GE dimmer switch dead already? Nope, bad bulb

Community Playground General Discussions
1

This morning, I noticed one of my month old GE dimmer switches was showing “unable to get information on”. It was still showing as ON in UI4, and it is scheduled to turn off at sunrise. It seems dead, as I cannot control it locally. I cycled the breaker and it is still dead.

After a month it’s dead? Is this unusual?

2

What kind of load and wattage did you have on it? Just, say, a single 75W incandescent, or something else?
Did you check the wiring / is the locator LED on?

3

60 watt incandescent porch light.

The LED does not turn on, the light does not turn on.

4

Check wiring (those stranded pigtails can be tricky).

5

Uggh, bulb had blown. New bulb fixed it. Is that normal for these? I guess that breaks the circuit and the switch gets no power with a bad bulb?

6

That is correct. The z-wave chip in the switch gets its power through the light bulb for the two-wire dimmers.

7

Thanks. I’ll consider this a ‘feature’, as it allows me to see bulbs that need replacing remotely from the UI.

8

you know the old software rule, “If its documented, its a feature” :slight_smile:

Mitch

FYI, on the 3 way dimmers, that have a neutral you don’t get this “feature” :slight_smile:

9

;D I should have asked…

Or there is a wiring problem, or the device is dead, or an intermediate node died, or the breaker tripped, or … :wink:

Unless used as a 2-way without neutral, I believe.

10

You also don’t get this “feature” if you control more than one bulb from the same dimmer (unless both bulbs are out).

11

My GE dimmer is one week old.

Was working perfectly until I notice this morning that the light controlled by that dimmer was still “25%-on” even if a “Midnight” scene turn off all the lights.

Using Vera, I am able turn the fully on, but the order to turn the light off just turn 25% off…

Do you think that the GE dimmer is broken or there is something else to check ?

12

What kind of bulb and what wattage is the bulb?

13

6 x 25 Watts, Incandescent light bulbs