Polished/satin chrome dimmer for 16mm back box

I'm trying to replace the old and knackered plastic switch plates and socket plates in our newly decorated house with brushed/satin chrome.

However, I've just bought a job lot of dimmer switches from B & Q but find that they all need 25mm back boxes, whereas we only have 16mm back boxes.

I've talked to a couple of electrical shops who have generally sucked their teeth and told me to fuggeddabaht it. However, Screwfix offer this, but it's polished rather than satin/brushed.

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can't find anything else in a moderately focused googling session, but I can't believe that the only metal-faced dimmer switch that is compatible with a 16mm back box is polished.

Anyone able to help?

Thanks

Edward

Reply to
Edward
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Are you sure it does actually fit a 16mm box? The page seems to mention switches and sockets but not dimmers as regards to this. Although it could be my browser.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

If these are they:

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I think you're right - it looks like switches need 16mm boxes - but sunk an extra 5mm deeper into the wall which begs the point of it really. Dimmers and sockets need 25mm.

Reply to
boltmail

16mm boxes are impossibly tight with normal accessories, never mind flat plate ones, and on top of that dimmers need extra gubbins on the back of the plate to do the dimming. Road to nowhere I reckon (but willing to be proven wrong).

Why not replace the boxes with deeper ones - it isn't a big job.

Reply to
boltmail

I can't say I would go along with this in a newly decorated house. If they're stud walls it won't be bad, but if it's a matter of chiselling out masonry there is likely to be collateral damage (or maybe I'm just clumsy).

Reply to
Martin Pentreath

Most modern dimmers have an RFI choke which takes up a deal of space - let alone the need to have some space around things for cooling purposes. The only dimmers I've seen that fitted a plaster depth box stuck out a fair way too - more than the equivalent light switch.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

Maybe you are! Or maybe our ideas of what is and isn't a big job are different - if some plaster chips off, it's only a quick patch and touch-up job.

Reply to
boltmail

The room is newly decorated (painted lining paper) so there would be some localised destruction. The electrician tells me that you can get spacers to pack out the switch - I could paint these in with the walls I gues, but it would probably look pretty crap. Alternatively I can just replace the existing dimmers with rocker switches.

I did a deeper trawl of the google internets and it seems that you can get plastic-faced dimmers for 16mm back boxes, but not metal. I think it's probably a heating thing.

Anyway, thanks for the help. Next time I'll look before I leap.

Edward (sent via GG because not at home)

Reply to
teddysnips

Or modify the dimmer switches to be just pots controlling a remote dimmer pack mounted elsewhere.

Owain

Reply to
Owain

To restore balance to the world Edward wrote in snipped-for-privacy@bt.com

A square of timber 10mm thick, router all 4 edges (to make a nice looking job) cut out the centre finish to taste.Place between dimmer an and back box.Have had to do this a number of time.

Chris

Reply to
Joker7

Used to be able to buy a 10mm thick spacer - but I guess it wouldn't suit the OP as they are / were white plastic. Took a quick look but couldn't find them.

Reply to
John

They can be difficult to find - but MK still list them.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

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