I have replaced a GE switch that died when we had a power outage recently - when things came back on it was non-operable at the switch or via hub control.
Replaced it today (GE Enbrighten 46201) expecting happy ending. Switch installed fine, paired fine w/hub, LED on switch on when light is off, off when light it is on, and I can control at the switch or via the hub. However, the light it's connected to wasn't turning on after I put in the new switch.
The light was an old two-bulb 4' fluorescent unit that I wanted to replace anyway, and I figured the ballast gotten fried. I picked up a replacement flat-panel 4x10 LED ceiling light and installed that, but it's also not turning on/off.
Breakers are all untripped. I reset them all just in case, no change.
Wondering what are the most likely causes of this - given the issues started w/a power outage. Should I assume that some wires in the route from the switch to the light got shorted/fried somehow when the power went out/came back on, but I haven't experienced anything like this before so wanted to confirm most likely cause.
The light is on a 3-way circuit and I've confirmed that the other switch in the circuit is on.
Update on my comment above: After some additional investigation I've found that the second switch was removed from the 3-way by my electrician w/out telling me. The second switch is in a wierd spot hard that is hard to access so we never used it and didn't know. He had actually wired the power on behind the switch and disconnected all wires from the switch.
but on a serious note.... You'd need a meter or probe to detect there is power at the light. Maybe the switch is switching a wire that has a break in it. for example
If you have a voltmeter, use that for troubleshooting. Make sure you know which wires are hot, which are ground, and which are traveler wires between the 3-way switches.
You could also remove the smart switch and install a standard three way toggle switch to see if it works. That will tell you if the wiring is OK.
Wiring 3-way switches can get tricky. You might just have a couple of wires hooked up to the wrong terminals. That is easy to do.
I had some 3-way and 4-way switches. I converted them over to Lutron Caseta devices and Picos. In that situation, all of the traveler wires get connected together forming a standard 2-way circuit. The Picos take the place of the other switches, controlling the main switch wirelessly.
Funny you say that...the wiring in this area was done by the previous owner when he craeted a laundry room by adding a wall in the garage to close off the previously open laundry area. This may indicate that he was not a stickler for following correct wiring processes.
I finally found my probe (remind me to re-organize my stuff!) and confirmed I'm not getting power at the light. So I guess something got fried between the switch and the light.
The location of the wiring from the switch to the light is a total bear to get to...cramped little space above the laundry room. Not going to be fun to investigate this further. Yuck and ick. Hopefully no rat poop...
Appears this is no longer confitured as a 3-way. Our electrician appears to have removed the second switch from the setup when we did a remodel years ago, and never told me. We never used the second switch (in a dumb place) so we never noticed it was disabled - he must have heard me say we never used it and decided on his own. I pulled the switch and the power was wired on behind the it, nothing actually connected to the switch any more. Removed the switch and put on a closed cover plate so we won't have any confusion on that in the future.
I should have noticed there was no traveler in the box where I replaced the switch.
It's been working for years so don't think it can be an incorrect wiring issue, seems like it must be something failed since it worked up until the power outage/return.
Try replacing the secondary switch. It is more likely that the contacts in it got blown than it is the wiring is broken. You might just get lucky and get to avoid the ceiling (and the rat droppings).
Before I went digging through the cramped space I would verify the 3-way is actually working. And while you are looking at that see if you can find where the feed voltage is coming into the circuit.
Breaker is not tripped..... but is there power at the output? Not often but could be suspect as power surges sometimes do weird things.
Is there any fixtures or switches between this 3-Way circuit and the breaker box?
We had good friends at our home for dinner last night. He was telling me that he's seen a number of wire nuts burn up because whomever installed didn't do it correctly and likely not tight enough.
Yeah, the previous GE Smart switch was in the same spot and used the neutral in the box, and the neutral is connected to the new switch as well. Wiring on the new switch does not appear to be an issue.
Sorry for the confusion, @JohnRob - I've updated my original post to note that I've since discovered the 2nd switch in the 3-way has been disconnected for quite a while, and the 3-way control removed.
I was going to do as you suggest, but first decided to connect a dumb switch to the wires and see what happened. Of course the light came on w/out issue.
Replaced the dumb switch w/another GE Enbrighten I had around, and boom, works perfectly.
So appears this is my first ever DOA Smart device of any kind that I can remember in the many years I've been doing this. And kind of an odd DOA, as it joined the hub and I could operate it remotely, but the actual turning lights on and off just didn't work. I guess statistics catch up w/you sometimes, and it was my turn.
Happy to have worked it out, and appreciate very much the help/suggestions, which led to me trying a different switch and finding the issue! Happy weekend...wife says I can keep on living w/her after all.
