House light switch sparks and flickering lights.

[bowlesj]

Hi, I am not sure if this is the place to ask this but is is the first place that comes to mind and considering it may be important I figure I should go ahead.

Recently maybe once every week or two for a total of about 4 times I have gotten a fairly hefty spark coming out of a light switch to my hand as I go to switch it on/off (off I think). I suspect it is static electricity and of no concern but I am not sure. It is different light switches. I am wearing rubber sole shows but they are starting to wear out with bits of rubber starting to come off. I also have noticed a fairly new LED light flickers every so often (maybe 9 months old). It is a regular copper wired house.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
John

 

[betwixt]

Time to fit new switches. That shouldn't happen and it indicates the switches are faulty and possibly dangerous. You can't repair them.

Brian.

 

[bowlesj]

Thanks Brian, I just put it on my to-do list.

I found a good video on how to change them.
Youtube search: "how to replace house light switches"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSAnXWiMyLg
Time to buy a power tester
I guess I will change the power plug out the back while I am at it so I don't have to run the lawn mower chord out through the sliding door

The house is 37 years old. I guess it isn't surprising.

This first shock I got was a fair bit larger than what one would expect from a regular static release. It hurt and really startled me I took one semester of electronics in school many years ago so I am not very advanced at all. So is the switch faulty in that it is allowing static current to go from me to the switch or is it likely to be the opposite (electricity coming out of the switch and going to me)? Or even worse is it likely to not be static at all. I say this because I accidentally run over the vacuum cleaner wire once without realizing I had done it and I got a nasty shock when I touched the wire where it had pealed away the plastic down to a bit of the copper. I quickly fixed that one. Its amazing how powerful that sweeper is. I never would have guessed it would actually do that. The light switch shock was about the same jolt.

 

[betwixt]

I'm glad I'm in Europe, the wiring system here is far safer than in that video.

Changing a light switch is VERY easy. If in doubt about safety, kill the whole house by turning the master switch off. It takes less than 5 minutes to replace a switch like that.

Brian.

 

[bowlesj]

I mentioned the house is copper wire because I use to live in a condo that was all aluminum wiring. We had to get this stuff put on all the connections so that it would not cause a fire. That was at least 20 years ago and I seem to remember them telling me that the aluminum would oxidize and spark creating a possible fire hazard so the stuff created a better connection avoiding the spark. So I guess an old light switch is doing something similar here.

I was wondering if a digital volt meter could be used to test for power at the light switch and exactly how to do it. Maybe youtube has a video for that.

 

[Kajunbee]

A faulty switch wouldn't be cause of a static shock that I know of. Brian is saying the faulty switch is causing shock from mains voltage. I'm not sure touching the switch lever could give you a shock. They are usually plastic and don't conduct electricity very well. Never experienced it but I guess it's possible. I can however see where you could be shocked by the screws that hold the faceplate or if the faceplate is itself metal. I would think this would be a short to ground situation and breakers would trip. If there not tripping I would wonder why not.

 

[bowlesj]

I have seen the spark twice at least. I am not really waiting for it and analyzing when it happens. It also obviously happens very fast. So I can't be 100% sure of this but I think it passes right at the lever of the switch (between it and the cover).

 

[barry]

If you're getting a static 'shock', replacing your switches is simply a costly waste of time. And the fact that you've got a flickering LED seems totally unrelated, since you say you've gotten the shock at different switches. Did you try replacing the LED? Is the weather very dry where you are?(ESD events increase in low humidity).

 

[bowlesj]

If you're getting a static 'shock', replacing your switches is simply a costly waste of time. And the fact that you've got a flickering LED seems totally unrelated, since you say you've gotten the shock at different switches. Did you try replacing the LED? Is the weather very dry where you are?(ESD events increase in low humidity).

I just checked the humidity. It is 33 on the hygrometer. That is pretty dry.

 

[Relayer]

Hello bowlesj,
You may just have a hot spot on one of your switch connection/s.
A hot spot is caused by a wire or wires that have not been screwed down in the contact
housing properly, but its still making some contact.
What happened's over time is that you get slight miniature arching that you can't usually
hear.
The arching causes heat and carbonization on the wire conductor and the switch housing.
It gets worse as time goes by. In effect its creating a resistor between the two conductors
with the value increasing over time.
Due to this resistance, the arching then looks for an easier way to close the circuit. Hence
it starts arching further down the wire and the upper part of the switch housing.
When all that gets carbonized, it starts looking for a different path. i.e. your fingers.
This type of arching CAN play havoc with other lights in the house, causing flicker, as
this arching is creating induced noise in the lighting mains, especially if it can reach
from the wire to your fingers.

Either way, if its all being caused by any of the suggestions above or my explanation,
the switch really needs to be replaced.
I'm quite surprised it lasted the 37 years and didn't fall apart sooner.
You also need to ensure that none of the wires have any carbonization on them. If so,
cut them a tad shorter and expose fresh wire.

You can purchase a non-contact AC voltage detector to determine if a light switch or
power point is live. Check the link below:

Detector

If you do decide to replace the switch yourself, then as Brian has already suggested, turn off
the whole house power at the fuse box. You can use the detector to ensure that no voltage
is present at the switch.

I'm not sure which country you're from and whether or not you're allowed to do your own house
wiring, but if you live in Australia, then it would be illegal for you to do it yourself.
It MUST be done by a licensed electrician.
Yet, you are allowed to wire up your own house, provided you get an electrician to come and see
what you've done, and if he approves of the work, then he's the only one that can connect it to
live wiring, then he will certify the work.
Strange thing is, there have been more fatalities of people being electrocuted when doing a DYI
on their house, than people who live in New Zealand to which they ARE allowed to do their own
wiring. :?::?::?:
At one stage, the Electrical Union here in Oz, wanted to stop appliance technicians from replacing
mains power cords on equipment. Due to it being a mains wiring, they needed to certify it. Which
is complete bullshit. It was just another way to try and get more business for the sparkies. :x
Thankfully it never got passed. :clap:
Regards,
Relayer

 

[bowlesj]

Thanks Relayer.

Your explanation makes sense to me. I know the switches that I got a shock from. I will change those first and set a regular reminder to keep track if it makes a difference. Either way I will get back to this post with some results.

John

 

[Elucid]

I find this to occur too, but with electric portable ovens. What I do now is wear slippers to insulate myself from the ground up. And always check to see if the wires have corroded. This is very dangerous. Appliances like this last for one year maybe more, then time to go. On the switches, could it be more volts are coming into your switches? Surges in power lines due to storms that have just hit. This can cause an influx of electricity into your house. Larger capacitors are used to drain off the surges of electric into your house outlets or wall switches. At the receptacles. Always getting shocked. Too dangerous. I read over the safety checks constantly and keep that in mind always. Anywhere there's electrical circuits.