Usually the light switch regularly serves up to 10-12 years, but there are times when it needs to be replaced earlier. The reasons may be different - mechanical damage, breakdown of the internal mechanism or obsolescence and obscene appearance. For an experienced electrician, a switch replacement is a matter of five minutes. For the layman, this time can increase to 10-15 minutes, but in any case before starting the disassembly of the switch, it is useful to get acquainted with its internal device.

Replacing the old circuit breaker with a new one

Switches are of three types: with one key, two or three. To understand how to make a replacement, consider an example of removing and installing the simplest one-key switch.

Photo gallery: types of electrical switches

Repair, disassembly and replacement of the circuit breaker is permitted only with the power disconnected.

The circuit breakers on the switchboard must be off (checkbox at the bottom).

In order to finally verify the absence of voltage on the switch contacts, it is recommended use the household voltage indicator, setting the metal foot alternately on each of the contacts. Direct confirmation of the power failure is also the fact that the lamp working lamp does not light up when the switch is turned on (the button is up).

How to remove the old switch

First of all, you need a visual inspection. There are many variations of switches, and they differ in the way they are assembled. In some, the outer cover is fixed with screws, in others it is held on plastic latches.

1. First remove the upper protective cover. If it is fixed to the screws, they must be unscrewed. For this, a screwdriver with straight splines is used. If the fastening is made with latches, then before removing the cover, you need to remove the key. This is done with the help of the same screwdriver, gently leading it into the gap between the case and the key. If the keys are several, then each of them is removed independently.
   

   The key is carefully pushed by a screwdriver inserted into the slot and removed using a screwdriver

2. When the key is removed, all the internal device of the circuit breaker becomes available for disassembly. If the wiring harness is hidden, the switch is recessed into the depth of the wall and fastened in the wedge with the help of sliding paws. They need to be released by unscrewing the two screw bolts in a counter-clockwise direction. Rotate them until the plinth falls out of the podzetetnik. If the wiring is external, the attachment is slightly different. There are no sliding legs and a podzhezetnik, the switch body is fixed directly to the wall.

   The integrated circuit breaker is dismantled after unscrewing the two mounting screws to the sub-socket

3. Having unscrewed two screws, it is possible to get a socle, inside which there is a contact pair, which opens the current supply circuit to the luminaire.

   After unscrewing the bolts, the switch is easily removed from the jar

4. At the last stage of the circuit breaker dismantling, the wires are disconnected from it. They are inserted into special terminals and screwed into them. By loosening the screws for one and a half to two turns, you can easily pull the wires out of the nests. It is not necessary to completely unscrew them, as in some switches the fastening is arranged in such a way that the cable is clamped between the screw and the square nut. If the nut comes off the thread, then it will be hard to reinstall it.

   After loosening the wiring bolts, the switch body will remain in your hands

Video: how to disassemble the switch

Installation of a new circuit breaker

Assemble in the reverse order.

1. Connect the wires to their places.
2. The plinth is inserted into the sprocket and fixed with spreading legs.
3. The plastic case is screwed on top.
4. A key is inserted into the slots.

It is important to install the switch so that the luminaire is switched on when the key is pressed up. The installation of the switch for external wiring is identical, with the difference that after fixing the contacts The plinth is screwed to the wall, then the body is attached to it, and the last is installed key.

How to transfer the switch to another location

Sometimes there is a desire (or necessity) to move the switch to another location. For example, when children in the family grow up, but they can not get to the switch yet. The rules for the installation of electrical appliances allow the transfer of the switch to a user-friendly place. It is possible to install a switch at a height of 80 to 160 cm from the floor. In order to make such a move, it is first of all necessary to determine the new location. Optimal is the installation of a switch located 15-20 cm from the edge of the door jamb (on the right or on the left - it does not matter, but it is more often customary to install it on the right).

Then the actions are performed according to the following algorithm.

1. If the reinstallation is carried out within 1 m from the initial location, downwards or upwards, a wall shroud is made. Its depth should be approximately in, more than the thickness of the cable (or cables) laid in the corrugation. The wire must be free to lie inside the groove without looking out. Stroib can be made a perforator or a shroud.

   In order to make a hidden wiring, the wall is manufactured with a volume of about the same size as the cable in the corrugated hose

2. In the place of the new position of the switch, a hole is opened for the juniper. This can be done with a perforator using a diamond bit. The depth of the hole should not be more than 5 cm in concrete and brick houses, and cm in panel. As a rule, a crown with a diameter of 68 mm is used. However, there are different situations, and the crown is selected based on them. This completes the preparatory work.

   The hole under the jar is drilled with a diamond bit diameter of 68 mm

3. The next step is to turn off the power to the house (apartment) network and the complete disconnection of the switch described above. In addition to the switch itself, the wall is also carefully removed from the wall. This can be done with a perforator or a simple chisel with a hammer. Podrosetniki in concrete and brick walls are attached to gypsum, which, when exposed to impacts, crumbles and collapses. It is important not to break the plastic housing of the junket itself, it can be reused.

   The receptacle can be removed by carefully punching its edges and crumbling the adhesive layer of gypsum

4. After that, the cable grows to the desired length. Connect the wires best using the terminal block or the Wago standard pad, but if this is not possible, you can make a simple twist, well while it is insulated with a dielectric tape. According to the rules of laying cables in stitches, the cable must be placed in the corrugation. The minimum size of the corrugated plastic hose is (according to the outer diameter) 16 mm. Metal corrugation can have a size, mm in diameter. The junction of the old and new corrugations must also be insulated. The size of the extensible cable is selected in such a way that a stock of 5-10 cm remains.

