Has a light switch, ceiling fan switch, 3 way switch, or garbage disposal switch gone bad? How to safely remove the faulty electric switch and install a new one.
Replace an Electric Light Switch
Every DIY homeowner will need to replace an electric light switch at some point. That, or a switch for a ceiling fan, garbage disposal, or other appliance. What are the symptoms of an electrical switch that needs replacement? It might fail to turn on the light or appliance that it controls. Or perhaps the toggle feels loose or sloppy. This signals imminent light switch failure.
Tools Needed for Removing and Replacing a Switch
Minimal tools are needed for this project. They are:
Single-pole switch – this is the most common switch and is called a single-pole switch. How is it identified? It has two wire terminals plus a ground wire. The toggle on a single-pole switch is clearly marked “On” and “Off”.
Three-way switch – this electric switch is not marked “On” and “Off”. It has three wire terminals plus a ground wire. This type of switch works in tandem with another three-way switch so power can be turned on and off from two different locations.
Dimmer switch – this type of switch does what its name implies; it dims or raises the lighting level. Can a dimmer switch be used on a ceiling fan? Not a standard one. But there is a dimmer switch made specifically for fans.
How to Replace the Electric Light Switch
Regardless of which of the above types of electric switches is being replaced, the same basic steps are performed.
Remove power from the switch. This means turning off the circuit breaker that feeds the switch. How can it be determined which breaker it is? It may be labeled in the circuit breaker box. If not, turn the switch on and put a circuit breaker in the “Off” position. Did the light go out? If not, turn the breaker back on and try the next one.
Remove the light switch cover.
Test for power using the voltage tester.
Unscrew the switch and gently pull it out of the box.
Label each wire.
Loosen the terminal screws and pull off the wires.
Remove the old switch and verify the new one is the same type.
Put the wires on the new switch and tighten the terminal screws. (If a wire is accidentally broken, strip off enough insulation to make the connection.)
Install the new switch in the switch box and replace the screws.
Ensure that no bare wire is contacting anything.
Replace the light switch cover.
Set the circuit breaker in the “On” position and test the new switch.
If the light or appliance functions as expected, the job is done! Otherwise, turn the circuit breaker off and retrace the steps.
The copyright of the article Replace an Electric Light Switch in Home Electrical is owned by Kelly Smith. Permission to republish Replace an Electric Light Switch in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
I did a voltage test and the line does not register. What would cause a
line to go bad?
Oct 4, 2008 6:32 AM
Kelly Smith :
The first thing to check is the circuit breaker or fuse and make sure it's
in good shape. Other than that, it could be a short circuit or a wire that
worked loose and needs to be reconnected.
I would start at the
panel and troubleshoot by working your way towards the switch. As long as
it's "live", you're good. When it goes "dead", you've
found your problem.
For this type of work, I use a Fluke voltage
tester. It looks like a fat yellow pen. Just touch the tip to the wire and
if there's current, it lights up. Mine is a Fluke VoltAlert 1 AC-A II
model. Very handy.
Oct 27, 2008 7:54 PM
Guest
:
I have power at the switches ( 2 wired parallel ) but when I turn them on
no power.
Oct 31, 2008 10:33 AM
Guest
:
I am replacing a 3 way switch. the old switch has red, black and white
wires, the white and black inserted at the two top sites and teh red at the
bottom. I disconnected the wires from the old switch by cutting them where
they were stuck in holes. I then stipped end of wires and followed
instructions to put arouond crews 3/4 turn and then tighted screw. When I
tighted fuse back up, nothing happened to show that it was working. What
did I do wrong, please. m. apple
Feb 2, 2009 6:05 AM
Guest
:
i have power on all the time even if the switch is in the off position. what ould cause this?
Feb 2, 2009 10:53 AM
Kelly Smith :
It sounds like the contact isn't releasing. Easiest to just replace it.
Feb 4, 2009 4:05 PM
Guest
:
what can i do if the terminal screws wont unscrew in the old switch? i cant
pull it out from inside the wall so there is no way to unscrew them. even
when i pull it out farther than it wants to go, the screws are stuck too
tightly. it is too narrow of a space for a long screwdriver or electric
one...
Feb 4, 2009 4:05 PM
Guest
:
what can i do if the terminal screws wont unscrew in the old switch? i cant
pull it out from inside the wall so there is no way to unscrew them. even
when i pull it out farther than it wants to go, the screws are stuck too
tightly. it is too narrow of a space for a long screwdriver or electric
one...
