Light switch sparked, now not working

[Jlmarose]

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[Jlmarose]

I shut my hallway light off (basic ceiling fixture) and the switch gave off a huge spark. I tried to turn the light back on and it wouldn't work. I then tried the switch at the other end of the hallway, and that wouldn't work either. Next I changed the bulbs, and still nothing.

is this a call the electrician sort of thing? Or are there things we can try first to get it fixed.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

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[bob haller]

sounds like the circuit breaker tripped from a short, check all breakers or fuses.

if a breaker is tripped their might be a underlying problem although just once a bad bulb must of shorted somehow and tripped the breaker.

the spark might have been the light bulb frying try the old bulbs in a known working fixture

[dpb]

Well, given you have to ask, it may be an electrician thing but...

One presumes probably tripped the breaker(/blew a fuse depending on age of house/wiring) when the spark occurred.

That indicates either there was a short to ground for some reason--either a switch failure or a bare/loose hot managed to make contact w/ a ground or the grounded box or such.

Make sure the breaker for the circuit in question is off and look inside the box..you can probably see the signs of where the spark occurred and tell whether it was the switch or a wire. Whatever it was, fix it...

If the above seems complicated, call the electrician or find a handy neighbor, co-worker, whatever...

--

[RBM]

likely that the breaker or fuse didn't trip. You need to find out what caused the spark. If could be a bad fixture, bad switch or wiring. It does sound like something you might be needing an electrician to look at for you.

>

[RonB]

Change the switch.

RonB

[hrhofmann]

The OP may also have to change thelother 3-three-way switch, as there may have been a current surge that would weld the contacts on the second part of the circuit.

To the OP:

Find a handy neighbor if at all possible, have them help you replace the 3-way switch that sparked. But first make sure the circuit breaker/fuse that controls that circuit has shut off the power to the circuit so you don't get a bad shock or generate even more sparks.

[dennisgauge]

Your complete lack of basic rational logic and basic diagnostic skills, and the fact that checking the circuit breakers never crossed your mind, indicates that this should be left to a professional.

Think for a minute. What sparked? The SWITCH. Why are you changing light bulbs?

Think for a minute. What are the odds that MULTIPLE light bulbs would all burn out at once? Have you ever seen it before, that wasn't a movie about a ghost or an alien invasion?

This is what I'm talking about. You are looking at clearly obvious symptoms that say NOT the light bulbs, yet you ignore them and start changing light bulbs.

You don't need to be an electrician or know anything about electricity. All you need is basic logic and common sense.

The switch sparked. Now the lights no longer work. Logic and common sense say that the problem is probably in the SWITCH!

Switches burn out. Switches break. Especially the cheap Chinese ones they sell now.

[gregz]

I get light arching from cfl lamps turning then off. If it was on an arc fault breaker, I think it would trip. Just another possibility.

Greg

[Mark]

did anyone do any nailing into the wall recently?

Mark

[Ban bags hhs]

replying to dennisgauge, Ban bags hhs wrote: Don't be a dick. Not everyone knows everything. They come to the internet for help not for you to be a prick to them.

[Sam Hill]

Don't worry. It was almost *FIVE* years ago when Jlmarose threw that switch. What happened was he did it again and the *house burned down*!

Why can't you Home Moaners Hubbies read dates???

[Fred]

replying to Ban bags hhs, Fred wrote: Hear hear!

[no]

He shut the light off. Either the hot came off the terminal or the switch went bad.

The easy thing to do is check the breaker first, but then change the switch.

As that happened back in 2002. I hope he has figured it out by now.

[Hawk est41]

Yes! Is that a difficult fix?