GE Enbrighten In Wall Dimmer Unwanted Flashes

🧰 Built-In Apps and Drivers
1

This is minor in the grand scheme of things. I have two GE Jasco Enbrighten in-wall dimmers installed, models 14294 or 46203 and they both exhibit the same strange operation. When set for max brightness, turn on the dimmer from either the physical switch or from a dashboard for instance, the brightness increases until it is fully on, then it flashes. They both do this using any of the three drivers I've tried:

  • Generic Zwave Plus Dimmer
  • GE Zwave Plus Dimmer
  • GE Enbrighten Zwave Smart Dimmer, and they both
    Anyone have the same thing happening with theirs?
2

Maybe @JasonJoel would know.

Did they ever work as they should?

3

I do not believe so. Like I said, it is no huge deal. The lights still work. More of an OCD annoyance. They should not do that but I am at a loss for what would cause it.

4

I have the toggle switch version, maybe 3 years old now, and use @JasonJoel 's drivers exlusively.

Are yours old or relatively new.

I noticed that in state variables on the driver page, flashing is mentioned:

image

GE/Jasco don't go out of their way to publish the various parameters for you to fiddle with.

I think maybe I'm onto something.

I just installed the system driver.

My personal opinion is that they, @bcopeland ? got overly fancy with the driver, lol.

There is a "flash" option along with other, in my opinion, extraneous stuff:

image
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I haven't been able to duplicate your exact issue, but if I hit 'flash' at anything less that 100%, the lights will flash. More noticeable when level is, like, 15% or so. Hitting flash won't turn it off. I can refresh the web page and it updates the variables, so you can see 'flashing' turning true or false. If I change the set level on the device page, or hit 'on' or 'off', it stops flashing. HOWEVER, nothing I do with the physical switch can make the flashing stop!

I'd suggest you get the thing to report flashing = 'false', so that the parameter doesn't get carried over, and then install @JasonJoel 's excellent driver. It might not have flashing on there, lol, but it give you 6 possible buttons, plus other stuff.

Maybe @bcopeland can fix the system driver.

I'm at your disposal, if you want me to do some more testing.

5

Are they flashing or flickering? I have a no-neutral dimmer (I think it's a GE Jasco) connected to 4 Philips BR30 bulbs, and above 90% brightness they flicker. I created a rule that turns the dimmer down to 90% anytime it gets set above that.

6

It is a very predominant flash or blink. Happens once as the brightness reaches maximum. The lights can be set to max brightness and they are steady. No flickering, except for the one blinkVideo of the Light Flash

7

Just the one blink then?
I'd still try @JasonJoel 's driver though.

8

Thanks for your reply. Mine looks mostly like yours and it is reporting flashing=false,
Screenshot 2024-02-29 090933
I am currently using the "GE Z-wave Plus Dimmer" driver right now, so it might look slightly different than yours but I have tried all three compatible available drivers as explained above.

Screenshot 2024-02-29 091143
Screenshot 2024-02-29 091143813×456 25.4 KB

The two models I have are 14294 (dining room, 2019) or 46203 (kitchen island, 2021). The @JasonJoel driver says it will only work on ZW3010 / 46203 / 46564, so I installed it and changed the kitchen island dimmer to use that driver. and it still operates the exact same way.
Screenshot 2024-02-29 092824
Screenshot 2024-02-29 092824796×456 25.8 KB

9

Perhaps something got messed up in the rule somehow.
You could do stuff like:
power cycle the dimmers (breaker or air gap)
exclude, re-include dimmers and re-created rules
Nothing fancy about the rules you're using, right?

That's all I got, lol.

10

Thanks, I will try your suggestions. No, the rules are very plain. I do not suspect a rules issues as I can go directly into the Hubitat devices list, select the Kitchen Island light or Dining Room light, and click the "on" button, they flash at the peak of brightness. Another interesting tidbit it if I decrease the brightness to 90% lets say, they don't flash, seemingly just at 99% (max brightness). Weird.

11

I have the same issues with a few of my GE dimmers. I exclusively use Jason Joel's drivers. I've never been able to figure it out and actually thought it might have something to do with the bulbs. I have a couple of different versions of the dimmer, some older ones and newer ones that are different models. It seems to only happen in specific areas that have different lights at the end of the circuit...

Anyway, I've just let it go, but wanted you to know you are not crazy and that it is indeed a thing.

1 Like
12

LOL thanks.

13

I'm late to chime in here.... But I occasionally see the same kind of bulb flash when the fading gets to max brightness. But in my house it is not only on GE dimmers, but also Zooz and Inovelli. And it does not happen every time.

I am relatively certain it is LED type/manufacturer related, as if I stick an incandescent in the same dimmer I see zero flash when going to max brightness.

I haven't tried other/different LED bulbs as it is not that big of a deal to me to warrant the cost. All my existing are GE and Philips LED bulbs.

2 Likes
14

Thank you for the reply. I had not thought of trying that, but I might unscrew all the LED bulbs, remove one and temporarily install an incandescent. I agree if that is actually the issue, it is indeed not that big of deal to go to the expense of replacing all the lamps to solve the flash thing. The whole thing is more of a quest for me at this point LOL Solving an electronic mystery. I only have two dimmers, both GE/Jasco, different vintages and they both do it. Because I have tried different drivers, etc, the lamps are about the last variable.

4 Likes