Defects happen.
A new electrician came over for a service call today, to change a couple of outlets and switches that were too challenging for me to tackle myself (at least not without driving myself nuts). For instance, previously switched outlets, and one still switched, were a mess.
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Once things were finished, I flipped the breaker back on, and the lights didn’t turn on. One of our fancy modern Lutron switches was non-functional, right out of the box. I wonder if the rattling noise had something to do with it. I had another on-hand (thank you, Home Depot!), and it worked perfectly.
While he was there, I showed off the broken Hubbell switch I had to replace about 2 weeks ago.
At the time, my wife woke me up, and told me that she couldn’t turn the bathroom light off. The bathrooms were remodeled 2 years ago, with 4 switches controlling 3 recessed lights and 1 fan.
Maybe it was in an intermediate position somehow?
*Flip, flip, flip.* Nope. The switch was broken.
It could be worse. When I was a kid, we moved to a new house, and somehow my bedroom light switch tripped a circuit breaker in the basement. My parents had that fixed fast, but I vaguely remember having a nightmare or two when I tried to turn the lights on in the dark but nothing happened. Or was that real?
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Or, it could have been like an episode of King of the Hill, where Hank, in trying to thwart the sale of his house, rigged a light switch to operate a microwave and other kitchen appliances.
So, how normal is it for light switches to fail, let alone in 2 years? Maybe this was a low-grade Hubbell, and we’ll see some more failures? I hope now.
Do you guys have any recommended light switches? We replaced this with a Leviton “Preferred” switch, which is a slight upgrade over the basic ones, and it definitely feels more solid, too.
Pat Tech
I use Leviton Decora “Preferred” when replacing switches. The Lutron switches and dimmers that I’ve looked at feel cheap and we’ve had failures with a few of them at work after a couple of years.
Tim
Preferred means bigger plate. It’s nothing to do with switch itself
Stuart
That is incorrect.
There is absolutely a quality difference between the standard and Preferred devices.
Matt
Hubbell is, in my experience, a garbage device brand. My experience is based on my dad being an electrical contractor since 1981. There are occasions when we’ve had to use them because they were spec’d but otherwise we Legrand/Pass&Seymour exclusively. Their non-breakable thermoplastic was revolutionary many moons ago and we’ve really never looked back. We did a job about a year ago using Hubbell and we’ve had more device failures at that one job than we have in many years of P&S use. Dead switches and dead GFCIs seem to be the most common problems. They also seemed to be either easier to scratch or the scratches are more visible.
I’m not a big fan of P&S engraving Legrand on their decora devices as they become a dirt catch, but when it comes to durability and functional use, they’ve been solid and reliable devices.
Paul
Bought a house in 2017 that was built in 2007. Switches were all Pass & Seymour and 90% were failing/falling apart – literally. Garbage. Replaced them all with Leviton.
Jesse
I have had the same issue with failing single pole P&S switches on a house built in 2011. The plastic housing cracks around the push-in terminal and the line and/or load wire is just hanging in the box. Was there a known issue with P&S switches during this era?
Chris
Exactly my issue as well…P&S single pole switches and my house was built in late 2011. Since 2016 when I purchased it I have now had to replace 5 switches all with the same failure. The bottom screw terminal assembly and plastic corner are laying in the box and the pushed in wire is just sitting in mid air. There has never been any smell, charring or evidence of arcing as I have seen with other failed switches. One was for my furnace and AC which stopped working one morning. Just as I was placing a service call for no power to my AC I decided to check the kill switch and sure enough it was the same problem… and it was in the on position when it failed. Are these just cheap junk switches? Should I be concerned enough to change them all out????
Evadman
I have never seen a switch fail in the ON position. That would be scary on something like a garbage disposal.
I generally use Leviton when I am replacing something that failed, but I haven’t installed enough to have a statistically significant sample.
