Switch for closet

Dec 20, 2006 7 Replies

I have a closet that has two 30" doors that swing out (it's a total of



60.5" wide or so) and would like to find some sort of switch that will activate only when the doors are open.

Do they make 120 Volt pin-type switches? If so, how can I rig it to close the circuit (turn on the light) when the door is open and not closed?



Thanks!



Yes, you want a "normally closed" switch (closes when NOT activated). The door then holds the contacts open. Mine fits in the door frame on the hinge side. Any good electrical supply house should surely have them, maybe even Lowes or Home Depot.

IKEA has something that might suit your needs. ( It's called "INLOPP" )

formatting link

-=Patch=-

Yep -- what you want is one of these:

formatting link
You can find it at Lowe's or Home Depot -- but if you're not in a hurry, try eBay. I needed several for a remodeling project earlier this year, and found what I needed on eBay, new in the box, for *much* less than half the regular retail price.

You can also consider magnetic switches: Switch on the door jamb, magnet on the door.

Steal the sensors from your neighbors garage-door set?

Be careful, many magnetic switches do not have the current capacity for an incandescent light bulb. The most common magnetic switches are designed for use in burgular alarms where the power levels are much less than turning on a 60 watt bulb.

This looks to be more expensive than I thought... I'll just go ahead and put in a pull switch for 50 cents.

Thanks for the advice guys!

Join the Discussion

Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.

Didn't find your answer?

Ask the community — no account required