Light Switch Gets Hot

Posted by DaveR on October 10, 2005, 10:33 am

On Sat, 8 Oct 2005 19:01:14 -0400, "John Grabowski"

>Since it is a dimmer, I would check to see what the load is. The average
>dimmer is rated for 600 watts, but a combo type with separate switch may
>only be rated for 300 watts.

Wow, thanks for the information. I didn't even think of this. It is
controlling 6 100W flood lamps and may indeed be overloaded. Though it
has been running this way for over 3 years now...

I assumed that since it was installed by pros as part of a total house
electrical upgrade, that they knew what they were doing. But clearly
there was at least one bad apple in the group because I later
discovered that they wired one of my ceiling fans incorrectly.

Posted by RBM on October 8, 2005, 7:38 pm

Boy, if you can buy a Decora style dimmer for $5, sign me up. I'll take 50.
The sparks aren't necessarily a problem as all wall switches spark when they
make and break a circuit. You just usually can't see the spark inside the
plastic. Lutron has had issues with this for years on their Skylark models a
spark is clearly visible at the sides of the rocker switch, which scares the
bejeebers out of a lot of folks. The burning smell on the other hand is a
good indication of a problem, so the unit should be replaced. The aluminum
face of the dimmer is a heat sink and in normal operation will get pretty
hot, so just be sure not to overload the capacity of the dimmer

> On Sat, 08 Oct 2005 16:53:14 GMT, "Colbyt"

>>> I turned on a light switch and noticed a few small sparks inside the
>>> switch as I turned it on. No big deal, or so I thought.

>>Most likely a bad 50 cent switch. The sparks indicate a loose connection.
>>If it is a single switch circuit you should be able to do it yourself with
>>no problems. Just be sure to turn the breaker off before you start. If it
>>happens to be a three way circuit pair a pair of switches, replace both
>>and
>>do one wire at a time.

> Actually it's more like a $5 switch :) It's a Decora style dimmer with
> a rocker switch.
> It wouldn't surprise me to find a loose connection in there. Some of
> the electricians that did the work in my house were a bit careless.

Posted by Tim Fischer on October 8, 2005, 10:18 pm

> Boy, if you can buy a Decora style dimmer for $5, sign me up. I'll take
> 50.

Not sure about the current pricing, but when I bought our current home a few
years back, Home Depot had a special buy on decora-style dimmers, the kind
with the slide lever that clicks off as you slide it down to the bottom, 2

for $12. That's a $6 dimmer, but pretty close <g>. I installed 4 of them

and they work just fine and look great. Not as sexy as the electronic ones
with the snazzy soft-on and stuff, but a heck of a lot cheaper...

-Tim

> The sparks aren't necessarily a problem as all wall switches spark when
> they make and break a circuit. You just usually can't see the spark inside
> the plastic. Lutron has had issues with this for years on their Skylark
> models a spark is clearly visible at the sides of the rocker switch, which
> scares the bejeebers out of a lot of folks. The burning smell on the other
> hand is a good indication of a problem, so the unit should be replaced.
> The aluminum face of the dimmer is a heat sink and in normal operation
> will get pretty hot, so just be sure not to overload the capacity of the
> dimmer

>> On Sat, 08 Oct 2005 16:53:14 GMT, "Colbyt"

>>>> I turned on a light switch and noticed a few small sparks inside the
>>>> switch as I turned it on. No big deal, or so I thought.
>>>Most likely a bad 50 cent switch. The sparks indicate a loose
>>>connection.
>>>If it is a single switch circuit you should be able to do it yourself
>>>with
>>>no problems. Just be sure to turn the breaker off before you start. If
>>>it
>>>happens to be a three way circuit pair a pair of switches, replace both
>>>and
>>>do one wire at a time.

>> Actually it's more like a $5 switch :) It's a Decora style dimmer with
>> a rocker switch.
>> It wouldn't surprise me to find a loose connection in there. Some of
>> the electricians that did the work in my house were a bit careless.

Posted by DaveR on October 10, 2005, 10:36 am

On Sat, 8 Oct 2005 19:38:44 -0400, "RBM" <rbm2(remove

this)@optonline.net> wrote:

>... Lutron has had issues with this for years on their Skylark models...

Yep, this is the one I have (unless its one that looks exactly the
same). I've seen sparks from time inside the switch but didn't worry
about it.

I didn't realize it was a $20 switch. I think I'll go to Home Depot
and downgrade ;)

Posted by William Brown on October 8, 2005, 5:30 pm

With sparking and a burning smell, I would be concerned with the
insulation on the wiring. If you are confident that it has not been
impaired, or that you can shorten the wire to where the insulation is
good, have a go at it. If you are uncertain, call an electrician.

DaveR wrote:

> I turned on a light switch and noticed a few small sparks inside the
> switch as I turned it on. No big deal, or so I thought.
>
> After the lights were on for awhile I there was an 'electric burning'
> smell. Sure enough the switch was hot to the touch.
>
> Is it likely that the switch itself is bad and that replacing it will
> solve the problem? (That I can easily do myself.)
>
> Or could it be a more serious problem for which I should call an
> electrician?
>
> Thanks in advance for any help...
>
>
> --
> Dave

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Light Switch Gets Hot - Page 3