On Tue, 08 Mar 2005 17:35:29 GMT, "David Martel"
wrote:

Kate,

This is usually really easy.

True enough, and your advice to the OP is sound. But...

....sometimes it's not so easy.

If his existing wiring was competently done, and not too old, he
should be OK. But in my 1949 vintage house, I have found examples of
incompetence and excessive age. The most common problem is that the
people who wired this house didn't much believe in slack. One switch I
had to replace actually would not come out of the box AT ALL. I can't
figure out how they installed it in the first place. Although that one
was the extreme, none of the other fixtures I've tackled had anything
like the proper amount of slack either. This can make the wiring
trickier than it ought to be. I've extended the wires in each box I've
opened.

Age has also reared its ugly superannuated head. The insulation on
some of my wires was very fragile. I suppose if no one had touched
them, they might have remained safe for another few decades, but the
slightest rough treatment damages them. That's a harder problem to
deal with.

I'm not trying to scare the OP. I think that replacing a switch ought
to be within the skills of the average homeowner; It's an awfully
small thing to pay an electrician for. I would say that if he can pull
the switch entirely out of the box and the wire looks to be in good
shape he should go for it.

Greg Guarino