need switch-switch-blank wallplate

I'm helping a friend fix up some things in her house. A mystery switch turned out to have no wires attached. It was just being used to fill the third hole in a three-gang wall plate. This is in a part of the house where a room had been added by a previous owner, thus the "homeowner job" quality control.

I'd like to get rid of the mystery switch. I've searched at big box stores and on the web, and I haven't found a wall plate that's switch+switch+blank. (Specifically, it needs to be ivory, and the switches are toggle ... even though every other room in the house is white, rocker. Go figure.)

Any idea where to find such a wall plate, or suggestions for alternatives?

I've considered some possibilities. 1) Of course there's always putting it back like it was, but I don't like mystery switches. 2) I could try carefully trimming two wall plates to meet on a straight line, and if I were really good with a router, that might be the best course, but I'm not that good. 3) I could convert this one room to rocker switches to match the rest of the house, and possibly have a better chance, though I had to go online even to find a duplex rocker+blank two-gang plate for a similar situation in another room.

4) If I could find just a little plug to fill the toggle-switch-size hole in the plate, I'd even be happy with that.

5) I'm not sure if I looked for a switch+switch+outlet plate, just adding an outlet to fill the space, but it's in a bathroom and I think I'd need to use a GFCI outlet (and would therefore require a switch+switch+rectangle plate), plus I'm not sure if I identified a neutral in the box. (I'm not there to look at it today.)

Thanks,

Edward

Reply to
Edward Reid
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rned out to have no wires attached. It was just being used to fill the thir= d hole in a three-gang wall plate. This is in a part of the house where a r= oom had been added by a previous owner, thus the "homeowner job" quality co= ntrol. I'd like to get rid of the mystery switch. I've searched at big box = stores and on the web, and I haven't found a wall plate that's switch+switc= h+blank. (Specifically, it needs to be ivory, and the switches are toggle .= .. even though every other room in the house is white, rocker. Go figure.) = Any idea where to find such a wall plate, or suggestions for alternatives? = I've considered some possibilities. 1) Of course there's always putting it = back like it was, but I don't like mystery switches. 2) I could try careful= ly trimming two wall plates to meet on a straight line, and if I were reall= y good with a router, that might be the best course, but I'm not that good.= 3) I could convert this one room to rocker switches to match the rest of t= he house, and possibly have a better chance, though I had to go online even= to find a duplex rocker+blank two-gang plate for a similar situation in an= other room. 4) If I could find just a little plug to fill the toggle-switch=

-size hole in the plate, I'd even be happy with that. 5) I'm not sure if I = looked for a switch+switch+outlet plate, just adding an outlet to fill the = space, but it's in a bathroom and I think I'd need to use a GFCI outlet (an= d would therefore require a switch+switch+rectangle plate), plus I'm not su= re if I identified a neutral in the box. (I'm not there to look at it today= .) Thanks, Edward

For #5,

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Reply to
Pavel314

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Nice, but no standard colors. Even in what they call "ivory", it's made of Corian! And costs over $30 for ONE plate! I found various web sites specializing in wall plates, but they all want to sell expensive specialty plates, not normal ones. Of course if I were selling wall plates, I'd want to sell expensive ones too ...

Edward

Reply to
Edward Reid

Did you try a local electrical supply? Also Google is your friend. Here is one I found in 15 secs:

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Reply to
trader4

I don't remember where we got them years ago (maybe Lowe's), but we have some "sectional" Decora-style plates that interlock: two switch plates plus one blank plate. Perhaps there were "old-fashioned"-type switch plates as well, but I don't remember.

Not cheap, but not outrageous. And aren't there also blanking inserts for both "old-fashioned"-type switch plates and Decora-style switch plates?

Perce

Reply to
Percival P. Cassidy

wrote

You DO realize, don't you, that *I* invented the phrase, "Google is your friend"?

Reply to
David Kaye

You've got a router?

Make one.

Reply to
HeyBub

Edward:

You're not going to find a "switch-switch-blank" wall plate.

If I were you, I would contact these people in the great white North to send you a handful of 1 X1/2 inch tube finishing plugs.

'Rectangular Tubing Plugs RC Series - Caps n Plugs'

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That company has a 1-800 phone number, so maybe someone at that end would know where you could get a 1" X 3/8" plastic cap or plug.

