Hello,
I have a chandelier which takes 9 bulbs and is currently on a 3-way switch. I would like to make this into a smart switch with z wave. I have used GE toggle switches in the house and was wondering if this would support nine bulbs? I would also like for it to continue being a 3-way switch if possible. Does anyone have a recommendation?
What type of bulbs? Answer with any switch depends on the wattage load. So add up the wattage of all 9 bulbs and then compare that to the stats of the switch.
They are cfl I believe 60 Watts. So 540 Watts total.
An on/off switch can support a load of 960 watts according to Jasco website, they manufacture the GE switches. A dimmer can support up to 600 watts. But all of this depends on the tabs on the side of the switch. If you have to remove one side because the switch is beside another or both sides because it’s in the middle of two then this reduces the wattage load the switch can handle.
Oh I never new that ! So removing those tabs would reduce the wattage capacity ?! I removed them from the other switches i have in the house but they don’t need near as much capacity.
That is correct. Removing one side brings a dimmer down to 500, both sides 400 watts. They help with heat reduction
Just one point of clarification, removing the tabs is more important on dimmers than switches. If you plan to install an in/off switch it shouldn’t matter. But I have dimmers on all my chandeliers.
Here is an explanation by Inovelli for their switches:
It seems unlikely that these are 60W bulbs if they are CFLs. Wouldn’t they be the equivalent brightness of a 60W bulb, and actually consume much less? I’ve switched to LEDs so I don’t know the actual wattage of a 60W equivalent CFL would be, but I’m guessing around 20W