metal vs plastic switchplates
Fred Christiansen
I cannot recall seeing metal (aluminum?) switch plates before -- always
plastic -- but lo-n-behold, our current home has mostly metal plates.
Aside from appearance (seem to pick up dirt from kids hands more easily,
and are more difficult to clean), I'd think they would not be as safe.
Is there a good reason why metal plates might have been used? I'm
inclined to replace them with plastic.
--
Fred Christiansen, a Canajan (Eh?) and HP-ite in Colorado
#include <disclaimer.h>: I do NOT speak for HP, only for myself.
Business: http://talon.fc.hp.com/~fredch/ fre...@fc.hp.com
Personal: http://www.frii.com/~fredch/ fre...@frii.com
Jeff Carpenter
fre...@fc.hp.com (Fred Christiansen) wrote:
>I cannot recall seeing metal (aluminum?) switch plates before -- always
>plastic -- but lo-n-behold, our current home has mostly metal plates.
>Aside from appearance (seem to pick up dirt from kids hands more easily,
>and are more difficult to clean), I'd think they would not be as safe.
>
>Is there a good reason why metal plates might have been used? I'm
>inclined to replace them with plastic.
They stand-up to abuse and deterioration much better than plastic
plates do. There isn't a safety problem because the cover plate does
not come into contact with any of the conductive parts of the switch.
I might suggest the use of nylon cover plates. They are more
expensive than plastic but give the same appearance and are more
pliable (thus hold up better).
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Jeff Carpenter Des Moines, IA
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Chris Lewis
In article <3208d9ed...@nntp.ix.netcom.com>,
>>I cannot recall seeing metal (aluminum?) switch plates before -- always
>>plastic -- but lo-n-behold, our current home has mostly metal plates.
>>Aside from appearance (seem to pick up dirt from kids hands more easily,
>>and are more difficult to clean), I'd think they would not be as safe.
>>Is there a good reason why metal plates might have been used? I'm
>>inclined to replace them with plastic.
>They stand-up to abuse and deterioration much better than plastic
>plates do. There isn't a safety problem because the cover plate does
>not come into contact with any of the conductive parts of the switch.
They're supposed to be grounded - so not a shock hazard except in
case of serious wiring fault..
>I might suggest the use of nylon cover plates. They are more
>expensive than plastic but give the same appearance and are more
>pliable (thus hold up better).
Given how long plastic ones usually last, this doesn't seem cost
effective except in very high wear situations.
--
Chris Lewis: _Una confibula non sat est_
Topher Eliot
They stand-up to abuse and deterioration much better than plastic
plates do. There isn't a safety problem because the cover plate does
not come into contact with any of the conductive parts of the switch.
I might suggest the use of nylon cover plates. They are more
expensive than plastic but give the same appearance and are more
pliable (thus hold up better).
*************************************************
Visit "The Consulting Engineer's Resource"
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jeffcarp
*************************************************
Jeff Carpenter Des Moines, IA
*************************************************
The safety issue is if a wire comes loose from the switch body and touches
the front plate, and the front plate is not grounded (because, for example,
it's held on with plastic screws). So if I recall correctly, metal plates
cannot be used with plastic boxes. Hmm, that doesn't quite make sense.
Perhaps I'm remembering the rule for metal blank covers, which are held on
with screws to the junction box. A plastic junction box would then result
in a non-grounded metal cover plate.
Topher Eliot Data General Unix Core Development
(919) 248-6371 eliot at dg-rtp.dg.com
Obviously, I speak for myself, not for DG.
el...@remus.dg.com
Michael Andrew Iverson
I think you can use a metal cover on a plastic box if it grounded.
--
| Michael Iverson (ive...@ee.eng.ohio-state.edu) |
| Department of Electrical Engineering, The Ohio State University |
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