Chris
Yeah, I found that quite odd also. I’m guessing the contacts welded themselves together when the light switch was first turned on. Certainly a odd occurance
firefly
Could be a ghost. Sound like Stuart need to move 😀
firefly
I haven’t seen one fail. Maybe I am just lucky. It’s such a simple device I see very little reasons for them to fail beside poor manufacturing.
ToolOfTheTrade
A light switch should never fail if it’s been wired in correctly. Most of the time it’s because the wires weren’t stripped back enough and they didn’t loop the taps around the screws and failed to tighten them correctly. Or the tap slipped out of the connector jacket because it wasn’t tight enough. The only thing that I can think of is either the wrong switch was installed or it was some cheap brand x switch. I’ve never heard of Hubbell and I’ve been doing residential electrical work for several years. I’ve always used leviton for switches and receptacles unless the customer has some funky digital switch that controls 4 different things. A leviton duplex/double pole switch is what you should have in your bath if you want the fan and lights to run independently. Just about every room in a house with or without a ceiling fan should be a single pole switch with the exception of baths with fan and lights controlled independently or rooms with dimmable lights, etc.
Stuart
As mentioned in the post, the switch failed internally. It was a device failure, not a wiring defect.
You could feel it in the switch, there’s no feedback when switching back and forth, it was simply broken.
fred
Hubbel has been in business since 1888 – owns other electrical parts companies like Bryant, Burndy and AB Chance. They are smaller in size but older than Leviton – and still a very big company (part of the S&P 400). I don’t think they are a fly-by-night company – but can’t comment on the quality of their homeowner grade switches (possibly made in their China factory). We had some Hubbel 3-phase connectors on some of our machinery and would have recalled if any of them had failed.
Seth Ladd
Light switches can absolutely fail under normal use even when wired correctly. The culprit is usually loads with high inrush current – CFL bulbs in particular. The switch contacts are subject to arcing as they are closed, which slowly creates a buildup that can foul the switch.
This is why some light switches (typically older switches) that have a decent amount of fluorescent or CFL lights on them emit a ‘pop’ noise when they are thrown over. Incandescent loads have an inrush current of about fifteen times their normal rated operating current. CFLs have an inrush current about fifty (!) times their normal rated operating current. The higher the inrush, the greater propensity for arcing (popping), and the faster the switch contacts degrade.
OBDave
This is interesting info, thanks! I replaced the switch to my kitchen lights (4 fluorescent tubes) about a year and a half ago when it got wonky – sometimes would turn lights on, sometimes not, sometimes only delivering partial power.
I had no idea at the time whether the switch was the issue or not, but I had a half box of Leviton preferred switches sitting in my car and figured this would be the cheapest, easiest thing to try first. New switch fixed the problem, but it’s been coming back again over the last few weeks, making me think there’s something more serious wrong because I’ve never heard of a year-old switch breaking (hell, most of the ones I replace are just because the existing ones are old and not aesthetically pleasing).
This gives me more to think about – I also took the easy way out and just stuffed the wires into the hole with a clamp in the back of the switch, maybe more surface area by actually wrapping the poles is the better move.
Joe
If you’ve never heard of Hubbell you need more experience in the field, no offense. They’re a large name in the business.
Joe
Also there is a big difference between a double pole and tandem switch. If you ask for a double pole switch at the supply house you are not going to get what you’re describing.
Chuck
Where was the failed switch manufactured? It would be worthwhile info to know if “Supposedly Reputable Company X” was having substandard items produced in an “unspecified Asian country.”
Stuart
Didn’t say, at least not clearly, and it has since been disposed of.
RKA
I’ve had a few fail in my house. They were most likely what was installed 22 years ago when the house was built. And there are a few switches that don’t match the originals, so the previous owners likely replaced them. Those have been fine for the 9 years I’ve been here. And those are also operated frequently since they operate the kitchen lights, so maybe they failed as well?
