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GREEN FLASH BEHIND LIGHT SWITCH (Read 6407 times)
CMC1966
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GREEN FLASH BEHIND LIGHT SWITCH
Jun 6th, 2010, 12:11pm
 
Hi

Sometimes when I turn off a light switch in my home I see a green flash behind the switch.  What do you think this is and should I get it checked out, please?
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The_Trician
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Re: GREEN FLASH BEHIND LIGHT SWITCH
Reply #1 - Jun 6th, 2010, 12:37pm
 
Loose connection? Worn out switch.

How many lights, and what types of lights are operated by this switch?

I'd just change the light switch for a quality branded one

TT
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« Last Edit: Jun 6th, 2010, 12:38pm by The_Trician »  

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CMC1966
Re: GREEN FLASH BEHIND LIGHT SWITCH
Reply #2 - Jun 6th, 2010, 12:41pm
 
The light switch in the loft does it and also a couple in the lounge.
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LSpark
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Re: GREEN FLASH BEHIND LIGHT SWITCH
Reply #3 - Jun 6th, 2010, 6:51pm
 
Certain type of lights will cause this, such as fluorescent lights, as they are an inductive load. You will normally only notice this if it's very dark.

Best course of action is just to replace it with a quality branded switch as The_Trician suggests, this may solve the problem for you, however it's possible it may not, in which case providing there are no loose wires this is nothing to worry about.

Light switches have only a micro-gap inside them, so when you turn them on it draws an arc, this is what you see as the flash.
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« Last Edit: Jun 6th, 2010, 6:53pm by LSpark »  
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