Feb 5, 2009 7:35 AM
Kelly Smith :
Hard to say as I've never had this issue. You'll have to be creative.
Before you do anything, make double-sure that there's no power to the
circuit.
You might try reaching in there with needle-nose vise
grips to grip the screws. If nothing else you might have to resort to
cutting away some drywall in order to get more working room and use an
ez-out on the screws.
Feb 20, 2009 3:51 PM
Guest
:
what a great site. thank you! I have some three-way switches that were
working fine with the old switches. when they were replaced, i now have to
have one switch on the "on" position in order for the other
switch to work. it kind of defeats the purpose of having two switches for
one light. what did I do wrong? thank you so much for your help. I love
this site!
Apr 23, 2009 11:27 AM
Guest
:
I have a 3-way switch controlled light. One day, I smelled something
burning some where in the house and couldn't locate what exactly. Then the
light could never be turned on again from either switch. my voltage
detector seems to indicate that there is voltage at both switches and at
the light. So How do I know it is the wire (inside the ceiling and wall),
switch or something else. I tested with a different light bulb. So I know
it is not the light bulb. Thanks for any tips!
May 17, 2009 9:59 PM
Guest
:
Im trying to replace a 3 way switch by the front door that doesnt work
anymore in a home that was built in the 1930's. the switch's dont work but
you can screw in a light bulb in the porch and entry way and the bulbs
light up. I bought a new 3 way switch and tried to change it out the same
way ive done in modern homes but these old wires are much thicker, brittle
and insulated plus give me no more than an inch to work with. it doesnt
even seem like the wires really fit into the new switch i bought but i did
anyways and now i cant get power at all to 2 areas, fuses are fine all
other poewr in home is fine and only one bulb works... ive done it over
again twice and get the same results, any suggestions or should i really
just call an electrician?
May 19, 2009 8:45 AM
Guest
:
I have a switche with a black a white and a red wire how do I connect these
wires.
May 30, 2009 11:23 AM
Guest
:
Thank-you!
Jun 1, 2009 7:27 PM
Guest
:
Ok so here's a problem I have. I installed a fan for a friend and when the
switch is ON and you have the light and fan on, if you pull the fan chain 3
times it turns both the fan and the light off. If you were to do the same
thing but only pull the fan chain 2 times and then hit the switch to OFF
and then turn it back ON and pull the chain 1 more time, it turns
everything off. So any combination of three turns off everything. Also once
everything turns off the only way to get it to work again is to turn off
the light switch and then turn it back on again. Any ideas why this may
be? The light switch seems a little old ( it's a rocker style) could that
have anything to do with it? ANY help would be extremely appreciated!!!
Thanks
Jun 17, 2009 10:01 AM
Guest
:
I'm replacing a light switch on a ceiling fan. I've turned off the breaker
switch and power to the wall. I'm on Step #2 above (remove light switch
cover) The light to the fan have small screws at the on top of the cover
and can only be seen if you are face to face with the light section of the
fan (I'm standing on top of my table and I'm very short) Is this where I
start? I noticed I could turn the light section and thought maybe it would
be easier to repair if I could remove this section from the fan so I
unscrewed it and found it was held together my a thick cord.
Stephanie Cincinnati
Jun 20, 2009 12:46 PM
Guest
:
I have a switch at the bottom of the basement stairs and one at the top of
the basement stairs; they control a light at the top of the stairs. The
bottom of the stairs doesn't receive enough light. How can I add another
light at the bottom of the stairs that would also be controlled at the same
time as the exising light at the top of the stairs, by the switches at the
top and bottom of the stairs. Thank you.
Jun 22, 2009 5:23 AM
Kelly Smith :
You'll have to make sure the 2 switches are 3-way switches. Then it will
take a 4-wire connection using pigtails and wirenuts. Before you start, be
sure to turn off all power.
Jun 30, 2009 10:06 PM
Guest
:
I turned on my wall light switch tonight (which controls the ceiling fan)
and it was hard to get into the on position. When I turned it off, the
switched moved, but the ceiling fan will not turn off through the switch
(it will turn on and off if I use the chain). Does the wall switch simply
need to be replaced or is it more complicated? Thanks, JO
Jul 2, 2009 7:28 AM
Kelly Smith :
It sounds like the switch is just worn out and not making/losing contact
properly. I would go ahead and change it (after turning off the circuit
breaker).
Oct 10, 2007
