How to replace an old switch with a new one

Typically, a light switch will last up to 10-12 years, but there are times when it needs to be replaced sooner. The reasons may be different - mechanical damage, breakdown of the internal mechanism or obsolescence and unsightly appearance. For an experienced electrician, replacing a circuit breaker is a matter of five minutes. For a non-specialist, this time may increase to 10–15 minutes, but in any case, before starting to disassemble the switch, it is useful to familiarize yourself with its internal structure.

Replacing an old switch with a new one

There are three types of switches: with one key, two or three. To figure out how to make a replacement, consider an example of removing and installing a simple one-gang switch.

Photo gallery: types of electrical switches

All types of switches, including single-gang switches, can be used for flush or outdoor wiring With a two-gang switch, you can independently control two lines of lighting fixtures instrument

Repair, dismantling and replacement of the circuit breaker is only allowed when the power is off.

The circuit breakers on the switchboard must be turned off (check box at the bottom).

In order to ensure your own safety during work, you must turn off the electricity by lowering the corresponding box of the circuit breaker

To finally make sure that there is no voltage on the switch contacts, it is recommended to use a household voltage indicator by installing a metal leg in turn on each of the contacts. A direct confirmation of the disconnection of the network is also the fact that the working lamp of the lamp does not light up when the switch is turned on (button up).

When there is voltage inside the transparent plastic case, the LED lights up.

How to remove an old switch

First of all, you need to conduct a visual inspection. There are many types of switches, and they differ in the way they are assembled. In some, the outer cover is fixed with screws, in others it is held on by plastic latches.

To remove this antique switch, you need to unscrew the two bolts and remove the decorative cover.

Video: how to disassemble the switch

Installing a new switch

Assembly is carried out in reverse order.

1. The wires are connected in place.
2. The base is inserted into the socket and secured with spacer legs.
3. A plastic case is screwed on top.
4. A key is inserted into the grooves.

In this case, it is important to install the switch so that the lamp turns on when the button is pressed up. The assembly of the switch for external wiring is carried out identically, with the difference that after fixing the cable contacts, the base is screwed to the wall, then the case is attached to it, and the key is installed last.

The switch is installed in the reverse order of removing the old device.

How to move the switch to another location

Sometimes there is a desire (or need) to move the switch to another location. For example, when the children in the family grow up, but still cannot reach the switch. The rules for installing electrical appliances allow the switch to be moved to a convenient place for the user. It is allowed to install the switch at a height of 80 to 160 cm from the floor. In order to make such a move, you must first determine the new location. It is considered optimal to install a switch located 15–20 cm from the edge of the door jamb (on the right or on the left - it does not matter, but it is more common to install it on the right).

The switch is installed 15–20 cm from the door on either side

1. If the reinstallation is carried out within 1 m of the original location down or up, a strobe is made in the wall. Its depth should be approximately 1.5 times the thickness of the cable (or cables) laid in the corrugation. The wire should lie freely inside the groove without looking out. The strobe can be made with a puncher or a strobe cutter.
   In order to make hidden wiring, a strobe is made in the wall with a volume of about 1.5 times larger than the size of the cable in the corrugated hose
2. In the place of the new position of the switch, a hole for the socket is drilled. This can be done with a perforator using a diamond crown. The depth of the hole should be no more than 5 cm in concrete and brick houses and 4.5 cm in panel houses. As a rule, a crown with a diameter of 68 mm is used. However, there are various situations, and the crown is selected based on them. This concludes the preparatory work.
   The hole for the socket is drilled using a diamond core bit with a diameter of 68 mm
3. The next step is to turn off the power to the mains of the house (apartment) and completely disassemble the switch, described above. In addition to the switch itself, the socket box is also carefully removed from the wall. This can be done with a puncher or a simple chisel with a hammer. Socket boxes in concrete and brick walls are attached to gypsum, which crumbles and collapses when exposed to blows. It is important not to break the plastic housing of the socket itself, it can be reused.
   The socket box can be removed by carefully knocking out its edges and crumbling the adhesive layer of gypsum
4. After that, the cable is extended to the desired length. It is best to connect the wires using a terminal block or a regular Wago block, but if this is not possible, you can make a simple twist, while insulating it well with a dielectric tape. According to the rules for laying cables in strobes, the cable must be placed in the corrugation. The minimum size of a corrugated plastic sleeve is (outer diameter) 16 mm. The metal corrugation may be 9.8 mm across. The junction of the old and new corrugations must also be insulated. The size of the stackable cable is selected in such a way that there is a margin of 5–10 cm.
   If there are no terminal connectors at hand, you can do the usual twist, carefully insulating all open areas
5. After that, a socket is installed in a new place. The easiest and fastest way is to fix it on alabaster, a quick-setting electrical plaster. The solution is diluted in the ratio of 1 part alabaster to 1 part water by volume. Since the gypsum hardens very quickly, the socket box is first installed in the hole in the wall, the corrugated cable is inserted into it, and only then the solution is prepared.
   Alabaster must be diluted in water in a ratio of 1: 1 and quickly applied to the necessary places, because it hardens very quickly
6. After the alabaster is brought to the consistency of thick sour cream, it fills the strobe with the cable and the empty space around the socket. After 25–30 minutes, the solution will harden and it will be impossible to change the position of the wiring, so everything must be done within 5–7 minutes. Later, with a different solution, the strobe is completely puttied and leveled in the plane of the wall. The former location of the socket box is also completely filled with putty. For the final leveling of all voids, ordinary gypsum is used, which sets only after 25–30 minutes (and some up to an hour), which gives enough time to work. After the putty has completely dried (24 hours), the surface is polished with sandpaper.
   The strobe must be filled with mortar and carefully leveled, and after the alabaster has dried, sanded with sandpaper
7. The installation and connection of the switch is carried out after the strobe and the socket box are completely dry. The connection procedure is described above.