The hole in a standard switch plate is 1" X 3/8". You can cut off the ribs on one side of a 1/2 inch wide tube finishing cap and fit it into the third hole in your switch plate. Unfortunately, from what I can see, they only come in black, so it's gonna stand out against a white or ivory back ground.

Reply to
nestork

that's not what google says

Reply to
Malcom "Mal" Reynolds

Just buy a blank hole filler yoke which will screw into the box and fill the hole for the unknown unconnected switch... The homeowner sounds like they installed a larger box to make sure it was big enough...

Google "blank yoke switch filler"...

Stop going to the big box store for oddities in electrical supply items, go to the local electrical supply house...

Reply to
Evan

*You need to shop where the electricians go, at an electrical supply company. If they don't have that configuration in stock, it can be ordered. Any configuration is available in any standard finish and I think the maximum size is 20 gang.

Here's a Mulberry part number for a wrinkle finish ivory toggle/toggle/blank wallplate: #99533 Ivory semigloss metal #84533 Princess ivory semigloss metal #74533

A blank filler plate is also available to fill in the toggle opening on the existing wall plate.

Reply to
John Grabowski

Not all distributors welcome walk-in DIY sales. You may have to buy a minimum quantity or open an account to do business at the "city counter". But, check on-line distributors such as Grainger too. I made friends with an electrical contractor years ago and call his office when I need such things. He just adds what I want to his daily order.

Tomsic

Reply to
Tomsic

Thanks, all. I've identified a couple of workable solutions thanks to the replies.

Easiest is a Leviton Toggle Plastic Adapter Plate -- name may vary, many sources, price as low as $3 but shipping always costly for a single small item, so I've put

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in my shopping cart. I realized I'm not certain whether the color is Light Almond or Ivory, but I'll probably have a chance to figure that out before I get $25 worth of stuff in my cart. Wrong color wouldn't really matter anyway for a small plug in a poorly lit location.

trader4 pointed me to a source for the complete plate. Thanks -- yes, I googled it, but I obviously didn't have the right search terms ... nowadays the best answer to a question is often just "here's the search terms you need". I think the filler/adapter will be easier and cheaper in this case, but knowing where to find a wider variety of plates is a Good Thing.

Perce, I actually built a plate from those sectionals a few years ago, but I couldn't find them when I was looking. Search terms again -- when I used "sectional" in my search, I found them. I probably got it at Lowe's, and I'm pretty sure they don't carry it any more. Looks like I don't need it this time, but still Good To Know.

And yeah, I should locate a Real electrical supply house. But this is in another town and she may be moving soon anyway. And in my town, most of the old time electric supply houses have closed. Must be one left somewhere ...

Edward

Reply to
Edward Reid

Go to an electric supply company store. You can buy a blank switch to fill one of the holes in the plate that you already have. All it is, is a plastic square that is screwed in place of the switch and fills that hole. I doubt you will even find a switch plate with one blank space.

Reply to
meterman

I already provided a link to the switch plate days ago. They are available and not hard to find with google.

Reply to
trader4

I installed one when I couldn't find a single switch + blank cover that wasn't 2 pieces. -----

- gpsman

Reply to
gpsman

Search for modular blank wallplate on HD web and then for the other plates. A couple of bucks each.

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Reply to
shellyf_DELETE_

Hook the mystery switch to an Edwards fire horn and label the switch, "DO NOT TOUCH". ^_^

TDD

Reply to
The Daring Dufas
[SNIP]

I did one sort of like that once. I put in a dummy switch and a little red LED (neither connected to anything). I then labeled the thing "deity detector", with a sensitivity of 5uD (meaning 5 millionths of a supreme being could light the LED). The switch doesn't do anything, but flip it occaisionally to get the supreme being's attention and see if the LED lights.

Reply to
Not X

At work we had a molding machine with a control panel that was modified at one time. A toggle switch was installed, but when the panel was changed back, the switch was left in place, connected to nothing.

Once in a while, the operator on that machine would have a complaint, the parts are coming out too fast, I'm too hot, there are too hard to pack, whatever. We'd go over to the machine (that was running properly) and show concern. Then make a big deal that the switch was in the wrong position. Flip the switch, walk away and suddenly all was right with the world and the operator was happy.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

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