The ones that did fail didn’t failed completely, you could feel there wasn’t enough resistance when throwing the switch. That’s my sign now to take a closer look. Further exploration revealed the housing was cracked, and in some cases you could hear an arcing sound as you turned the switch on.
fred
Older houses – built before the 1980’s may also have mercury silent wall switches installed. Nothing wrong with them in use IMO – but handling mercury in their manufacture posed a hazard for workers so they are no longer made.
MT_Noob
I’ve been considering replacing a few switches in my house also. They seem to be generic builder grade. If you slowly flip the switch from off to on or visa versa you can hear some arcing. I miss the old school snap action switches from when I was a child. I know everyone wants silent switches for some reason, but those old ones seemed more robust.
So what is the brand to go with if I don’t care about fancy decorator plates, wifi control or any of that nonsense, and I just want to replace the switches once and not have to replace them again in my lifetime?
satch
Find a good whoesale house and buy commercial or industrial grade switches. Pass & Seymour or Hubbell. Just make sure they are not the 69c specials from the home stores. Sometimes they have the better grades of those brands too.
Recently I found P&S commercial grade single pole switches at Menard’s for 1.69 each in a box of ten. This is significantly less than my wholesaler would sell them to me for. Who knows? Next year or next bid cycle those prices could change or the product dissapear.
These are a very good grade product. Full metal bonding strap up the back between the two yokes and both side and back wire terminals. Back wire capable is NOT back stabbing. Different devise and is to only be used in 15A residential circuits. I won’t use use them at all.
satch
Oops. Sorry, misspoke. I found P&S receptacles at that price. Switches will be considerably more. Expect to pay 3.50-7.50 per switch for top shelf commercial/industrial grade switches. Why? It is the single most used electrical devise in your house or business. 3 way, 4 way, and higher amperage rated switchee can easily be at the top end of that range. Sometimes 10 dollars. I would still do it.
MT_Noob
Thanks, I’ll keep an eye out and see if I can find some locally.
Derek
Disclaimer: I run a light switch manufacturing company.
Light switches if they pass UL20 should never fail if they are installed correctly and have the load (lights or fan) matched properly (although I know the load specs can be confusing). The design testing for UL is extensive. Although I’ve seen that some manufacturers will modify the metal alloy and plastics to get lower costs and don’t retest. This is a violation. The regular toggle or rocker switches are so low margin you can see people cut corners and hurt the customer.
Any manufacturer could have quality defects. The guys that are spitting out millions per day don’t test every switch. They know that it is unlikely that you are going to complain and return it due to the low cost.
Check out Deako light switches. Replace or upgrade them in seconds without an electrician. We test 100% of our switches before they ship in many ways.
They are luxury and premium switches that are designed to be swapped in seconds because you never know when you want to put in a dimmer, or timer or smart light switch….. You don’t want to have to call an electrician.
Best for our switches to go in during the building of a new home or renovation when you have to put in new stuff anyways.
http://www.deako.com
Pete
I’m currently designing my house to build it myself and am interested in your products BUT i can’t get your website to load.
Corey
Failed on means cheap contacts fused during the connection. Could have been an internal connection failing, and causing a miniature arc. I’ve seen some switches and GFCI outlets fail in my residential years, not so much in industrial. I’ve never taken enough interest in researching the failed ones, due to the fact that I was just there contractor remodeling for a realtors, but I’ve always kept to leviton in my repairs/installs. Industrial gets a mix bag from leviton and GE to square d and ab.
fred
My understanding for the “industrial applications” like the “switches” we had on our larger machines – was that there were 2 sets of contacts. I was told that the first set would carry the load and they would open first – then the second set of contacts would open to take the arc. I think that the larger 3-phase machines had circuit breakers with arc chutes that helped break or quench the arc. Anyway – when the guys would push the red stop button on something like the big Marvel plate saw, it seemed like the action was not at the speed of light.
TonyT
I try to avoid 3 phase 480V stuff, but I do have some experience in designing for safety. For example, the contactors we use are mechanically linked (3 phase power contacts plus NO and NC monitoring contacts), so if a power contact welds closed, the safety controller will detect it. Another piece of trivia: SEMI S2 safety specs require an electro-mechanical means to kill power, NO SOFTWARE involved! Not even a safety PLC.