   If at hand there are no terminal connectors, you can make the usual twisting, carefully isolating all open areas

5. After that, a new one is installed on the subsite. The easiest and fastest way is to fix it on alabaster, fast-setting wiring. The solution is diluted in a ratio of 1 part alabaster to 1 part water by volume. As the gypsum freezes very quickly, first install the jar in the hole in the wall, insert a corrugated cable into it and then prepare the solution.

   Alabaster should be diluted in water in the ratio: and quickly put on the necessary places, because it very quickly hardens

6. After the alabaster is brought to the consistency of thick sour cream, it is filled with a shroud with a cable and empty space around the jar. After 25-30 minutes the solution will become petrified and it will be impossible to change the position of the wiring, so everything must be done within 5-7 minutes. Later, with a different solution, the shtroba completely shpaklyuetsya and leveled in the plane of the wall. The former location of the juniper is also completely filled with putty. For the final leveling of all voids, a regular gypsum is used, which grasps only after 25-30 minutes (and some - and up to an hour), which gives enough time for work. After the plaster has completely dried (24 hours), the surface is sanded with sandpaper.

   Strobe must be filled with a solution and carefully leveled, and after drying the alabaster sand with sandpaper

7. The installation and connection of the circuit breaker is carried out after the shrot and the drill are completely dry. The connection procedure is described above.

Sometimes (more often it happens in panel houses of old construction), one can come across a switch that is fixed in a recess without the use of a jar. This practice was typical of the buildings of the end of the previous century. Panels were poured in the factory, they provided for the installation of switches and sockets directly into the concrete holes. Some (short) time such switches regularly served, but here the outlets went out of order first and fell out of their nests when pulling out the cord. Therefore, if there is no sub-socket under the switch, the task will be simplified only.

In the case where the switch is carried over a considerable distance, it is possible to connect it to another junction box. But there is no point in describing this process without being tied to a specific situation. In this case, the best solution is to consult an experienced electrician directly on site.

It is much easier and quicker to reset the switch when the cables are routed outside. Obviously, in this case there is no need to bang walls, it is enough to stretch the cable channel or even just the cable in the corrugation to a new location.

For corrugated sleeves on sale there are special brackets that help to fix them on the wall.

Often, such wiring is done in garages, warehouses and other office spaces. A clear advantage is its high degree of accessibility when carrying out repair or preventive works. In addition, additional conductors can always be installed in the cable duct as needed.

Video: how to transfer the switch

Circuit breaker repair

Do not always throw out the old switch and change it to a new one. Sometimes it is enough to repair it. The device of the switch is quite simple and it can be easily repaired in case of a breakdown. If the disassembled switch is carefully considered, it can be understood that the main function in it performs a contact pair, which by mechanical force moves from one position to other. In one position, the electrical circuit is connected, in the other, it is disconnected.

Necessary tools and materials

For disassembly and assembly of the switch, only one tool is needed - a screwdriver with a flat slot, the size of which is 3-5 mm. To strip the contacts, you need a piece of sandpaper with fine grain or a filter.

How to disassemble the switch

The process of disassembling the circuit breaker was described above. For convenience, we bring it here again.

1. If the switch already stands in the (on) wall, the disassembly begins with the removal of the key. This is easy to do by poking it with a screwdriver on the side.
2. Next, unscrew the two screws securing the protective frame to the plinth.
3. After that, the base is removed from the jar, for which the two screws of the spacer are loosened. They do not need to be completely unscrewed, after one or two turns on either side the spacer legs will loosen, and the switch will freely fall out, hanging on the wires.
4. Then the wires are disconnected. To do this, loosen the two screws that clamp the wire in the terminal. Disassembly is finished.

   The switch is taken out of the receptacle, then the wires are disconnected from it

Modern switches consist of a non-removable cap, which in case of damage simply changes.

Cleaning of contacts

If the switch is unstable (it turns on, it does not turn on the lamp), most likely the cause is in the burned contacts. On close inspection such contacts may be slightly charred or even melted. This is because the wire is not firmly fixed in the terminal block. Another cause may be a power surge in the network at the time of turning on. A lamp with too much power can also cause damage to the contacts over time. Whatever it was, the contact needs to be restored, then it will continue to serve properly. To do this, clean it with a fine sandpaper before the appearance of a uniform metallic color.

Sometimes the conductor can be tin-plated, that is, treated with tin. Then instead of sandpaper it is better to use a small file - nadfile.

Other possible problems and solutions

Other malfunctions with switches are rare. But there are cases when a foreign body or some rubbish gets inside the switch. For example, during repair. Then it must be disassembled and thoroughly cleaned of all unnecessary, it is advisable to vacuum the base of the vacuum cleaner. As a rule, after this, the operation of the switch is again adjusted.

How to assemble a switch

Assembly takes place in the reverse order. If repairs are carried out for the first time, you can lay out the spare parts on the table in order of disassembly or take pictures in stages. When repairing a single-key switch, the arrangement of the wires does not matter. But if it has two or three keys, then in order to avoid confusion, the incoming core should be marked with a marker immediately. It can also mark the place of its connection.

Check the result of the repair can be done after installing the socle in the jar. To do this, turn on the power of the network on the panel and test the switch. If it works in the normal mode, you can finish the assembly, install the protective case and key.

Video: repair and replacement of the switch

When starting to replace the light switch, care must be taken to ensure safety. It must be remembered that an electric current can cause damage to health and is a danger to life. It is necessary to comply with the main rule of health protection, which consists in the fact that installation should take place only when the devices are disconnected from the mains.