Intermatic HA05 Replacement

[gmitch64]

I have 4 of the Intermatic HA05s in the basement, and they've been working great for the past however many years (10 so so?).
Now, one of them has decided to be a little iffy, and I think it may well be on it's way out to the great e-waste.

Are there any replacements for the HA05s these days? Preferably z-wave, but zigbee would work too. The nice thing about the HA05 is that it was rated for 300W, and I currently have a large LED flower in them, which according to the plug at my desk is running at 97W (I have the 100W version of this (which doesn't seem to be available any more - I needed moar lumens - 12,500 is nice). https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MQCXYNP.

I've come across a couple of zigbee replacement types, but they say they're limited to 100W, and since I'm pulling 97W, that seems to be too close for comfort. Is there a modern (high power) replacement for the HA05, or do I need to hit eBay and grab a couple of them?

I can probably replace the basement light switch with a smart one (but I'd have to do some rewiring for that as well), but even then, switches like the Inovelli Red are rated at 300W for LED; the Zooz ZEN76 is rated for 150W LED, neither of which is enough, so I'm not really sure if that's going to be an option or not.


G

[TC1]

I'm confused by some of your statements... the Intermatic HA05 is a smart switch, no dimming function. So if you wanted to replace it with a wall switch, any modern Z-wave wall switch would handle this easily since most are just relays inside. Most will handle >1000watts

Amazon.com: Enbrighten Z-Wave Smart Rocker Light Switch with QuickFit and SimpleWire, 3-Way Ready, Works with Alexa, Google Assistant, ZWave Hub Required, Repeater/Range Extender, White & Light Almond, 46201 : Industrial & Scientific

So are you looking for a replacement switch function or have you decided you need dimming now?

[gmitch64]

So are you looking for a replacement switch function or have you decided you need dimming now?

I didn't install 12,500 lumen LEDs so that I could dim them 😁

Definitely no dimming required. TBH, I didn't look at the GE/Jasco switches, as they'd left a bad taste in previous years for reliability.
I would take issue with the "most will handle >1000" watts tho...

The Inovelli Red
https://inovelli.com/products/z-wave...-dimmer-switch
If you look at the tech specs, it says "Maximum Load (Watts): 600W Incandescent, 300W LED, 150W CFL"
I wouldn't feel comfortable of having 300W of LED lighting on a switch rated for a max of 300W. I'm sure it would be fine, but I'd like some headway.

The zooz Zen76
https://www.support.getzooz.com/kb/a...tch-700-specs/
Again, the specs say "Maximum Load: 8 A, 150 W LED/CFL, 600 W incandescent"
So I wouldn't even consider that one.

Now, the LED that I have at my desk (the same as the 3 in the basement) is pulling 95.9W, and 0.8A, so sure on the current spec it should be fine, but it's over spec on the rated LED load.

Thanks for the Jasco link though, I'll maybe have to give them another look and see how they work out.


G

[TC1]

Sorry to harp on this, but you're a bit confused as to what is available on the market. You keep looking at dimmers, not actual switches. Huge difference on the tech inside of them and the types of loads they can handle. If it says "dimmer switch" then it's not an actual switch... it's a dimmer, and hence controls the load via electronic method (triac or mosfet) and not an actual relay, which can handle higher current loads.

Here's a number of wall switch options that can handle from 10 to 15 amps, more than enough wattage for your use-case.

UltraPro Z-Wave Smart Rocker Light Switch with QuickFit and SimpleWire, 3-Way Ready, Compatible with Alexa, Google Assistant, ZWave Hub Required, Repeater/Range Extender, White Paddle Only, 39348 - - Amazon.com

Zwave Light Switch: Aeotec Wall Switch, 3 Way, Repeater, On Off, SmartThings Switch, Z-Wave Plus, Gen7, illumino, ZWave hub Required: Amazon.com: Tools & Home Improvement

Zooz 700 Series Z-Wave Plus On/Off Switch ZEN71, White | Direct 3-Way (No Add-On Switch Needed) | Z-Wave Hub Required: Amazon.com: Tools & Home Improvement

So now you have 4 viable choices including the Enbrighten/Jasco I referenced before.

[gmitch64]

Sorry to harp on this, but you're a bit confused as to what is available on the market.

Probably. And I guess I have a bit of a blind spot, since I don't use dimmers at all. But it's also not really helped by the published specs either...

Here's a number of wall switch options that can handle from 10 to 15 amps, more than enough wattage for your use-case.

I agree that 10 to 15 Amps is more than enough, but if you look at the specs on the pages you listed..

ZEN71

Current Rating

15 Amps which is fine. But if you look further down the specs under product description... Maximum Loads: 960W Incandescent, 150W LED's and CFL's

So that suggests that 150W of LED lighting is it's maximum load, which is in the ballpark of 1.25A?


The Aeotec

Current Rating

15 Amps Again, that's fine, but looking further down on the specs... Z-Wave 700 switch adds remote On/Off control to LEDs and CFLs up to 150W, Incandescents and Halogens up to 500W

So again, rated to switch up to 15A, but the rating for LEDs is 150W.


It doesn't make it easy for consumers - the switch is rated for 15A, but it's only rated for 150W of LED lighting? The Aeotech is rated for 15A, but the max for incandescents is 500W, which is basically 4A. Which figures are we meant to believe?


I'm pretty sure that if I wired up the Aeotec (or any of the others - I'm not singling Aeotec out here) it would work fine with the 3 LEDs that I have in the basement.

I'm also pretty sure that if I called Aeotec support for warranty, that they would refuse it on the basis that I'd exceeded the 150W of LED lighting.



G

[TC1]

Ok, so I'm an electrical engineer in a former life and your question on the LED capability being downgraded started to bother me because I didn't know the answer right away.... so I did some research.

Apparently, it has to do with the fact LED drivers inside the bulbs don't do PFC (power correction factor) meaning they are not very efficient under certain load levels. Incandescent bulbs are resistive and exhibit a more predictable load. CFLs are also downgraded because of the in-rush current and the ballast they utilize.

The good part of my research though revealed a Z-wave switch that is not downgraded significantly because of LEDs... and it's no surprise it comes from Leviton (who really know how to engineer lighting devices).

Leviton Decora Smart Light Switch with Z-Wave Technology Wallplate Included, White R52-DZ15S-2RW - The Home Depot

[gmitch64]

Apparently, it has to do with the fact LED drivers inside the bulbs don't do PFC (power correction factor) meaning they are not very efficient under certain load levels. Incandescent bulbs are resistive and exhibit a more predictable load. CFLs are also downgraded because of the in-rush current and the ballast they utilize.

I didn't know that about the LEDs either, so that's good info to have. I know that in my bathroom, I've had to install an incandescent bulb along with an LED one as there's an annoying flicker as a pair of LEDs don't pull enough current when off.

The good part of my research though revealed a Z-wave switch that is not downgraded significantly because of LEDs... and it's no surprise it comes from Leviton (who really know how to engineer lighting devices).

And they have better detailed specs published too..

• Incandescent - 1800W - 120VAC, 60Hz
• LED/CFL - 5A, 600W - 120VAC, 60Hz
• Fluorescent - 15A - 120VAC, 60Hz; 8A - 277VAC, 60Hz
• Resistive - 15A - 120VAC, 60Hz
• Motor - 1/2 HP - 120VAC, 60Hz


G