If your motors are using circuit breakers instead of contactors, they’re pretty big 🙂 and that means there’s probably plenty of stored energy in the system, plus electro-mechanical devices do take time to actuate.
jsb
Living in an 1891 house rewired 38 years ago for the previous owner I’ve seen a number of switch failures. Almost all switches that were “AC only” quiet switches have failed. Haven’t had any issues with replacement switches as long as they were commercial or industrial grade.
Jim Felt
My dad taught me about simple 120vac wiring in high school. By the time I needed to fiddle first in business and then as a homeowner I/we acquired business accounts at commercial electrical supply houses. Like at Rexall level venders nationally.
Since that distant time I’ve/we’ve never once lost a switch or receptical to failure. Ever. But also have never once bought any of those hundreds if not more devices that weren’t clearly marked as being least spec grade.
Leviton, P&S and Lutron amongst them. And now many LED compatible Leviton dimmer upgrades. Plus Leviton WiFi Decora switches. Oddly it’s no longer possible to find 120vac LED era dimmers listed as so-called “spec” grade. Darn.
Sierra long ago, I believe, started the non toggle “Decora” looking paddle switch movement and to this day I prefer Leviton for their cleaner look among the Decora “look” switches/dimmers. To me Lutron and P&S look kinda “me to” design wise.
For traditional toggles just stay within a spec grade level of the same brand if looks and consistency matter.
Oh and of course color! Never ever put White, Ivory or Almond in the same building. Drives me nuts.
In fact in some buildings I just use grey with SS plates for everything.
But hey. It’s part of my career.
fred
We’d have customers who wanted the “Decora” paddle switch style switches and outlets for a single room or two-room remodel – then wondered why they could not find real brass wall plates to match what they had in other rooms. We had this happen often enough that we’d explain the possible ramifications of options to clients before starting a job.
On some of our historical home remodels – we stayed with pushbutton switches (redoing wiring of course) to match the style of the house. I don’t recall that we were ever able to find a source for modern reproductions of rotary porcelain switches. Our electrical subcontractor – sometimes had some fits between the client and the local inspectors – particularly when it came to placing outlets in baseboards and floors to match original construction.
Frank D
I have seen different brand switches fail that were 20-40-60 years old due to frequent use, so mechanical wear or plastics cracking … all the way to brand new LED dimmers not turning power off when you switch them OFF! Our new chandelier with led edison filament bulbs would remain lit at the lowest level … three different model LED dimmers from Home Depot … all the same issue. Brand name escapes me at the moment … contacted the manufacturer … they shrugged it off and said my load was too low … 8*4W is too low ???? Picked up one Lutron from Lowes, no issue, all dimming levels, proper on off … did mean I had to redo the bank of four other switches so they’d match visually in the same space. Sigh. Anyhow. Brand new switches made in ‘17-‘18 where OFF is NOT OFF ?!?!
Jim Felt
The digital revolution has its drawbacks. Both Lutron and Leviton clearly warn users that not all LED (all digital controlled BTW) will function properly with their respective dimmers.
They both try to test and certify as many as they can but it’s both a moving and ever expanding Chinese made source of aggravation.
Never much happened with “mere” incandescent bulbs.
I’ve recently found new in package dimmers and donated them to Habitat for Humanity or Goodwill as fast as I accumulate a few.
Frank D
The crazy thing (to me) is though that toggling “OFF” is not actually cutting the power! It is only dimming it to a low state and keeps letting power through.
Imagine if all switches worked like that. Yes, that circuit is switched off … sorta.
I have a number of smarthome type switch dimmers in wall and as little receptacle wall warts … and their OFF is an audible mechanical click OFF.
David Zeller
Smart sockets that click off are usually called appliance modules and are non-dimming. This prevents you from hurting something not made for running on a “dimmed” circuit.
