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How-To

Updated December 18, 2006 06:00 PST

Please note: If you are not comfortable with measuring voltage (required in Step 5), you should find an experienced electrician to do it for you. Also, please read the requirements for your particular switch. Some switches require a minimum load or a neutral wire.

Click here to read David Powell's first How-to article.

How to: Install a Z-Wave Light Switch

By David Powell

Tools and Supplies Needed:

• Z-Wave Switch
• Flash Light
• Philips Screwdriver
• Standard (slotted) Screwdriver
• Klein Pliers
• Torpedo Level
• Wire Strippers (#14 and #12 AWG)
• Current/Voltage Detector (Greenlee non-contact voltage detector)
• Voltage Meter/Indicator
• 2-Way Radios (communication device)
• Wire Nuts (various sizes)
• Removing the Old Switch

Figure 1: Locate your electrical panel.

Step 1: Locate your electrical panel and turn off the power to the light switch you will be removing.
Electrical panels are usually labeled with room name and types of outlet (see figure 1). However, this is not always the case and the labels could be wrong. So to make things easier you should ask someone to assist you with this step. Start by turning the lights on. Have your flashlight ready. While one person stands in the room and watches the lights the other person should turn off the power. You can always use two-way radios, instead of screaming across the house.

Step 2: Remove the existing switch coverplate using your slotted screwdriver.

Step 3: *IMPORTANT - Before you remove the switch, double check that there is no power in the electrical box using your Greenlee non-contact voltage detector.

The voltage detector works by sensing the magnetic field produced from the current running though AC power lines. Make sure your voltage detector is in the "on" position and verify that it works by testing it on a known live circuit. Now use the detector to verify power is off to the switch. This step is important because it is possible that two separate sources of power exist in the same electrical box.

Figure 2: Separate wires.

Step 4: Remove the switch and repeat step 3.
Using your Phillips screwdriver remove the two screws holding the lightswitch. Gently pull the switch out of the electrical box (see figure 2). Repeat step 3, placing your voltage detector inside the box to make sure all circuits are off. Now you can finish removing the switch by loosening the Phillips screws, which are securing the wires to the switch.

Installing the New Z-Wave Switch
Depending on the manufacturer of the switch the color-coding and types of connections made in the following steps may vary. Read the manual that comes with your switch before making any connections. Feel free to post questions on the ZWaveWorld forums and I will do my best to answer them. The switch that I will be installing is a Monster IlluminEssence 600watt In-Wall Dimmer (ML IWD600S). This particular switch does not require a neutral wire (white) for operation. However, it does require a minimum load of 40watts to operate. This is simply because the internal electronics of the switch need a small amount of power to operate. This is accomplished by allowing a small amount of current to pass even when the lights are off. Another thing to note is that the Monster switch uses screw terminal style connections whereas other manufacturers may have stranded wires for connections. If your switch has wires you will need to make the connections using wire nuts.

Figure 3: Determine load and hot wires.

Step 5: Determine the source and load wire.
The source, also known as the feed, is the wire running from the electrical panel to switch location. The load wire is the connection between the light fixture and the switch. It's important to determine which is which because the Z-Wave switch requires a small amount of constant power to operate. An experienced electrician can usually figure this out without turning on the power. However, the only way to know for sure is to carefully measure the voltage between the neutral (white) and hot (black) wires using a volt meter while the power is turned on (see figure 3). This is a safety risk so caution should be taken.

Step 6: Make the connections.
All neutral (white) wires should be tied together and tightly secured with the proper size wire nut. Once this connection is made, you can then neatly fold the white wires into the electrical box to get them out of the way. The next step is to connect the ground (bare copper) wire to the green screw terminal, which you can see just above the red label in figure 4. The particular switch I am using has three other screw terminals, one which is covered with a red warning label. That terminal is used for three-way installations, which are beyond the scope of this tutorial. The other two terminals are clearly labeled Red and Black. The load wire is connected to the Red terminal and the hot wire is connected to the black terminal.

Figure 4: Ground terminal.	Figure 5: Make connections to the new switch.	Figure 6: Put new switch in the box.

Step 7: Put the new switch in the box (see figure 5).
Neatly tuck all the wires in the switch box first ensuring all wire nuts are tight. The monster switches use a two-piece faceplate, which allows for a clean no-screw look. The two pieces come already assembled so you will need to carefully remove the inside plastic fastener from the faceplate. Place the fastener over the switch and use the screws from the old switch to secure the switch to the electrical box. Make sure the switch is plumb with the wall using a torpedo level. Finally, snap the faceplate over the switch.

Step 8: Restore power at the electrical panel and test the lights.
Figures 7 and 8 are a side-by-side comparison of an ACT HomePro dimmer switch and a Monster IlluminEssence dimmer switch. The HomePro model requires you to hold the switch's button either up or down to adjust the lighting level. The IlluminEssence model uses the small switch to the right of the main switch to control lighting level and you turn the lights on and off by taping that bottom of the main switch. Both switches offer a power disconnect. The HomePro's disconnect is a small pullout tab located on the bottom left of the switch. The IlluminEssence switches main button can be lifted gently from the bottom to disconnect its power. You should always disconnect the power before changing any light bulbs.

Figure 7: Before HomePro.	Figure 8: After IlluminEssence.

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A frequent contributor to cocoontech.com, David Powell holds a B.A. in computers and information science from University of Maryland. He started his home automation project with a HomeSeer to automate his Z-Wave lighting and has since grown his system into 25+ Z-Wave devices controlled by the CQC software. He holds a Home Automation license, which qualifies him to install Z-Wave devices in residential structures.