Light Switch On Wall Is Hot

The switch controls a light and the receptacle half of the combo device is always hot.

Light switch on wall is hot.

In general if the switch is too hot to touch for more than a second it s probably too hot. House fires caused by poor electrical connections are devastating in terms of property loss and can also be the cause of loss of life. Most regular switches are rated for 15 amps while most circuits are rated for 20 amps. A hot wall switch is a sign that repairs are needed immediately.

Video of the day. Underwriter s laboratory u l allows a maximum operation temperature of 195f for dimmer switches. If you re asking too much from the wall switch it can get hot. However many circuits are pulling 20 amps.

An incoming hot wire which is black. The main reason a light switch feels hot or shows signs of heat damage is from circuit overload. Two or three wires will be attached to the switch. The hot from the source is spliced to the black wire running to the combo and to the input side of the switch.

This happens when too much current flows through the switch. Just like wall outlets light switches have a limit on how much power they can handle and different switches are rated for different levels of power. A properly installed and loaded wall switch should never get much warmer than room temperature. If you have basic electrical knowledge and a few tools you can troubleshoot the overheated switch and determine the source of the problem in 20 minutes or less.

They can overload if there are too many lights and ceiling fans connected to the switch. The switch is overloaded. If the switch feels genuinely hot though the dimmer may be going bad requiring replacement. If the light switch is rated for 600 watts but 1 000 watts is flowing through it the switch will get hot and possibly lead to a fire.

Most north american manufacturers make the hot wire black and the ground wire green but they don t have to. Light fixtures manufactured in the united states must follow the color coding rules established by the nec. Source 1 comes in at the light fixture and a 3 wire cable is run from there to the switch half on the device. The light switch is overloaded.

Most wall switches are rated for 15 amps. And sometimes a grounding wire which is green or bare copper there may be other wires in the box but you are only dealing with the ones connected directly to the switch. The switch has to draw more current than it s rated for which causes the switch to get hot. Light switches have a limit on the amount of electricity they can handle.

If you feel warmth in a standard switch it s a sign that the electrical flow is not proper which can mean the switch is failing. However the nec has only one requirement and that is that the neutral wire must be white or gray. A return wire which carries the load to the fixture and may be black red or any other color except green. An electrical wall switch that is warm or hot to the touch requires your immediate attention.

Now let s look at the types of problems that can cause your light switches to get hot.