How The Pros Diagnose And Fix A Light Switch That Doesn't Work

In this video I show you how to diagnose and repair a light switch that is no longer working. These methods will help you differentiate between whether there is an issue with the switch itself or the wiring.
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Blessings,
Adam
How To Home assumes no liability for damage or injury. How To Home highly recommends using proper safety procedures and professionals when needed. Our content is for entertainment purposes only. No information contained in this video shall create any express or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result. Any injury, damage or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or the information contained in this video is the sole responsibility of the user and not How To Home. How To Home will not be held liable for any negligent or accidental damage or injury resulting from equipment, tools, electrical, fire, electronics or any items contained in this video. Attempt projects and repairs at your own risk.

[@HowToHomeDIY]

Have you ever had this issue come up? What did you do?

[@yvonnejackson1696]

I just mindlessly replaced the switch. That worked fine but I never thought about maybe saving myself a trip to the hardware store by checking the wiring.😖

[@bobhall5893]

Not a switch, but I did have a GFCI outlet go bad after only about a year. It would not reset, and all wiring checked out fine. Stuff happens!

[@Bonkrr]

I replaced over a dozen switches for a client a few months ago. They wanted to go to the newer style flat switches. Ended up having to swap out 5 of them a second time, Must have been a bad day at the factory.

[@Dick_Shinn]

1990's Maintenance manager for a set of buildings in Glendale, CA...Electrician went to work on a wall outlet. Cut the power...was surprised when second set of plugs "sparked" on him... Turns out the wall plug had TWO circuits wired to it! Was pleased to see you checked both sets of plugs!

[@deronf7743]

Thanks for your channel and all the things you’ve taught me. You’ve saved me headaches, money and likely from burning my house down. Keep up the great work.

[@JimBluePiano]

Love your videos. You explain things in a methodical manner where I can follow and understand. Great job and thank you 👍👏.

[@denattheoakleyoutpost6740]

Actually, I have had single pole switches go bad over the years in many different houses. Usually, they would get soft or intermittent. I keep a few around. It’s a 5 minute swap out so I just replace it and move on.

[@retirementpirate3665]

I just replace the switch first and then troubleshoot second if I have a similar problem. However, this would not be practical for a KZbin channel.

[@gnic76]

@@retirementpirate3665 Exactly, switches are cheap and easy to replace.

[@bobhall5893]

It would be cool to open a bad one up to see what the issue is! Simple device.

[@bpron836]

Thanks for the video. Very well explained!

[@gnic76]

Just an observation.. Being 120v light switches are a wiper type contact, I would expect more to fail over time as a LED current load is less. The older resistive bulbs would put a heavier load on switch which helped keep the internals clean.

[@frannova]

Exactly. I have replaced three switches, all on circuits with one led bulb.

[@zekenzy6486]

Great Video. Thank you for sharing. Have a nice weekend

[@rickzwolinski]

Ive learned so much. You're very good, Excellent!Real good trouble shooting. It would never be your wiring must be the switch

[@sziltner]

I installed 2 new LED light panels in my kitchen replacing the old fluorescent light fixtures. Later I noticed the panels would flicker. I replaced both the cheap 3 way light switches with commercial duty switches. NO MORE FLICKERING!

[@HowToHomeDIY]

Yup. These things are getting cheaper and cheaper in quality. Thanks for the feedback!

[@babsh3269]

Hi, thank you for this video! This will help with a diagnosis on a bathroom fan. I'm a homeowner of a 100 year old house trying to navigate fixes. I have some knob and tube wires on another line. The line is really old and I'm wondering how to work with it to rewire an old receptacle. I'd rip it out the wiring and have it replaced, but as a single mom it's beyond my budget. Could you make a video on older wiring? 😬🙏 What's a safe load?

[@WisconsinWanderer]

As a guy who owns a 142 year old farmhouse I truly appreciate your videos

[@JCWren]

It might have been interesting to do a tear down on the switch to see exactly why it failed.

[@randomcuriosities8441]

Actually as an electrician we change bad switches almost everyday. They don't make them like they used to.

[@HowToHomeDIY]

You aren't wrong. Thanks for the feedback!