Frank D
Correct. I have some of each kind. The point I was trying to make is that I have smart wall switches and smart sockets with dimming for LEDs etc and that when tapped on/off locally or remotely … they click off and cut power to zero. Unlike the series of LED dimmers I got at Home depot … so those switches are imo inferior and untrustworthy, when OFF = we’re letting 10% or however much power flow through … thus being always on really.
Frank D
I have a few different ones of each kind, thing is the smart wall switch dimmers and wall wart switch dimmers, they 100% cut power (whether applied locally or remotely).
I simply cannot fathom OFF switches that allow power through, whether lamps or otherwise. If I’m using “toggle OFF” … I expect 0% power on the line.
ktash
Having lived in houses built before the 1950’s and some much older, I’ve see a few switches fail. It seemed like they just wore out. Certainly the plug sockets fail somewhat more frequently, mainly getting out of kilter so it’s hard to plug things in. I’ve replaced more of these than switches.
Oh, I remember my grandparents’ house had those push-button switches. Never thought about them before, but the image came instantly back when Fred mentioned them. As a kid things like this were fascinating.
fred
I think we saw outlets that caused problems – including fires. If I recall correctly – some of the places that had issues also had aluminum wiring from a time period when some thought that it was a cheaper viable alternative to copper. If I recall correctly – the wiring devices were not designed to deal with aluminum’s propensity for creep and/or surface oxidation with increased resistance.
Brian M
Mechanical switches seem rather rare but smart switches? Often…though, I live in Florida so we get a lot of lightning damage and I see them more than most because I go on-site after a lightning strike(or high voltage surge, fire, etc…). Rarely does any switch fail in the “On” position, normally it goes open and in some cases it blows a chunk out of the switch(again, it goes open).
Stuart
The smart switch was DOA, the mechanical one down in the photo failed.
Mr. X
I have 40 years in the electrical trade and I can count on one hand the number of modern switches that have “failed”. I have replaced countless older snap switches where the snap mechanism failed due to mechanical fatigue and many older mercury switches where the contacts in the mercury capsule deteriorate over time. Statistically, modern single pole, three way, and four way switches are among the most reliable electrical devices in use. Most issues are not due to the construction of the switch but rather due to installation error or poor workmanship.
David Zeller
We had a bathroom redone three years ago and had one of the four switches fail within 2 years. You could hear a loose part inside the switch. Of course, over a year later, I still have not turned the upside-down replacement to the correct orientation. Oops.
ktash
This is an older post, but thought it might clarify some of the grades:
https://iaeimagazine.org/magazine/2005/01/16/receptacle-grades-what-do-they-mean/
The author says that there are only four official grades, and that the mfg’s designations are to help the consumer, but are not regulated.
Stuart
Those are very general.
For instance, Leviton Preferred don’t seem to be “spec” grade, but they’re a big step above standard residential grade.
There are even different grades of Preferred.
The one I like has a metallic guard in one recess, and a plastic one in the other, and it is FAR easier to use than the other kind which has two flatter-shaped plastic guards.
To get a better outlet from Pass & Seymour, at least from what I can tell, you have to step up to a $5 spec-grade receptacle. Right now I have one in use, to see if the $2 additional premium over the better Levitons will be worth it for the most-used outlets in the workshop.
ToolOfTheTrade
It’s rare to have the throw wear out inside of a switch unless it’s really old and seen heavy use or it was manufactured with less than ideal parts. Most of what they are selling these days is hit or miss with these digital/smart switches. I’ve seen quite a few fail mainly because of manufacturer defects. A light switch with wifi is something that is pointless and unnecessary and not worth the expense unless you’re handicap. Other than that, you shouldn’t need it. There’s no reason that an able bodied person can’t get off their ass to turn off the lights other than they are physical incapable. Motion sensor light switches are about as good as it gets. Very smart solution to the typical toggle/thrown light switch. It should be the industry standard. Very Awesome. Other than that, keep it simple.
ktash
I agree about the smart switches. Just another way to turn into a couch potato ;). For someone with a disability, a real smart idea, though.
