Why is my light switch popping & sparking?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 23 ก.ค. 2024
- One day, you flip a light switch and notice a lovely popping sound. The pop might even be accompanied by a brief blue flash of light from within the switch.
What's going on here?
Well, it turns out that even if the current rating of the switch has NOT been exceeded, you may have a problem related to inrush current due to the use of fluorescent and especially LED light fixtures.
More techie tips: scottiestech.info - วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี
This was really helpful! We just installed LEDs on our redone basement, and now I understand how and why the new switch got overloaded. Thanks!
Thanks for this informative video! You solved our issue for us! We had the traditional noises, you're describing, when turning our switch off, so I replaced the switch, but the arcing noise was still there. Then, after finding & watching your video, it educated me that different types of bulbs cause electrical currents to behave differently. So I put the original switch back in & proceeded to change the bulbs from LEDs to Halogen, anything different than the LEDs. Problem solved! Noise gone! Thank you so much for taking your time in making your videos. Never stop! Thanks again!
Thank you once again. You are so informative.
Very informative video and in depth too! Having too much info is better than very little. Thanks!
Just wanted to leave you a comment and a like for taking the time and sharing this video. I was stressed I was going to burn down my house when I constantly heard my switch crackle when I shut it off. I decided to go back to all incandescent bulbs and it stopped immediately. 🤗
Thank you for the info could listen to you all day lol 😊
Scottie and Cletus, good morning too you! Coffee and company, doesn’t get better🖖🏻
Thanks Scottie for this info.🤗
great video... i like listening to you, everything you say is very informative. Thank you
We want to know more about Cletus, he's probably the mastermind behind this channel.
Thank you! Very helpful. Love your videos.
Thanks this is a really helpful video👍 Great stuff!
Scottie enjoyed learning about lights and contact connections with you,.🤓
I wonder can we on TH-cam learn more with you, on Lighting And Sound please? for example like that of equipment used in lighting stage productions for events and concerts(laser's). Are Lights on stages today more energy efficient and sustainable, reliable in there development then years gone,? Things like that? Thankyou.just a Curiousity suggestion.👍🌱
Yay, reactance! And all those crazy current spikes.
Hello Scottie, I recently noticed a popping sound coming from my kitchen. I've unplugged all the appliances an i still hear this one pop sound about every 12 -15 minutes. What could be the problem?
Hmm... I dunno. I'd try turning off the circuit breakers for the kitchen, one by one. If the popping sound stops, then you know it's the wiring for that particular circuit. Could be a loose wire or bad socket or something. At the very least, if all the kitchen breakers are off and the popping continues, you know it's not the wiring.
Hi Scottie, Cloetus. I'm surprised you didn't compare that switch to Rice Krispies, you know, Snap Crackle Pop!
O.k. , o.k. ... so all of what you said could be true, and probably is, but ...
What about that time that I removed my light switch cover to investigate popping noises and small flashes of light, and ...
discovered two small house spiders engaged in a miniature gunfight over a territory dispute, regarding valuable electrical box space?
Let me tell you ... I couldn't get that switch cover plate back on fast enough.
Nearly lost an eye in the process.
My point is ... while initial current spikes are often the cause of sparking and popping ... it is important to bear in mind that there are plenty of other plausible causes as well.
I had planned to write more, but the staff is telling me its time for my shock therapy session. We'll talk again soon.
Lmao
1. Would the size of the wire matter? In the US, for a switch, we are only required to use 14 gauge, although I always use 12.
2. Would a dimmer switch also fix this problem?
3. In the US, we are required to "switch" the positive wire. Would "switching" the negative wire fix this popping?
1. Not really
2. Dimmers are an interesting beast... There are different types, the more modern ones use fancy electronics that compensate for inductive or capacitive loads - IOW they are better at dimming fluo or LED bulbs. Because of that, they MIGHT be better at dealing with the inrush current. Hard to say though without digging into the dimmer itself. In any case, many dimmers have much lower current ratings than a normal light switch, so you wouldn't want to add too many lights to one dimmer.