[@LuisHernandez-zi3nt]

Hello, I have a three way switch that powers my ceiling fan but isn’t receiving enough power. The voltage reading is very low close to 1. I checked all the cables look fine and the switches are fine as well. What other trouble shooting could I do?

[@larrylong6268]

The risk is likely to be minimal in this example, does anyone retail a breaker lockout for residential distribution panels?

[@richg3411]

A great lesson on a bad switch. Why would I have a switch when turned on energizes a device, but when that same switch is turned off, the device will not de-energize?

[@clarencewiles963]

Stuff will / can be bad even out of the box. I had a bad dimmer switch this month. 😂

[@HowToHomeDIY]

Yup, you are right. Quality control just isn't what it used to be. Thanks a lot for the feedback Clarence!

[@kevinland534]

Is there an easy way to trace a wire back to it's source? I have a switch in my house that when I throw the switch, nothing happens. It's not connected to any outlets either. I opened up the cover and see that there are wires connected but I'm not sure to what exactly. Another issue is that I have an outlet that is high up in my closet that has a large plug connected to it. My guess is that it's for the house alarm or maybe the fire alarm? How can I tell what that may be?

[@HowToHomeDIY]

You could use a toner like this one that I use amzn.to/3wQHeUO. It puts a signal through the line once attached and the probe can detect it through the drywall to the source. If you get one just make sure to follow the directions. It is pretty easy to use.

[@johnalderson1370]

I have a switch that won't turn the light off. Any idea what the problem would be there? I just put in a new light fixture. And now the lights won't turn off from the sweat

[@johnsee7269]

Wow! The Fluke equivalent was about $290 or over thrice the price of the Klein. Snap-on was about $225...

[@justinayers4620]

i have a mobile home with 2 blacks and one red wire and one ground i thaink one of them runs the outlets and the other thee top light in the room need hlep

[@daveray44]

For showing the continuity, could have tested the new switch before wiring it in place

[@HowToHomeDIY]

Could have, but it’s a new switch and I’ve never had an issue with a new one. But might have been a nice addition to the video to show what it would look and sound like. Appreciate the feedback!

[@daveray44]

@HowToHomeDIY That was my intent of my comment. I, as well, wouldn't feel the need to test a new switch, but showing this applied in a video could be of a benefit. BTW, I really do enjoy your videos!

[@JCWren]

@@HowToHomeDIYThat was a new switch? The area around the lower hot screw looked like it was beat to hell. I was wondering why you were installing what appeared to be a used switch.

[@jeffwilder7117]

As a retired electrician I have seen those ‘skinny’ single pole switches go bad. They are junk. Made to fail IMO. I always buy the upgrade, fat switch. It’s more of a commercial grade. A little more expensive but do it once and done.

[@HowToHomeDIY]

Appreciate the insight Jeff! You have a good point.

[@micahrowe]

If you want “up” to be “on,” always put your hot wire on the bottom. Duh.

[@hankjones4756]

Please be careful with all that Finger Touching

[@HowToHomeDIY]

Only touched things when it was turned off.

[@NATHANFREDERICK-rs7yb]

Have a professional do these repairs.... Some people can, but the vast majority of the general public should not be doing things like this... It's dangerous.

[@HowToHomeDIY]

Are you going to write this on every video on a DIY channel? 😂 you might be scared and incapable but that’s not everyone.

[@bertnasstee]

Feel free to send me the money for the job, and I will be glad to get a professional

[@jerrychimokosky8246]

Why the high speed voice

[@HowToHomeDIY]

Huh? Maybe you have your playback speed set faster.

[@RErnie-gv1hv]

​@@HowToHomeDIY Best ignore the trolls. As an "older" person, and a new subscriber, I really appreciate several things about your video. Besides all the info. Clear, distinct speaking, no background echo, no mumbling, and mostly, no music, or sound effects. Thank you. Happy to be wired in.

[@jimmyjunkmail]

Does it matter when connecting the neutral wires????? Do they have to be in a certain order on the switch??

[@HowToHomeDIY]

Neutral wires don’t get connected to a single pole switch.