GE in wall switch light flicker

So I have a GE Smart Switch (the in wall one) that I just got. I hooked it in (I only have neutral and line) and the lights just flicker. They also don’t turn off. They still flicker when off. Any help?

Is it a dimmer switch and are the lights LED?

How many lights are attached?

Sounds like a dimmer with non dimmable bulbs.

It’s not a dimmer switch. It’s a regular switch with 3 LED 8.5W bulbs attached. The switch model number is 13869.

Ok, that’s a Bluetooth switch. Being a SmartThings forum which doesn’t support Bluetooth at this time, I’m not sure how much we can help.

Hopefully others may be able to help.

Only thought I have is to double check the line vs. load wires.

3 Likes

I’m might be missing something but the OP says he only has line and natural. It’s been awhile since I put mine in but shouldn’t he have line, neutral and load. If he has only 2 wires (assuming he has ground too) then it sounds to me like the power is at the light, not the switch.

The problem isn’t the Bluetooth. I know because I was able to turn on and off the device with my phone. I think it’s the wiring. I have one Neutral and one Line/Hot wire. There isn’t a Load or Ground wire to be found.

Maybe the old switch was switching neutral? Anyways,with these switches you need to have line, load and neutral or they won’t work. There’s some that don’t require a neutral, but they won’t work with LEDs. They work by passing a small amount of current through the load.

I don’t think you actually have a line and neutral in the box. Your power is coming in at the light fixture itself. All your doing in the box is switching the line. Colors don’t mean anything in this box. You can post a picture for the group to look at to be sure though.

The smart switch isn’t going to work here unless you run additional wiring. I have run into this before and had to use something like an Aeon microswitch.

Picture of the box. Right switch is the one I’m trying to replace.

Thanks for the pic.

Looks like the black connected to the switch is your line (since it’s coming from the bottom). Red looks like the load. The white bundle with the wire nut in the back of your box is neutral.

Now, please understand,I’m not an electrician and could totally be wrong, but I would wire it as I stated above and see if it works.

2 Likes

Also, it does look like you have ground in there as well. Just need a pigtail to hook it up (and you should).

1 Like

You have more wires in there than you mentioned. That’s great news and @DavinD beat me to the post. I would wire it exactly as he described after first checking the line/load wires with a meter (though I would also be assuming black is the line and red is the load). You should be good to go!

I’d also clean up the sloppy connections to the switch. The exposed copper around the switch should not be protruding that far out away from the switch. Trim them.

For the switch on the right, the conductors should wrap around the switch clockwise i.e opposite of how they are. This keeps the wires from being pushed in the wrong direction when tightening the screw.

For the most secure connection, wrap the conductor around the loose screw and then use a pair of electrical pliers to pull the loose end tight around the screw. Then tighten.

2 Likes

Do these need a ground? I tried having that setup without a ground and it didn’t work. Oddly enough, switching the 2 that I have made it still work.

Also what color is the ground in this box?

Thanks for the advice! The switch works now!

Ground is the bare copper wire. It will work without it, but it’s more safe with it.

1 Like

As @DavinD said, the ground is the uninsulated copper wire. But I think you really meant to ask if the switch needs a neutral. The answer is yes, as you figured out when you got it to work. While the ground and the neutral are electrically connected at the box, for safety reasons, the white neutral wire should be connected to the neutral terminal on the switch and the bare ground wire should be connected to the green screw on the switch.

1 Like