3. You should always switch the hot wire, not neutral. If you switch neutral, than even when the light is off, the hot wire is still connected to the light - and it's live. That's WAY less safe. If you switch hot, then turning the switch off means hot is NOT connected to the light / each bulb socket - only neutral is. Should you turn the switch off and change the bulb (and accidentally stick your finger in the bulb socket), you would not normally get a lethal shock from neutral. But if hot is still connected, ZAP + OUCH!
got the same problem, light switch sparking every time i put it on ...what could be the problem?? i changed fluoresent light now i have led
Is the spark caused by connecting the laptop cable to the socket, can harm the laptop?
Yo dude i cut a wire and the tv was on and plugged in and now im hearing popping even though the power is off. Why
Nice Star Trek font on the engineering sign 😀
Hi Scotty I’m getting a loud popping or knocking or tapping noise coming directly from the ceiling light fixture whether it’s turned off or on. No idea what this could be but it’s driving me crazy. Any ideas ?
Hmm. I'd turn off the circuit breaker for the fixture and then remove it and check the wiring. Could be loose wire where it connects to the house wiring, or a loose connection in the fixture itself. Or possibly tap dancing mice! :P
ScottiesTech.Info Thanks I’ll do that. I’m on the ground floor of a 25 story high rise in Miami so dancing mice probably not the problem lol
Does this apply to the light fixture sparking? Is my problem still the switch? My closet light had a blue arc so loud and it lit up the room. The closet light has been crackling ever since. My plan was to install a new boob light. Thoughts?
In your case, I'm thinking it's probably an issue with the light fixture itself. I'd definitely replace it, and then if the light switch pops, it's either the switch or the wiring between the 2... but I think a new fixture will do the trick.
Is this amp. spike traveling through the electrical grid...Ex. if my light switch produces sparks when switched, is it going to harm my laptop, TV ..etc.?
Usually it won't destroy anything else, but it's possible.
good to know, thank you.
My extension wire has a popping/sparking sound every time i turn off its switch breaker. Plugged my ps5 in it and nothing else.
So helpful. Thank you.
I'm able to do this by holding the light switch in a certain position which makes it give off a buzz, should I keep holding it down and see what happens?
Better to just replace it!
Thanks man!
This is why I tied my gas stove pilot light to my light switch. So that saves money. Be testing out in the morning. Next project: figure out that rotten egg smell in my kitchen.
Good to know. Thanks
Great information
could also be loose wire contacts on the switch causing arking, which needs addressed immediately
hey serious question, my light had a blue light ball fly off it to the ground and it made a loud popping noise, is this normal ? it happened during a thunder storm. is this like ball lightening or is it dangerous ?
Yikes! I'd definitely get the light checked out!
My outlet is popping and sparking and nothing is plugged in it???
Uh-oh, that's bad... Turn off the circuit breaker than feeds that outlet, and then you'll have to investigate the outlet. Could be falling apart, old/bad wiring, etc.
What is solution for this?
That is bad ass. Thank you for that.
I've got a sparking switch and it only has one halogen external light attached! I recently replaced it as wires melted for some reason. I stripped fresh wires and reconnected it all, but as i said, it's sparking. Any idea please?
I would say either the connections at the lightswitch are loose, or some in-between connection is loose, or the light switch is just worn out.
@@ScottiesTech thanks for your response. It is a new switch, i have checked the connections on the switch and all secure. Could it be a fault with the light itself?
@@whizzo3175 AH! The switch is new, not the light... In that case, could be bad connection in light - including contacts for halogen bulb. I had a halogen lamp once that was acting wonky, and it turned out the little round contacts that hold the bulb in place had sort of disintegrated. Result: sparky sparky!
Hi! What if the popping noise happens when i turn off the switch?
Pretty much the same... That would be arcing when the switch opens instead of closes. If it's a "two-way" switch (i.e. 2 different switches turn on/off a single light) then inside either switch, turning it on or off opens one set of contacts and closes the other. But even in a single switch/single light, you can get arcing when either opening/closing the switch.
Thank you!!!
Will this cause a fire???
mines making a quiet buzzing nice
if it's really that big of a problem put the lights on a relay
What happens when nothing is plunged in and it sparks, ?
Then you're in big trouble. Either a really defective switch, or bad wiring somewhere... most likely.
