"RBM" rbm2(remove wrote in message
...
Boy, if you can buy a Decora style dimmer for $5, sign me up. I'll take
50.

Not sure about the current pricing, but when I bought our current home a few
years back, Home Depot had a special buy on decora-style dimmers, the kind
with the slide lever that clicks off as you slide it down to the bottom, 2
for $12. That's a $6 dimmer, but pretty close g. I installed 4 of them
and they work just fine and look great. Not as sexy as the electronic ones
with the snazzy soft-on and stuff, but a heck of a lot cheaper...

-Tim

The sparks aren't necessarily a problem as all wall switches spark when
they make and break a circuit. You just usually can't see the spark inside
the plastic. Lutron has had issues with this for years on their Skylark
models a spark is clearly visible at the sides of the rocker switch, which
scares the bejeebers out of a lot of folks. The burning smell on the other
hand is a good indication of a problem, so the unit should be replaced.
The aluminum face of the dimmer is a heat sink and in normal operation
will get pretty hot, so just be sure not to overload the capacity of the
dimmer



"DaveR" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 08 Oct 2005 16:53:14 GMT, "Colbyt"
wrote:


"DaveR" wrote in message
...
I turned on a light switch and noticed a few small sparks inside the
switch as I turned it on. No big deal, or so I thought.

Most likely a bad 50 cent switch. The sparks indicate a loose
connection.
If it is a single switch circuit you should be able to do it yourself
with
no problems. Just be sure to turn the breaker off before you start. If
it
happens to be a three way circuit pair a pair of switches, replace both
and
do one wire at a time.

Actually it's more like a $5 switch It's a Decora style dimmer with
a rocker switch.

It wouldn't surprise me to find a loose connection in there. Some of
the electricians that did the work in my house were a bit careless.