected together in back witg connector. I tried black to black red to red and white to white. the switch will turn on and off but I can not reset the timer on the switch. it will not reset. How do I connect this timer/

It sounds like wiring is wrong.

If you have GE Tork Intermatic UPM Woods Brinks Hagar Pass-n-Seymour Stanley Westek in-wall timer, with red, black, white and green wires, then you probably put red and white wires together.
Add a comment any time.

See instructions along with image at following link:
http://waterheatertimer.org/Program-wire-Utilitec-0192773.html

Heres how to wire timer
1) Timer-green-wire connects to bare ground wire.
2) Switch has 2 wires. Take switch wires and connect them to timer-black-wire and timer-red-wire. Choose either one for now.
3) In back of electric box are white wires twisted together and covered with wire nut. Connect timer-white to these wires.
4) If electric box does not have white wires described above, then connect timer-white to bare ground, along with timer-green wire.
5) Turn on electricity, and push ON-OFF button > with GE timer, door is push-button switch. If lights come on, timer is wired correctly. If lights do not come on, then reverse timer-red and timer-black wires.

http://www.manualsdir.com/manuals/400481/ge-in-wall-15086-ge-smart-digital-timer.html

You posted under the ST01C timer.
ST01C has black, red and blue wires, and has a battery to run the clock.

You have black, white, red and green.
So your timer has an electronic clock and no battery.

Let's go through the wires one at a time.
You can add a comment and I will help further if needed.

Old switch has 2 black wires.
One of these wire is black-Hot
The other wire is black-to-Load (load is your light, fan, motor)

Black-Hot connects to timer-black wire
Black-to-Load connects to timer-red wire
NOW ... if these wires are reversed, the timer will not operate, so simply reverse the wires.

There are two wires to go:
Timer-green wire goes to bare copper wire.
Timer-white wire is the wire that runs the clock inside the timer. This is just like plugging in your alarm clock so the clock runs.

The timer-white wire connects to the other white wires located inside the box.
These white wires are usually twisted together and covered with a wire nut.
So untwist the wire nut and add the timer-white wire to these wires.
What if your box does not have these other white wires?
Then in that case, connect the timer-white wire to the bare copper and the clock will run.

I have test-wired your timer, and many other timers.
Your white and red together are causing the clicking.

Hot from breaker connects to timer-black.
Wire going Load (lights) connects to timer-red
Timer-white wire connects to Neutral inside box.
In your case, you don't have the neutral so connect the timer-white to bare ground wire.

add a comment if you need more help.

You posted under ST01C timer which has 3 wires: black blue and red (no white wire)
Your description seems to say your timer has 3 wires: black white and red

These are two different timers
I'm going to give you two different instructions that are dead-accurate for both types of timers above:

1) Instructions for ST01C and EJ500 Intermatic timers with black blue and red
Lets do the black and white with electricity:
The black Hot wire connects to Timer-black-wire
The white Neutral wire connects to white wire going to Load (to lights)

Now the black and white to the Load (lights)
The black to Load (to light) connects to Timer-blue-wire
The white wires are connected together with wire nut

The red wire is capped off, and used only if you have 3-way switching.
Green connects to bare ground

2) Instructions for all in-wall timers with black, red and white wires (except Aube series timers)
Lets do the black and white from electricity
The black Hot wire connects to Timer-black-wire
The white Neutral connects to Timer-white-wire and to white wire going to Load

Now the black and white to the Load
The black wire to Load connects to Timer-red-wire
all three white wires are connected and covered with wire nut
Green connects to bare ground

DO NOT CONNECT RED TO WHITE with any model in-wall timer and then turn on power or it can blow out the timer >>> I just did that while experimenting with the Utilitec 0192773.
Red wire goes to Load on all timers, except with Intermatic ST01C and EJ500

GE 15086 is a 7-day programmable timer. It has more wires than spring-wound timer because clock motor runs on 120V circuit, just like ordinary electric clock. The clock on spring wound timer operated by a spring.



If I understand correctly, the old timer has 2 wires. One of these wires is the Hot wire ... and that wire will connect to GE timer black wire.
The other wire from old timer goes to Load ... and that wire will go to GE timer red wire.

Instructions on a lot of these timers say, it timer doesn't work, then reverse the two wires described above ... this is because timer only works when Timer black connects to Hot.

You can also turn on power and test each wire that came off old switch to bare ground wire. When tester lights up, that is Hot wire.

GE timer Green wire connects to bare ground wire.

Moving on to GE timer white wire. This wire is necessary for the clock to run. This wire connects to Neutral wire which is usually white. You can test for Neutral by testing Hot wire to each white wire in box ... when tester comes on, that is Neutral.

If you do not have a white Neutral wire, then connect GE timer white wire to bare ground wire. This is not code, but it will work fine until you hire electrician to run Neutral into box.

EJ341 has 2 wires

Swylite LST100 timer has 4 wires. Red, Blue, Black, White
Timer has more wires than wall switch because timer has electric clock inside. And with + series Swylite timer, it also has led bulb that needs power.

Timer can replace ordinary on-off switch
-On-off switch has 2 screws, so 2 wires (plus ground wire) connect to on-off switch
-Three of the four timer wires are used when replacing on-off switch
-Red wire is not used, it is capped off

Timer can replace 3-way switch
-Three way switch has 3 screws, so 3 wires (plus ground wire) connect to 3-way switch
-One of the screws on 3-way switch is colored dark (it is crucial to identify the wire that comes off dark screw so timer can be wired correctly)

Lets replace on-off switch see diagram
Timer black goes to Hot wire
Timer blue goes to Load (light, fan, motor)
Timer white goes to Neutral
Timer red is capped off.

How to check which wire is Hot, Neutral and Load
Switch you are replacing has 2 wires > one is Hot, the other goes to Load
Remove these two wires. Separate wires so you can test. Turn on power. Tape tester leads to wood sticks so hands are away from power. Test each wire to bare copper wire.
When tester lights up >> that is Hot wire >> please connect this wire to Timer black wire
The other wire goes to Load >> please connect this wire to Timer blue wire.
Now test for Neutral. Test Hot wire to other wires inside box. Neutral should be white. When tester lights up, that is Neutral. Please connect Timer white wire to neutral. IF YOU DO NOT have a neutral, you can connect Timer white to bare ground wire until you have time to drop a Neutral into the box.

Replace a 3-way switch see diagram
Three-way switch has 3 wires.
Identify which wire connects to Dark screw on switch >> and then please connect this wire to Timer Black wire.
Timer white wire connects to Neutral
Timer blue and red wires connect to other two wires that came off switch ... they connect to either one.

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.

1) Wires in box:
Black looped to to next switch is Black hot wire
Other Black goes to fixture

2) Connect timer wires
Black timer wire goes to Black hot
Red (or Blue) timer wire goes to fixture
White wire connects to white neutral wires (usually connected together with wire nut and pushed to back of box)
Green goes to bare ground wire