Sometimes (more often this happens in old panel houses) you can come across a switch that is fixed in a recess without using a socket. This practice was characteristic of the buildings of the end of the previous century. The panels were poured at the factory, they provided for the installation of switches and sockets directly into the concrete holes. For some (short) time, such switches served properly, but the sockets were the first to fail and fell out of their sockets when the cord was pulled out. Therefore, if there is no socket under the switch, the task will only be simplified.

In the case when the switch is moved over a considerable distance, it is possible to connect it to another junction box. But it makes no sense to describe this process without reference to a specific situation. In this case, the best solution is to consult with an experienced electrician directly on site.

It is much easier and faster to reset the circuit breaker when cabling outdoors. Obviously, in this case there is no need to ditch the walls, it is enough to stretch the cable channel or even just the cable in the corrugation to a new location.

Outdoor wiring is most often carried out in plastic boxes.

For corrugated sleeves, special brackets are available for sale to help fix them on the wall.

It is more convenient to fasten a corrugated hose with a cable inserted into it using plastic clips

Often such wiring is done in garages, warehouses and other office premises. A clear advantage is its high degree of accessibility during repair or maintenance work. In addition, additional conductors can always be installed in the cable channel as needed.

Video: how to move the switch

Switch repair

Not always the old switch needs to be thrown away and replaced with a new one. Sometimes it is enough to repair it. The switch device is quite simple and can be repaired in case of a breakdown without much difficulty. If you carefully consider the disassembled switch, you can understand that the main function in it is performed by a contact pair, which moves from one position to another by the force of mechanical action. In one position, the electrical circuit is connected, in the other it is disconnected.

Necessary tools and materials

To disassemble and assemble the switch, you will need only one tool - a flat-blade screwdriver, the size of which is 3–5 mm. To clean the contacts, you need a piece of fine-grained sandpaper or a needle file.

Disassembly of the circuit breaker is carried out using a conventional flat-blade screwdriver.

How to disassemble the switch

The process of disassembling the switch has been described above. For convenience, we present it here again.

Modern switches consist of a non-separable base, which simply changes in case of damage.

Contact cleaning

If the switch is unstable (it turns on, then does not turn on the lamp), most likely the reason lies in burnt contacts. Upon closer inspection, such contacts may turn out to be slightly charred or even melted. This happens because the wire is not firmly fixed in the terminal block. Another reason may be a power surge in the network at the time of switching on. A lamp with too much power can also cause damage to the contacts over time. Be that as it may, contact must be restored, then it will continue to serve properly. To do this, it is cleaned with fine sandpaper until a uniform metallic color appears.

Fine sandpaper is used to clean the contacts.

Sometimes the conductor may be tinned, i.e. treated with tin. Then instead of sandpaper it is better to use a small file - a needle file.

Other Possible Problems and Solutions

Other problems with switches are rare. But there are times when a foreign body or some kind of debris gets inside the switch. For example, during renovation. Then it needs to be disassembled and thoroughly cleaned of everything superfluous, it is advisable to blow the base with a vacuum cleaner. As a rule, after this, the operation of the switch is adjusted again.

How to assemble a switch

Assembly is in reverse order. If the repair is carried out for the first time, you can lay out the parts on the table in the order of disassembly or take pictures in stages. When repairing a single-gang switch, the location of the wires does not matter. But if there are two or three keys in it, then in order to avoid confusion, it is better to immediately mark the incoming core with a marker. They can also mark the place of its connection.

When installing a two-gang switch, it is necessary to correctly connect the lead wire (phase), which is best marked during disassembly

You can check the result of the repair after installing the base in the socket. To do this, turn on the mains power on the shield and test the switch. If it works normally, you can complete the assembly, install the protective case and the key.

Video: repair and replacement of the switch

Getting started on replacing the lighting switch, you need to take care of safety measures. It must be remembered that electric current can cause damage to health and is a danger to life. It is necessary to observe the main rule of health protection, which is that installation should only take place when the devices are disconnected from the mains.