Light switch sparked, now not working

[Jlmarose]

I shut my hallway light off (basic ceiling fixture) and the switch gave
off a huge spark. I tried to
turn the light back on and it wouldn't work. I then tried the switch at
the other end of the
hallway, and that wouldn't work either. Next I changed the bulbs, and
still nothing.

is this a call the electrician sort of thing? Or are there things we can
try first to get it fixed.

Any help is greatly appreciated!
-------------------------------------

[dpb]

Well, given you have to ask, it may be an electrician thing but...

One presumes probably tripped the breaker(/blew a fuse depending on age
of house/wiring) when the spark occurred.

That indicates either there was a short to ground for some
reason--either a switch failure or a bare/loose hot managed to make
contact w/ a ground or the grounded box or such.

Make sure the breaker for the circuit in question is off and look inside
the box..you can probably see the signs of where the spark occurred and
tell whether it was the switch or a wire. Whatever it was, fix it...

If the above seems complicated, call the electrician or find a handy
neighbor, co-worker, whatever...

--

[bob haller]

On Jan 26, 4:25 pm, Jlmarose <Jlmarose_at_yahoo_dot_...@foo.com>
wrote:

sounds like the circuit breaker tripped from a short, check all
breakers or fuses.

if a breaker is tripped their might be a underlying problem although
just once a bad bulb must of shorted somehow and tripped the breaker.

the spark might have been the light bulb frying try the old bulbs in a
known working fixture

[Metspitzer]

I would change the switch. Because it has a switch at another
location, it means you need a 3-way for replacement.

The existing switch will have 3 terminals with one that is different
from the other two. (common, usually darker) The wire on that screw
should go back on the new switch's darker terminal.

http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=np&biw=965&bih=666&tbm=isch&tbnid=41LKLaG0ek7zhM:&imgrefurl=http://www.justanswer.com/electrical/5eipe-purchased-3-way-ge-sunsmart-digital-inwall-timer-comes.html&docid=n8blG0BRGjMhvM&imgurl=http://ww2.justanswer.com/uploads/protek480/2011-08-13_134637_3_way_switch_08.jpg&w=450&h=355&ei=5schT-K8ItK7tgfx17iiCw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=674&vpy=228&dur=556&hovh=199&hovw=253&tx=159&ty=117&sig=103753823952338307517&page=2&tbnh=152&tbnw=193&start=12&ndsp=16&ved=1t:429,r:11,s:12

[Metspitzer]

On Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:40:51 -0500, Metspitzer <kilo...@charter.net>
wrote:

Or.........if any other lights went out, then the circuit breaker
would be first. You didn't mention other lights being affected.

[Stormin Mormon]

1) don't use Homeowners Hub. It's a parasite, and not real usenet.
2) call a priest. Your light switch has been invaded by Satan, and is
fixing to burn your house down.


Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
.

"Jlmarose" <Jlmarose_at_...@foo.com> wrote in message
news:e524c$4f21c4be$45499b77$30...@news.flashnewsgroups.com...

[RBM]

> If the only thing that is off, are the lights controlled by this switch, it's likely that the breaker or fuse didn't trip. You need to find out what caused the spark. If could be a bad fixture, bad switch or wiring. It does sound like something you might be needing an electrician to look at for you.
>

[RonB]

On Jan 26, 3:25 pm, Jlmarose <Jlmarose_at_yahoo_dot_...@foo.com>
wrote:

Change the switch.

RonB

[hr(bob) hofmann@att.net]

The OP may also have to change thelother 3-three-way switch, as there
may have been a current surge that would weld the contacts on the
second part of the circuit.

To the OP:

Find a handy neighbor if at all possible, have them help you replace
the 3-way switch that sparked. But first make sure the circuit
breaker/fuse that controls that circuit has shut off the power to the
circuit so you don't get a bad shock or generate even more sparks.

[denni...@gmail.com]

On Jan 26, 4:25 pm, Jlmarose <Jlmarose_at_yahoo_dot_...@foo.com>
wrote:

> I shut my hallway light off (basic ceiling fixture) and the switch gave
> off a huge spark. I tried to
> turn the light back on and it wouldn't work. I then tried the switch at
> the other end of the
> hallway, and that wouldn't work either. Next I changed the bulbs, and
> still nothing.
>
> is this a call the electrician sort of thing? Or are there things we can
> try first to get it fixed.

Your complete lack of basic rational logic and basic diagnostic
skills, and the fact that checking the circuit breakers never crossed
your mind, indicates that this should be left to a professional.

Think for a minute. What sparked? The SWITCH. Why are you changing
light bulbs?

Think for a minute. What are the odds that MULTIPLE light bulbs would
all burn out at once? Have you ever seen it before, that wasn't a
movie about a ghost or an alien invasion?

This is what I'm talking about. You are looking at clearly obvious
symptoms that say NOT the light bulbs, yet you ignore them and start
changing light bulbs.

You don't need to be an electrician or know anything about
electricity. All you need is basic logic and common sense.

The switch sparked. Now the lights no longer work. Logic and common
sense say that the problem is probably in the SWITCH!

Switches burn out. Switches break. Especially the cheap Chinese ones
they sell now.

[gregz]

I get light arching from cfl lamps turning then off. If it was on an arc
fault breaker, I think it would trip. Just another possibility.

Greg

[Mark]

On Jan 27, 3:31 pm, gregz <ze...@comcast.net> wrote:

> Jlmarose <Jlmarose_at_yahoo_dot_...@foo.com> wrote:
> > I shut my hallway light off (basic ceiling fixture) and the switch gave
> > off a huge spark. I tried to
> > turn the light back on and it wouldn't work. I then tried the switch at
> > the other end of the
> > hallway, and that wouldn't work either. Next I changed the bulbs, and
> > still nothing.
>
> > is this a call the electrician sort of thing? Or are there things we can
> > try first to get it fixed.
>
>

did anyone do any nailing into the wall recently?

Mark

[Ban bags hhs]

replying to dennisgauge, Ban bags hhs wrote:
Don't be a dick. Not everyone knows everything. They come to the internet for
help not for you to be a prick to them.

--
for full context, visit http://www.homeownershub.com/maintenance/light-switch-sparked-now-not-working-681664-.htm

[Sam Hill]

On Sat, 19 Nov 2016 19:44:01 +0000, Ban bags hhs wrote:

> replying to dennisgauge, Ban bags hhs wrote:
> Don't be a dick. Not everyone knows everything. They come to the
> internet for help not for you to be a prick to them.

Don't worry. It was almost *FIVE* years ago when Jlmarose threw that
switch. What happened was he did it again and the *house burned down*!

Why can't you Home Moaners Hubbies read dates???

[Fred]

replying to Ban bags hhs, Fred wrote:
Hear hear!

--
for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/maintenance/light-switch-sparked-now-not-working-681664-.htm

[n...@none.invalid]

On Tue, 26 Jun 2018 05:14:02 GMT, Fred
<caedfaa9ed1216d60ef...@example.com> wrote:

>replying to Ban bags hhs, Fred wrote:
>Hear hear!

He shut the light off. Either the hot came off the terminal or the
switch went bad.

The easy thing to do is check the breaker first, but then change the
switch.

As that happened back in 2002. I hope he has figured it out by now.

[Hawk est41]

Yes! Is that a difficult fix?

--
For full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/maintenance/light-switch-sparked-now-not-working-681664-.htm