Most Zooz light switches are not rated for use with fans, home appliances, and motor loads in general - but there are a few exceptions!
Standard Fans
(no smart features or remotes)
Fans Under 3A
(Fan motor only, either no light bulbs or lights controlled by a separate switch)
- The ZEN75 Heavy Duty Switch is the recommended model for fan control regardless of the size of the fan (it can handle fans up to 1HP at 120 V, read more about the recommended loads for this model here). If you're looking for longevity of the device when connected to a motor load like a fan, this would be the best option.
- The next option is the relay on the ZEN30 Double Switch, as this is a 15A isolated relay and can handle a fan load up to 1/2 HP without an issue. You would also have the dimmer paddles free for scene control options as well.
- You can also use the ZEN71 Switch or the ZEN32 Scene Controller, as long as the fan is rated under 3A or installed in the last 5 years.
Fans Over 3A
Fans over 3A or older than 5 years (Fan only, or fan/light combo on a single switch)
- The ZEN75 Heavy Duty Switch is the recommended model for on/off fan control regardless of the size of the fan (it can handle fans up to 1HP at 120 V, read more about the recommended loads for this model here).
- The next option is the relay on the ZEN30 Double Switch, as this is a 15A isolated relay and can handle a fan load up to 1/2 HP without an issue. You would also have the dimmer paddles free for scene control options as well.
While the ZEN75 Heavy Duty Switch and the ZEN30 Double Switch cannot control the speed of your fan (if it has that feature), you'll still be able to control the speed from the pull chain. You can learn more about the types of installations the ZEN30 switch can be used in from this guide.
Smart Fans
You have a few options here, depending on if you plan on keeping the remote control receiver or if you plan to remove it. We cover the various options below:
Keep Remotes/Receivers
- Any Zooz Switch:
- For smart fans, if you want to keep the current remotes and receivers, you would need to add a smart element to them, something like the Bond fan controller. Once you're able to control the fans from your hub using Bond, you can install any of our switches, like the ZEN32 with multiple buttons for example, to control the fans remotely vs cutting power to them. The advantage to this kind of installation is that you will be able to dim the light (if you currently can) and maintain speed control of the fan through Z-Wave control. For this kind of installation, you need to make sure that your local regulations will not require that you have an emergency cut-off switch on the wall.
- ZEN75 Heavy Duty Switch:
- When using the ZEN75 with a fan that contains an existing remote, the behavior may not be as expected. The ZEN75 will turn on and off the 120V going to the fan; however, if there is something in between the relay and the load (ex. remote control receiver installed in the canopy) that means BOTH the ZEN75 and the remote receiver must be ON for the fan to run. If either one of those is turned off (ZEN75 or the remote receiver), this means the power is off to the fan. The remote receiver can be used in conjunction with ZEN75, with the above limitations.
- Another method is rewiring the circuit in parallel mode. In parallel, we have the opposite situation: both ZEN75 and receiver must be OFF to turn the fan off, while either one of those may activate the fan.
- When using the relay on the ZEN30 Double Switch with a fan that contains an existing remote, the behavior may not be as expected. The relay on the ZEN30 will turn on and off the 120V going to the fan; however, if there is something in between the relay and the load (ex. remote control receiver installed in the canopy) that means BOTH the ZEN30 relay and the remote receiver must be ON for the fan to run. If either one of those is turned off (ZEN30 relay or the remote receiver), this means the power is off to the fan. The remote receiver can be used in conjunction with the ZEN30 with the above limitations which are similar to the functionality you get on the ZEN75 model.
- Another method is rewiring the circuit in parallel mode. In parallel, we have the opposite situation: both ZEN30 and receiver must be OFF to turn the fan off, while either one of those may activate the fan.
Remove Remotes/Receivers
You would have the same options at that point as the section above for standard fans, which depends on the total amps and age of the fan.
You cannot have a remote control receiver controlling the fan with the ZEN71/ZEN32 options for smart fans under 3A.
- If you currently have a remote control receiver controlling the fan and you want to use the ZEN71/ZEN32, you'll need to remove it. The reason for this is that the ZEN71/ZEN32 are just basic switches instead of an isolated dry contact relay, which means it is passing 120V from the power supply to the output and the specific load; anything on the load side (spikes, inrush current, etc) will directly affect the ZEN71/ZEN32.
Fan Control Toggle Style
If you're looking to keep a toggle-style switch for your fan, then you could install either the ZEN51 Dry Contact Relay for your fan motor, or the ZEN52 Double Relay for your light and fan motor. These devices can be installed behind the switch, or at the light fixture.
The ZEN71/ZEN32, ZEN75 and ZEN30 switches are the only ones rated to handle the specified fan loads. Our other Zooz switches, especially our dimmers, cannot be used with any type of fan. The high inrush current, or amount of power a motor draws at start-up, will damage the switches immediately or over time. Aside from the 2 models rated for use with fans, Zooz switches should really only be used with lighting within the recommended loads.
Replacing a Single Switch for a Fan/Light Combo
If you have a switch that controls both the motor and the light parts of your fan (power is cut to the whole fan and you control the motor and light with pull chains), you have the options below:
- ZEN75 Heavy Duty Switch: This switch can handle the draw from the mixed impulse and resistive load. You will continue to have a single control that turns the fan and light on and off together.
- ZEN30 Double Switch Relay: The dry contact relay on the double switch can also handle the mixed load, leaving the dimmer paddle free for scene control options.
Please note that the ZEN75 and the ZEN30 relay will still control the motor and light at the same time in this installation. You will not be able to separate control of your light and motor in the fan if you currently have a single wire coming from the fan canopy to the switch box.
The ZEN30 Double Switch is a replacement for an existing double switch and it won't be able to turn a single switch control into a double switch control unless you have separate connections for the light and fan available in the switch box.
If you don't have the fan and light wires available in the switch box, you can separate control of the fan motor and light by installing the ZEN52 Double Relay at the fan canopy and then use any Zooz switch or remote control installed in the switch box to control the ZEN52 relay remotely (using the scene control multi-tap functionality of Zooz switches). If you're not sure how to wire this type of set-up, please get in touch with our team for detailed instructions.
Other Options
If you have the older ZEN21 and ZEN23 switch models (which have been discontinued in favor of the 700 series switches), then you could also use these models as long as the fan is rated under 3A or installed in the last 5 years.
To learn more about the required load minimums for Zooz switches, please check out this helpful article. The maximum loads for each individual Zooz switch can be found under Specifications on their product pages. You can also check which LED bulbs work best with Zooz switches on this compatibility guide.
Have more questions about fans and motor loads? Let us know! Our team will be happy to help.
