I replaced two dumb switches with GE Zwave smart switches, one for the ceiling fan and the other for the ceiling fan lights. The dumb switch for the ceiling fan lights had a red traveler wire and a black wire connected to it. The dumb switch for the ceiling fan had 2 black wires connected to it.
I installed both GE Zwave smart switches and only the switch controlling the fan works. The blue LED on the fan switch is on but it’s not on the other switch that controls the lights.
The line, load, and neutral are all connected on the GE smart switch that controls the fan. This switch works and controls the fan just fine.
However, the GE smart switch that controls the ceiling fan lights has load, traveler, and neutral wires only connected to it. No line wire is connected because there are no more black wires to connect. Do I need to take a black wire from the bundle of black wires inside the wiring box? There’s a bundle of them in the wiring box screwed together by a wiring nut. I’m assuming some are coming from the breaker.
I also read the directions for the switches and think I might need an add-on switch instead of a regular switch. I’m lost. Can someone help me out haha.
Yeah, if you didn’t have a 3 way switch before, the red isn’t a traveler. Also , if your lights worked before, then you had to have a line going to the switch, otherwise they wouldn’t have turned on.
By the looks of it, it’s hard to tell 100% if the red is the line or the load but it’s definitely one or the other. If you wire it up and it doesn’t work, don’t leave it on too long and you shouldn’t damage the switch.
Davin was correct. Everything works now. So now I know I didn’t have a 3-way switch. But I do have them in the kitchen. I’m assuming I do anyway haha. There are 2 outlets on opposite sides of the kitchen that turn on the island lights. There’s also a switch in the kitchen and foyer that turn on the foyer/hallway lights. I’m assuming those are truly 3-way switches. So if I install GE ZWave switches in the kitchen and foyer, will I need the “add-on” switches as well? I read about it in the directions for the GE Zwave switches.
AC
My only gripe with the GE add on switches is that they lack the blue led. Oh, and yes they’re a bit pricy given they really have no smart capability in themselves.
True however they do control the linked master switch. This is quite useful for dimmers and fan controllers where you can control dim of these devices from the Aux switch. Inovelli and Zooz have smart switches that can integrate with “dumb” switches for 3+ way switches but the dumb switches can only toggle the power on the smart switch and not control dimming.
