Light switch height

[sidwelle]

I want to add a light switch for the lights in the garage, currently there is no switch in the garage, just inside the door in the house. I need to know what height to place the electrical box from the floor in the garage. All the other switches in the house are 45" from the floor to the middle of the toggle. The garage is two steps down from the house approx 20". Should the switch be:

1.) 45" from the garage floor ? 2.) Or 45" from the top step (20" higher) ? 3.) Or 66" from the garage floor (45" above the entry threshold into the house) ? 4.) or split the difference and put it in the middle ?

Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

[Fred McKenzie]

Sid-

Switches are centered around 50 inches from the floor at my house. Is there a "standard"?

It might be easier for a tall person to reach down, than for a short person to reach up!

Fred

[Ralph Mowery]

At one time many items in the house was based on the average heigth of men, The average heigth has gone up over the years.

You may want to call the local building/electrical inspector and see if there is anything in your county that is specific to the switches.

If he does not specify any distance, put it where ever you want it. YOu probably want to put the switch at the same height as others in the house.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Typical height is 45 to 48 inches. In your case, think safety. Is it safer to reach up from the floor or bend over to reach down at the top of the steps.

In any case, consider putting is a switch with a cover plate like this so you can easily find it.

[thekmanrocks]

Ralph Mowery:

I know what my HEIGHT is, but not my "heigth".

Americans....!

[Terry Coombs]

  Mine will all be 47 1/4" from the finished floor to the bottom of the box when I get the oak flooring installed . I forgot to allow for it , meant for them to be 48" . In Sid's case I'd mount it at 48" above the garage floor .

[gfretwell]

The code is silent on the issue. I would just walk through the door and see where your hand lands naturally going each way and split the difference. That is far more thought on the issue than your regular electrician would put into it. They typically but them right above the fire stop, wherever that might be. (usually 48" from the floor to the center of the 2x so they can run the drywall horizontally).

[dpb]

Besides the question of height, what is the functionality? Is the present switch only on-off one location I presume based on the description?

In that case, you'll be short a run to put in 3-way switches to turn on-off at either end of the steps -- which will be annoying if you run a parallel on-off in the garage because wherever you turn in on from is where you'll also have to turn it off.

[Mark Lloyd]

I've heard of "heigth", but still don't know what it means. Maybe just an attempt to make it look more like "width".

[Mark Lloyd]

On 4/2/20 4:38 PM, Terry Coombs wrote:[snip]

You also might want a receptacle there. You might want to have a receptacle in an easy-to-get-to location, rather than behind something as they usually are. I have put in several in my house.

[Terry Coombs]

  Nope , all my receptacles are 12" from the floor except the ones above counter top locations - and one that's located for the TV . I do plan to put an outlet in the living room floor when we do the finish flooring . That would eliminate the extension cord from the wall plug to power the lamp and laptop chargers . Why do I have outlets every 6 feet on every wall ? Because I can . I hate cords and I have the capacity in my power panel , I have all the outlets I need and still have unused breaker slots .

[thekmanrocks]

__________ I mean, LOOK at the word, people!

HEIGHT. H e i g h t.

Where does that get lost in translation?

Another one that gets me: "eXcape"

It's eSSSSScape, people, Geezess Criminy!

[Ed Pawlowski]

Written or typed? Written no excuse. Typed, maybe. Look where the s and x are on the keyboard. I've been typing for nearly

60 years and my third finger sometimes hits excape.

[thekmanrocks]

Written: no excuse.

Typed: no excuse.

Spoken: no excuse.

HOW can one f-up the word ESCAPE??

I don't care what's next to what "on a keyboard"

Ave Maria....

[Ed Pawlowski]

Its a simple typo. Welcome to newsgroups and thousands of typos.

[Hawk]

Standard is 48" from the floor in the room where the lights are located.

[thekmanrocks]

Ed Pawlowski:

________ Have you ever grabbed lunch at the counter in a diner or in a restaurant and listened to the conversation around you? Or hung out in a bar and done the same?

I may correspond a lot on here, but I operate out in the real world. How about you?

I hear "excape" all the time, from a customer chatting in a store, or the 6pm news anchor Godalmighty. Or 'nu-q-lar' instead of NUCLEAR. It's

not.

"just.

typos".

Ed.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Thinking about it, he really needs a 3 way. If you put it 48" in the garage, it is only 28" as you enter the room. Bending over or stepping down with no light is not a good option.

My laundry is right inside the garage entry so it is a pretty small room, yet they put a three way on both sides. Then a short hall with linen closet and again, 2 three ways, even thou I can touch both at the same time standing in the center.

My guess is an inspector would want two switches. One can be on the opposite side of the wall in the house.

[Ralph Mowery]

We finally have a winner.

I must be the only one on here that makes typos or can not spell 100 %

[thekmanrocks]

Ralph Mowery:

The point is, neither you nor Ed Pavlovski can seem to grasp the fact that people actually pronounce things that way out in the real world!