My GE 12727 Z-Wave Smart Toggle Switch started clicking like a metronome and died after 5 years

Since the product is no longer sold on Amazon, I am left with putting this product review here. I got a bunch of GE smart toggle switches back in 2016 and installed them in various smarthome builds. Then, just yesterday (2021-03-14), I was (ironically?) installing a different smart switch on the same circuit. I turned the breaker on and off a handful of times while installing/testing the new one. And then I heard a clicking. Click… click…click… click… click… like a metronome with 1 second delay. It was the GE 12727 smart toggle from 2016. It was just clicking and clicking and clicking. At first I thought for sure the new switch was interfering with it somehow so I disconnected it and the clicking continued.

The clicking itself

I guess a 5-year life isn’t terrible, and that one of the issues of going all in on home automation is that complexity generally leads to lower reliability. I can handle replacing the ones in my home, temporarily with the OG dumb switches and then with new upgrades (I’ve been using Inovelli switches recently based in Michigan what what!, which have cool extra features). It’s a lot more problematic when something like this happens at my mom’s house and she has to like call an electrician.

Apparently people have found that this can be fixed by changing out a capacitor.

And here’s a video of a similar fix. I’ll try it out and report back.

5 thoughts on “My GE 12727 Z-Wave Smart Toggle Switch started clicking like a metronome and died after 5 years”

  1. I had the same issue. I read that a capacitor could be replaced. BUT, in my case, I had a spare. HOWEVER, I was leaving on a road trip and had to defer the replacement until my return. I pulled the little air brake and left. When I returned a week later, just for grins – as I know capacitors take time to discharge, I re-engaged the air break and to my surprise, the switch came back to life properly. No clicking and everything works on command.

    1. Could you describe what that air brake is or looks like because I have one doing this now

  2. Could you describe what that air brake is or looks like because I have one doing this now

    1. Wow, the timing here is crazy coincidental, but my Jasco Z-wave toggle switch just starting “clicking” tonight after I had moved its “air gap” switch left (open) then back right (normal/closed). Made my porch lights go bonkers, too, flashing on and off sporadically, which I’m sure had the neighbors thinking it was part of a Halloween display!

    2. Mine started after a power outage. Then after 10 minutes or so, it just stopped ticking and came back to life

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