Bob Daun wrote:
I would really like to find out if such a device is available. The type of
switch I am looking for is a regular wall panel light toggle switch with a
light inside the toggle. I know these are readily available everywhere
where the toggle is lighted when the switch is in the off position. They
are commonly used in bathroom to provide assistance in finding the switch in
the dark.

What I am looking for is the reverse of this, in other words, I want the
toggle part to light up when the switch is on rather than when it is off.
Here is my application. Some of my neighbors have seen prowlers around our
residential area and many of us decided to leave our front door outside
lights on all night. The problem is that we invariably forget to turn it
off in the morning and so a couple of bulbs are burning needlessly for
several hours most days. We are retired so we often don't go out of the
house until mid-morning or later. If the inside switch was lit up we would
notice and turn the lights off when we arise in the morning but now, since
in daylight we can't see that the outside light is on, we forget to turn it
off.
Has anyone seen this or know where they can be found?



I installed switches with pilots for my three "outside light" switch
locations for exactly the same reasons you mention, and also used them
on several closets where the switches for the closet lights are located
on the outside of the closet doors. The ones I use mount behind a
regular duplex outlet plate, the switchc omes through one of the holes
in the plate and is flipped "sideways". A good sized easily noticed red
neon pilot lamp fits in the other hole of the plate.

Here's the ones I used:

http://www.twacomm.com/Catalog/Model_5336.htm

You should be able to get those piloted switches anyplace that handles
electrical products. As a previous poster said, you do have to have
access to a neutral wire to install them per code, though the tiny
amount of current required to light the neon pilot lamp could easily
flow to ground without causing any big whoop, unless there's a GFI ahead
of the switch. But, if you say I told you that I'd have to kill you. G

Happy Holidays,

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia

(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"As long as there are final exams, there will be prayer in public
schools"