Lamp with leaky current?

[Grisu]

We have a strange lamp in our laundry room. It has a 60W incadescent bulb and the filament continuous glowing in orange even when the light switch is turned off; similar when turning a dimmer to a very low setting. However, the lamp is on a single standard wall switch. I am thinking of just replacing the switch to see if that solves the problem but before I do that I wanted to call on the DIY wisdom here before I screw up anything. Did someone have something like that before? Should I better call an electrician because it could be a larger problem? Many thanks!

 

[oldspark]

Just guessing but it could be leaking voltage through the switch.

 

[pastera]

bad switch most likely - change out ASAP

Not much to go wrong unless someone messed with the wiring and you have some daisy chain wiring going on (Make sure you use a meter to check for power even after you flip the breaker!)

 

[fossil]

Open the breaker for that circuit (you'll want to do this before changing out the switch anyway) and the glow should immediately disappear if it's a switch problem. Should the glow remain with the breaker open...get a pro involved. In any case, don't delay taking action on this, as electrical problems can burn your house down. Rick

 

[Fifelaker]

What fossil said.

 

[Grisu]

Thanks for the advise guys. I flipped the breaker yesterday and the glowing went away. I left it like that and told my wife no laundry for a few days until I can put in a new switch. Hopefully, I can pick one up today.

 

[semipro]

I've found that the commercial grade switches, though a little noisier, are worth the extra cost.

 

[maverick06]

some switches are strange. I have a light on a 2 switch circuit. The two switches have the little lights that glow when they are off. Well long story short, when the switches are off, the outlet gets 15 volts (and if you have a CFL in, it will flicker). I rewired the whole thing to make sure I didnt screw up... I didnt. As best as I can tell its a little voltage leaking across from the light that glows when the switch is off. I might be wrong, but that seems to be it... dont like it, have to use a CFL.

I agree, suspect its a switch, a multimeter will confirm that for you. they are free to a few bucks are some stores, like harborfreight.

 

[jharkin]

I've found that the commercial grade switches, though a little noisier, are worth the extra cost.

+1

Since Ive owned my house Ive gone through pretty much all the outlets and switches. Along with fixing sloppy work like missing ground, eliminating backstab connections and correcting a couple of reversed outlets I also as a rule replace all the 50 cent builder grade outlets with spec grade units ($3-4). The difference in quality is huge.

 

[heat seeker]

I agree, a good quality outlet makes a difference. The contacts inside a cheap outlet are small and weak. Try running a high-current item like a heater from a cheap outlet; it gets hot! A good outlet makes better contact with the appliance's plug and there is less heat generated in the outlet itself. BTDT.
I can remember when I was a kid we had some outlets that the plug wouldn't even stay in, they were so bad. I guess my parents didn't know the difference, either!

 

[semipro]

I've found that the commercial grade switches, though a little noisier, are worth the extra cost.

+1

Since Ive owned my house Ive gone through pretty much all the outlets and switches. Along with fixing sloppy work like missing ground, eliminating backstab connections and correcting a couple of reversed outlets I also as a rule replace all the 50 cent builder grade outlets with spec grade units ($3-4). The difference in quality is huge.

I can't believe the backstab connections are even legal. I've come across so many bad connections related to those in several different houses.

In my opinion they are a fire hazard and should not be allowed per code.

 

[oldspark]

I've found that the commercial grade switches, though a little noisier, are worth the extra cost.

+1

Since Ive owned my house Ive gone through pretty much all the outlets and switches. Along with fixing sloppy work like missing ground, eliminating backstab connections and correcting a couple of reversed outlets I also as a rule replace all the 50 cent builder grade outlets with spec grade units ($3-4). The difference in quality is huge.

I can't believe the backstab connections are even legal. I've come across so many bad connections related to those in several different houses.

In my opinion they are a fire hazard and should not be allowed per code.

Define back stab, you do know there are very good outlets that are fed from the back and on the other hand some cheap POS's. PS- Ok I think you must mean the one you just stab in vs the ones you tighten correct?

 

[semipro]

I've found that the commercial grade switches, though a little noisier, are worth the extra cost.

+1

Since Ive owned my house Ive gone through pretty much all the outlets and switches. Along with fixing sloppy work like missing ground, eliminating backstab connections and correcting a couple of reversed outlets I also as a rule replace all the 50 cent builder grade outlets with spec grade units ($3-4). The difference in quality is huge.

I can't believe the backstab connections are even legal. I've come across so many bad connections related to those in several different houses.

In my opinion they are a fire hazard and should not be allowed per code.

Define back stab, you do know there are very good outlets that are fed from the back and on the other hand some cheap POS's. PS- Ok I think you must mean the one you just stab in vs the ones you tighten correct?

Yeah. I was just using jharkin's terminology which sounds like a good description as you just strip the wire and then insert it into a hole on the back of the outlet. There is no screw used to secure.