Can it cause fire?
Yes, if it's bad enough...
I plugged in my pc this morning and the wall Sparks and none of my outlets work
Sounds like a circuit breaker or GFCI/RCD safety breaker tripped. If the wall outlet is sparking tho, that's the first place to look. Make sure breakers are off and investigate/replace that outlet. It may just be a bad outlet, loose wire, etc. When in doubt though, call an electrician!
Will my house burn down please tell me not 😓
Unintentional ASMR.
Is this for lay people or electricians? I ask because I have no idea what you are talking about. Apparently, I just learned that I need to call an electrician.
the induction stuff scared you off?
Well I have another problem that I'm scared rn when I turned me pc on i suddenly heard baning like a storm ⚡ idk but...
Is the noise like thunder, or like an electrical zapping sound?
Is this why my LED lights take 1/2 second to turn on? I figured electricity traveled faster than 40 feet a second. :)
Yeah, some LED bulbs have driver circuits that take a fraction of a second to power up. Others are quicker!
How do I determine the amount of amps my light fixture is pulling? I bought a ceiling fan with 3 LED lights and a maximum 0.67amp fan. I had an electrician set it up with a smart light switch rated for 10 amps (treatlife smart switch). I get the blue flashes from my switch and flashes from the fan. I'm so confused. How do I find a smart switch that won't get overloaded by a simple ceiling fan 😭
Depending on the fan, there might be a current spike when you first turn on the fan with the switch - even if the fan is relatively low power. That's one reason why many ceiling fans often have their own electronic switches. Not sure how you would confirm this tho, because you'd have to somehow disconnect the fan motor and only allow the lights to turn on/off via the switch. If sparking stops, the fan is the issue. There are also Treatlife ceiling fan switches: amzn.to/3POvA14
But you can't use the smart ceiling fan switch with lights! This ceiling fan switch appears to be electronic in that you can use it with any ceiling fan, and the switch itself electronically controls the voltage/current to give you 4 fan speeds even if your fan only has 1 speed.
There's also this one: amzn.to/3PZqChU which supports fan AND lights - but it requires 2 separate wires going to the fan (one for light circuit, one for fan circuit).
So, looks like you'd need either a different switch, or a different fan. :(
@@ScottiesTech the second one you linked is actually the exact one causing the problem unfortunately
@@nscian2 Uh-oh... In that case, I'd try to contact Treatlife and get some answers!!
@@ScottiesTech I did, do you know of smart switches that use the amp x standard. No one seems to specify. It's also annoying to find out the maximum amps of a fan 🤣
@@nscian2 No, I don't... Even normal light switches with an actual Ax rating are VERY difficult to find where I am - even via Amazon. It's very annoying.
guys i wet my light switch and when i turn it off it still on but lower power
That's not good. It should be replaced! Leave it off. If you DIY, turn the breaker off at the panel before replacing the switch.
@@ScottiesTech i tried but i got electricuted
@@dwynecuizon2078 Evil switch! Time to call an electrician...
@@ScottiesTech no its okay it took 1 day to go back
I've got this in multiple light switches in my flat and one even exploded and broke my phone charger. Just now when switched on the plug by the wall to watch TV the socket started crackling and hissing loudly. I'm actually terrified theres going to be a fire but landlord is useless...better go private and find an electrician asap.
Yup. There's something seriously wrong (and dangerous) going on. Get somebody there, and send the bill to the landlord. :)
needs 20A Spec Grade swich
with a Ballast, it's the inductive load
Use two metal containers full of salt water, put live in one and neutral in the other then connect your brick to the water in the containers, no more charring and problem solved.
and its just a normal light
WHAT THE HECK?!
answer: use a higher amp light switch. ie. 16amp. your welcome
Have you seen your hedgehog lately? How's the dumb phone are you still using it? I'm full of questions this week. Hi Cleavis you need a haircut.
Haven't seen Herbie at all. I'm assuming he's off living his life. Probably married with children by now! Gonna make another vid about a different dumbphone soon...
@@ScottiesTech hahaha they sure grow up quick. I'm interested on that video. Can't wait Scotty.
😂
Money pit