I cannot figure out for the life of me why this isn’t working. Please help!
Here’s the run-down:
I have a GE 14291 Z-Wave Paddle Switch (on/off only) that I wanted to install in a two-switch wall plate for a front porch light. The other switch is a dimmable, regular light switch for interior lights. It looks like the LOAD wire is shared between the two existing switches, with the righthand switch (the one I’m leaving) piggybacking off of the lefthand switch (the one I’m replacing). I rewired and my new GE 14291 switch and added the included neutral wire to the wire nut in the box and connected the ground (which wasn’t previously connected). When I flip the circuit breaker back on, it does not work. The blue light doesn’t come on. I tried doing a factory reset and no dice. I tried re-wiring it. Nothing. The dimmable light switch DOES work though. So I’m thinking I might have a dead switch?
Your line and load are backwards. Whenever you see a wire shared across multiple switches like that, is typically line from breaker. I marked up your original picture
So take the two wires in your current load terminal and put them in line. Then take one wire in your current line and put it in load. You should be good to go.
Additionally, you may want to cut the line/load wires shorter going into the GE switch or push them deeper when you screw in the leads - you dont want them shorting out inside the box.
Oh my… facepalm. Thank you so much! That did the trick.
I had just assumed that the orientation of the wiring would be the same on the smart switch as it was on the old switch. Is it typical that the line on my old switches will be on the top of the switch?
Old dumb switches break the connection between line and load. So it doesn’t matter the orientation of the switch or wires. It’s best to use a multimeter to determine which wire is hot by keeping switch off and putting one probe on one of the black wires on the switch and the other on a neutral or ground. One of them will be hot, line, and other will be load.
But this said if you ever have a wire daisy chained between 2 switches that is almost always line because both switches need power.
