DETA Smart Switch Rapid Fire

[Remarka6le]

Bit of a strange way to start the morning. I was in the kitchen having a coffee when I started hearing this rapid clicking noise. Tracked it down to our DETA smart touch switch, which was flickering and rapidly firing on and off, and not responding to touch at all.

First thing I did was unplug the toaster and remove the switch plate to see what was going on behind it. There was no obvious smell, heat, or visible damage, but the behaviour was clearly not right.

After around five minutes, the right-hand button stopped flickering on its own. To check whether it was just that side or the entire unit at fault, I pressed the left-hand button. That immediately triggered the same rapid firing behaviour again, lasting for roughly the same amount of time and again completely ignoring touch input.

At this point, it feels less like a random glitch and more like something failing internally, which is obviously concerning for a mains-powered device. Posting here because I couldn't find anything about this online. Unit was installed in late 2022. Has anyone seen a DETA smart touch switch behave like this before, or does this suggest the whole unit is on its way out and needs replacing?

[MitchellMc]

Hi @Remarka6le,

Please, for your own safety, do not investigate or try to fix the switch further. I’ve spoken to DETA Technical Assistance, and they’ve confirmed that the behaviour you’re seeing is almost certainly due to a failed component inside the switch. The unit will need to be replaced rather than repaired.

This work obviously needs to be carried out by a licensed electrician. To make the process quicker, it can help to pick up a replacement switch in advance and have it ready for the electrician. They can simply swap the faulty unit during one visit.

I’m really sorry for the inconvenience this has caused. Unfortunately, with mains-powered devices like this, there’s no safe way to troubleshoot it at home, so replacement is the safest and most reliable solution. 

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

[Remarka6le]

Hey @MitchellMc , 

Appreciate you checking with DETA and confirming the cause.

I haven’t tried to repair the switch itself, but I did have a proper look into it before seeing your reply. I’m posting this mainly so there’s a clear record here in case others run into the same issue down the track. I completely understand and agree with the safety advice, and once it was clear the issue wasn’t something external, I didn’t take the investigation any further.

After removing the clear panel, it became pretty obvious the physical touch switches aren’t the problem. The LED behind the panel is flickering on its own without any contact, which is what’s triggering the rapid clicking. The issue consistently starts on the right-hand side and seems to restart roughly once an hour, though not at a fixed time. There was no dirt, residue or moisture on the front at all, so it does appear to be an internal failure rather than anything environmental. The clear panel is now back on.

I’ve already organised a replacement switch and have it ready to go, so the electrician can simply swap it out in one visit as suggested. That part is all sorted. That said, I am genuinely disappointed that this particular DETA switch didn’t last longer. It was installed in November 2022, which puts it at just over 38 months of service, a fairly short lifespan for a fixed, mains powered fitting. Electrician has already been contacted to come out and replace it today, I'll respond back here with what he says it was. 

I did look into the warranty side of things, but between tracking down installation details, receipts and serial information for a single unit, it was ultimately quicker and easier to just purchase a replacement and move on. I still wanted to flag it here for visibility in case others experience the same behaviour.

Thanks again for the guidance.