On/Off Switch not working (no blue light)

Hello,
I’m new to the ST world so I started with a Hub and 2 GE Lighting Control On/Off Switches (Z-Wave). I installed the 2 switches and they worked fine for a couple minutes then the breaker tripped for that zone. I couldn’t even turn the breaker switch back on, it was stuck to the off position. So I unplugged the 2 switches and then I was able to turn the breaker back on.

I reattempted to connect the switches but now they don’t work. No blue light, nothing. There’s juice to the line terminal, I’ve confirmed. But it appears the switch is dead. I can’t add it to the Hub, either.

This is a new house, so I thought there would be a neutral wire, but there isn’t one, if that helps. I only connectedf the load, line, and ground. Did I kill the switches?

Sounds to me like you wired it up wrong.
Not sure how it can work with no neutral.

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Possibly yes. It definitely sounds like there was a wiring issue.

The switches shouldn’t work at all without a neutral. If by chance you plugged the ground into where the neutral goes you could definitely have caused problems. Or if you had any of the other wires incorrectly slotted.

Most zwave switches these days require a neutral wire to power the radio so that it can hear the next “on” command even when the switch appears to be off. You need to follow the manufacturer’s wiring instructions exactly to protect both the switch and your house.

Since it sounds like you may be unfamiliar with this type of project, it would be best to bring in an electrician.

If you want to learn how to do it yourself, if you live near a Home Depot many have free classes on installing a light switch. They won’t cover networked switches, but you will learn how to identify the wires and work safely. And since Home Depot does sell the GE switches, many times the instructor can get you some information on those as well.

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Thank you both. These 2 switches are part of a 3-switch plate. I had to remove all 3 of them and I found the neutral wires. It was a bundle of large gauge white wires in a wire nut. So I used the white patch wires that came in the boxes and attached them to the neutral terminal on the switches.

All works now. I was able to add them to the Hub with my phone app. Thank you for your replies, very helpful!

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