What is the lowdown on the GE 45606?

Other Devices & Integrations Lighting & Load Control
#1

Hi all,

I am looking into home automation and starting to price things out. For 2-way dimmer switches, the GE 45606’s seems to be quite reasonably priced.

However, I’ve come across a few posts here where people have been having issues with the switches failing and/or humming/buzzing. Mind you, I think these issues may have been in relation to the 3-way switch, but I assume the 2-way would be of a similar design?

Can anyone using these switches comment on how well they have or have not been working for you?

Also, I know that you can’t use these with CFL bulbs. Does anyone one know if the standard GE on/off switch (45609) works with CFL?

And the instructions say incandescent bulbs only. Does this mean you cannot use with a halogen fixture?

#2
Also, I know that you can't use these with CFL bulbs. Does anyone one know if the standard GE on/off switch (45609) works with CFL?

yes, that should work, along with the GE 45603 appliance module

#3

I have many of these ge dimmers (2 and 3 way) installed. They were $10-15 at radio shack earlier in the year and I bought a ton.

They work fine. No failures in 6 months. Not sure about cfl/led dimmables, but some people have had success with certain brands.

#4

Thanks for the info. I don’t need to dim my CFLs, just want to make sure they will work with a GE on/off switch. Seems like they will

I also do not need to dim led, but do need to dim halogen. Been doing a bit more research and apparently halogen are a refinement of incandescent technology, so I assume the ge dimmer will work with them.

#5

just remember, there is a difference between the on/off switches and the dimmer switches. on/off will work with anything, dimmer only with incandescent or special cfl/led (and even then YMMV) bulbs.

#6

^ right. I know that. Just trying to confirm thought that Halogen = incandescent.

#7

I’d say that if they are 120V halogen bulbs (i.e. not low-voltage / something with a transformer etc.) then it will be fine. I have some halogen vanity bars on incandescent dimmers.

#8

Halogens will work, no problem. The filament is what is important when it comes to a dimming switch, at least a quiet one, and both incandescent and halogens bulbs work via use of filaments. One concern with halogens though is when they are used as in a ceiling recessed light fixture, some recessed lighting allows for very low wattage halogen flood lights. They do use alot less power normally, but in a home automation system with dimming, the lower wattage bulbs can flicker or not respond to dimming steps, sometimes they will not work at all. You will be okay if you follow the manual spec and stay above 40W (which is the same as incandescent).

Also watch your max wattage which is 500W. It doesn’t take much to exceed that rating with halogens, especially when they are in desk lamps using 150W bulbs. Oh, and like the other fellow stated, they obviously have to be 120 VAC halogens, low voltage will work but then the wattage can really become a concern as I stated (unless you use a #45609).

Now, one clarification, what I have quoted above is for the Model 45606 GE switches. These are now discontinued and have been replaced with Model 45612, I have not seen the manual for the 45612 yet but there no changes to the spec’s with the new 45612 replacement, it is just a firmware update to work more efficiently on the Z-Wave network and now uses Version 3.0c

Good luck, hope this helps!