How Do Wall Switches Work?

Most rooms in your home have one or more wall switches to control lighting fixtures or electrical outlets. Our recessed luminaires, chandeliers, chandeliers and wall lights are usually switched off and on by toggling a wall switch, usually located near the doorway.

Most rooms in your home have one or more to control lighting fixtures or electrical outlets. Our recessed luminaires, chandeliers, chandeliers and wall lights are usually switched off and on by toggling a wall switch, usually located near the doorway. In rooms where no light fixture is installed, the wall switch controls the power socket into which the floor lamp is plugged. We don't usually think about the switch itself, but it is important to understand how wall switches work and the different types of switch available if you want to repair or replace your system.

There are only three types of wall switches used to control light fittings: simple single pole (ON/OFF) switches, three way switches and four way switches. They can also be used for dimmer-type switches, which allow variable control of the illumination level of the luminaire. It is important to choose the switch that provides the desired function.

Wall Switch

Single Pole (ON/OFF) Switches

A single-pole switch is a switch that turns a light off or on from the wall position only. For this reason they are sometimes referred to as single position switches. Single pole switches are most easily identified by the ON/OFF markings printed on the switch toggle; no other type of switch has these markings.

In technical terms, this simple ON/OFF switch is called a single-pole, single-throw (SPST) switch. Single pole means that only one hot wire can be connected. Single-throw means that when you flip the level, it is connected to only one other lead wire - the wire leading to the luminaire.

Internal gateways on switches come in different designs. The older types are purely mechanical, with metal arms controlled by springs. These types may wear out when the springs lose their elasticity. Newer types may use a small bottle of mercury inside the switch to conduct electricity. These types do not have the characteristic 'quickness' in toggling the lever and they are more durable than mechanical quick switches.

Three-way switches

A three-way switch is used when the luminaire is to be controlled from two wall positions, such as at the top and bottom of a staircase when being used, at either end of a corridor, or from two entrance doors in a large room.

In addition to the green earth screw, the three-way switch has three screw terminals which have very different functions depending on the position of the switch in the circuit configuration. One dark screw terminal, called the common terminal, is connected to a fire wire which carries power from the mains to the switch, or to a fire wire which carries power forward to the luminaire.

In technical terms, a three-way switch is called a single-pole, double-throw (SPDT) switch. Again, single pole means that there is only one "hot" wire connected to it. But this switch also has two other wires connected to it, and the term double throw means that the flip lever can switch the electrical path back and forth between the two switches running on the other two outgoing wires.

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