Stuart
When we bough the house, we had recessed lights installed in the living room and family room.
The existing switched outlet seemed to have been problematic to work off of, so the electrician wired in a new switch at one entrance to the room. But we’ve found that we always enter at the other side.
So, after a lot of frustration, we swapped the dimmer for a wireless switch, and a wireless remote was placed at the other end, in place of the switch that previously controlled an outlet (which was converted to always-on). Now, we have 3-way switch operation without having to break through the walls and ceiling to run wires.
The remote has a “favorite” setting, the switch itself can be a little annoying to use.
We have landscape lighting based on older wireless module controls, and something’s wrong, pretty much requiring an overhaul of the outlets, switches, or likely both.
Why go with the older tech when “smart” switches are more controllable and no more expensive?
We’re still learning what our preferences are, and the Lutron were provided at no cost for testing and review purposes.
I like a different kind of wireless switch, which has mechanical controls more in tune with my preferences, but it’s less “smart.” We’ll have to see what works. Right now, I’m just happy that we can turn on the lights without having to walk across or around the room in the dark.
It’s not about being a “couch potato.” But it IS convenient and repeatable to be able to ask our Echo to turn the lights to xy%, rather than fiddle with a small mechanical dimmer (e.g. Toggler), or large dimmer with too-small on/off control.
I’m tempted to replace our 1/2 bathroom toggle switch with a motion sensor light, since my kids aren’t tall enough to reach them without the step stool. When they have to go, they don’t always have time to move the step stool over from the sink, turn on the light, and then get to the toilet. Right now they ask for help, or go in ambient light.
ktash
Stuart, that makes perfect sense, small children, not having to walk across a darkened room to turn on a light, etc. Things I hadn’t thought about. I tend to like simple, straightforward things that are mechanical and easily understood/fixed by an average person. But certainly there is a place for these other things.
firefly
One of the best investment that I have made is purchasing a motion activated outlet (night?) light for the bathroom. It came on when we step into the bathroom and there is no light. I believe I spent less than $20 for it. I like it a lot because it provide just enough light that we can do everything around the bathroom with ease. Yet the light is soft enough that it doesn’t wake us up. I don’t know if it’s a night light or not because it’s rather bright for a night light. But it’s rather dim as a regular light.
firefly
I agree with you that using a smart switch for the sole purpose of avoiding walking to a physical switch seem like a poor choice.
Once tied to a smart hub, a smart switch can do much more than that though . It can turn light on and off at a random time to give the illusion that somebody is home. It can control complex lighting profile such as switching to particular color/brightness level. It can be tied to other events in the automation network such as when a sensor is triggered.
I love motion light switch and they are great however they will turn off after sometimes if the switch doesn’t detect any activity. If the switch is not installed in a location that it can detect constant activity then it can get annoying to having to move somewhere just to keep the light on. Wouldn’t it be nice if that one switch can be tied to multiple sensors? What if the switch is also aware of the time and will set a longer (or shorter) off timer depending a different time of the day?
Frank D
I like to keep it simple as well …
In a hillside complex multi-story house with some outdoor features, it sure is nice though to have some smart switches, vs walking up and down two flights of stairs to turn something on and then off outside, or not having to walk to the specific switch somewhere in the house.
eric schiller
“A light switch with wifi is something that is pointless and unnecessary”
I guess you don’t understand the concept of home automation then.
Bertil
I apologise that this isn’t a helpful comment, but as an Australian I can never get over how god awful ugly the American switch mechs are
Ken
Very interesting article of current switches. One or two items that were left out are that the manufacturers of the switch use the cheapest materials for the mass produced residential ones and are ONLY for incandescent loads. That minor item can create a major problem with the use of LED lighting. Many of the cheap residential switches do not turn completely off and there is bleed thru of voltage/current. This creates a problem where the LED lamp will glow at a much diminished output, but still be on. Not a problem with incandescent lamps as the voltage/current bleed thru is not enough to ignite the filament.
