Looking for an approved (zwave or zigbee) switch for fluorescent lights (about 400w worth). It seems they are rare. I know Zooz is very clear about not using their switches for these lights and I read several post of people having issues with Inovelli switches. If such switch does not exist I would consider a relay switch, ideally with Power Monitoring.
Any suggestion would be appreciated
The GE/Jasco 'switches', not 'dimmers', used to use a true mechanical relay internally. You could hear the audible 'click' when they changed state. Thus, they were rated for pretty much all load types.
I haven't used any of the GE devices for a few years, as I migrated everything over to Lutron. The Lutron 'switches' can handle most types of loads as well.
Sinope use a relay in thier 1800W model, but their 600w triac and mosfet versions are also compatible with fluorescent lights.
When I had fluorescent bulbs, the GE/Jasco switches worked for them.
My bulbs/fixtures were the old T-12...and the ballasts went...didn't feel like changing out the whole fixture...so I bought off Amazon LED lights which fit in a T-8/T-12 socket. You simply cut out the ballast, wire hot to one end tombstone and neutral to the other tombstone...and the lights work great. Much better light, no noise and flicker.
I second @ksgnow2010’s suggestion. I switched all my tubes to LEDs in 2013, and they’re still going strong!
The choices were much more limited back then compared to now.
Looking at the features of this switch on the Sinope site I got a bit confused. The list starts with:
Works with Neviweb, SmartThings, and Hubitat home automation platforms
followed by numerous features then ends with
These features are available in Neviweb and require the GT130 hub. Features may vary from a platform to another.
Aside from working with fluorescent, one of the features interests me is
See the real-time energy consumption for each connected light switch
Does that work with Hubitat??
Typically you can see what is compatible/available from the release notes, but sometimes just loading the driver even without the device present will give you an idea of what's supported. But you won't see consumption without the device. However, I believe the @mike.maxwell did add the power level capability to the driver.
Inrush current of linear fluorescent lamp ballasts will degrade common switches and relays.
Please don't use a switching device that is not specifically rated for high inrush or that specifically states that it may be used for ballast loads. Standard devices may work for a while, as they degrade and eventually fail in some unpredictable fashion.
My preference is take old tube fixtures to the scrapyard. There are some LED fixtures that are quite good for <$20 that do not require special controls.
Are these "old" magnetic ballasts?
As @aaiyar and @ksgnow2010 have said, I also replaced my fluorescent lights with LED and am using the UltraPro dimmers. Work perfectly.
Wow! Only &50!! In 2013, each LED tube was $25.
Ok so I have taken the first step in converting to LED. The bulbs I ordered from Amazon fit both shunted and non-shunted and the wiring at first appearance looks a breeze. Basically, Black to Red and White to yellow.
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07ZCR3FM4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1
I decided to do a bit more research on the wiring steps and am now more confused than ever. Several videos I watched each had their own wiring scheme but none looked anything like I have.
Below are some images of what my current wiring and ballast looks like
For the side with the yellow wires, do I connect both the yellow wires that came from the ballast to the white?? I assumed the right, which is connected with 2 yellow wires from the left is fine as it is.
Next is what confuses me. For the side with the Red/Blue wires do I wire all 4 to the black??
My bulbs are here tomorrow and hope I can start the conversion soon after,
To add to my confusion, this video shows light wiring identical to what I have. The installer says he doesnt need the yellow at all.
Despite the numerous (seemingly) different wiring options I found online, in the end the conversion was pretty straightforward. Six light, 3 different wiring methods used. The color of the wires threw me off. All in all I got everything converted and working without issue.
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