Anatomy of a Switch (part 2)

The old light switch in the mudroom served us well for these past three years but for the last month it started behaving as it did before I took it all apart and fixed it. 

About 70% of the time the switch worked as it should, and the remaining 30% you had to coax it some by wiggling the lever or turning it on and off again couple times.  The worst part was when the lights turned on and then went off after I ventured 30 feet into the barn and then was caught in the dark.  It was time for action.

The old switch (as you can see from the top picture) is mounted on a round plate that can be mounted on an old style octagonal electrical box.  I knew I had an old emergency switch for the furnace kicking around somewhere that was also mounted on a round plate.  I thought this would be the easiest replacement.

When I found the old furnace switch though, I realized that it was too big to mount on the antique box designed for the antique switch.  This meant I had to replace the box too, which meant I had to cut the conduit that ran into and out of the box so the larger box could fit.

This little job of replacing an old switch, like all little jobs around this old house renovation, got bigger real quick.

But the new old switch is in place, and though it doesn't have the charming click-tick of the antique one, it has a definite industrial strength CLICK! that seems more appropriate to entering a mud-room and barn than the ubiquitous "thook" sound that permeates the contemporary world of light switches.

It's the little things that count.

(Am I justifying an obsession???)

--handyman

Comments

[Ed Ross]

Please, don't encourage anyone, these switches are not meant to be repaired. The nonmetallic parts - a typical bakelite cover and body - dry out and crack over time diminishing insulating properties. Metal parts fatique, lose tension and proper spacing, none of which you can duplicate safely. The maker wouldn't even try. The design of many old switches is not considered safe today. Save it as a antique, throw it away, but spend a couple dollars for a new one.

[handyman]

Thanks Ed. You're absolutely right. I'm often trying to keep old and obsolete things going both as a conservation measure and for aesthetic reasons, but there are definitely times when it's a bad practice.

I give another example in a later post "Old Stuff Gone Bad"