There is no information or indication on the packaging of current switches that they can or cannot be used with LED lighting, also none stating that they can only be used for incandescent lighting. Unless the packaging clearly states that the switch can be used with LED lighting, it is better to assume that it can’t.
fred
I guess that I don’t understand how a switch that has contacts that are closed or opened by mechanical action can have “bleed through.” Surely and open contact has enough air gap that 120V AC will not arc across.
Are you talking about some solid state switching device?
Frank D
Confusing post really, as you are lumping quite a few things together there … by simply calling everything “switch” while it looks like you’re talking about dimmer switches, at least in some parts.
I know for a fact that even the cheapest and average big box store toggle & paddle light switches work just fine with LED bulbs, like with any ordinary bulb, as they’re 100% ON / OFF making or breaking contact. Plenty of those switches around in many places. Exchange bulbs to LED. No issue.
Now when it comes to dimmers, yes, the old rotary dimmers and average dimmer may cause issues …
But, I also know for a fact that you can buy brand new LED advertised dimmer switches at $30-35 a piece … and have that bleed through. (see my post higher up, where I went through three different models sold by HomeDepot, ultimately switched brands and picked some from Lowes)
Dan
Even though my house is a site-built custom home, all the light switches and outlets were some kind of little-known brand that specializes in mobile home supplies. None of the switches failed, but the outlets couldn’t hold a plug.
I replaced all the 2-way, 3-way, and 4-way switches with commercial grade (not residential grade) Leviton Decora switches. I replaced the dimmers with Lutron switches. I swapped out the mobile home outlets with commercial grade Decora versions, with one or two Leviton USB outwits in each room.
The upgrade from residential to commercial grade isn’t that costly. Decora switches and outlets offer a MUCH cleaner look than old-school toggle switches and double-hex outlets.
firefly
I think I spoke too soon. It look like the switch that’s tied to my garbage has failed. I still need to investigate again to be sure but at this point the switch is the most likely culprit. Interesting enough this is probably the switch that seen the least used around the house.
A few week ago my garbage disposal stop working. The outlet that it was plugged in showed no power after it’s switched on. I removed the switch cover to check for loose wire and everything is magically working again. It has failed again today.
firefly
So the whole thing magically started to work again after I flip the switch back and forth a few time as a final test. At this point the switch is the most likely culprit. I am a bit lazy to remove the whole thing to do a proper dissection today but I will have to do that another day.
George
Not sure how old my house is, but it is old. Been in it since 86. I just had to replace a kitchen light switch. So look, how come all other switches are still good? Because things were built well before. Now they are minimal junk.
Frank D
Maybe that is the most often used one?
Joe the electrician
LevitonModel # R62-05634-0WS4.5587(426) I have replaced 6 switches in the last 4 years. I finally complained to the company. The spring in the switch breaks and never shuts off. I have to use tape to keep it off. This has happened to me so many times a can’t believe I am the only one this has happened to. It a bathroom light switch that controls 2 separate lights
Dave T
have a house built in 1995 and the contractor used all Leviton switches and outlets. About a year ago replaced a standard switch with a timer switch and to my surprise when I went to remove the switch it came out in pieces even though it worked. The back part of the plastic case was in pieces. the screws holding the wire were very difficult to loosen. This week during a kitchen remodel changed two switches from ivory to white. In both cases the screws were in very tight and although they were not broken the cases broke when the connection screws were loosened to remove the wires. Don’t know who the gorilla was that called himself an electrician but over tightening the connection screws can obviously create a hazard. Instructions with the switches do specify a tightness, wonder if the installer ever read the instructions.
Andy Goldstein
I have had to replace a single pole light switch to an overhead light three times in the last year. What’s causing this failure.
Does a short in the wires to the light fixture cause the switch to break. Homeowner not an electrician. Andy