My house, built in 1960, has several wall switches actuated by
rectangular pushbuttons that fit the same switchplates as normal
toggle switches. One switch is now sticking.

Any idea how I can fix it?

And who sells replacements? (Home Depot does not)

My house, built in 1960, has several wall switches actuated by
rectangular pushbuttons that fit the same switchplates as normal
toggle switches. One switch is now sticking.

Any idea how I can fix it?

And who sells replacements? (Home Depot does not)


*I am having trouble remembering what they look like and who made them. A
posted picture would be helpful. I presume that they are line voltage and
not low voltage switches that actuate relays.

Offhand I know that Lutron has these as dimmers and switches:
http://www.lutron.com/faedra/?s=17000&t=17200

On Jan 19, 4:30*pm, Ivan wrote:
My house, built in 1960, has several wall switches actuated by
rectangular pushbuttons that fit the same switchplates as normal
toggle switches. *One switch is now sticking.

Any idea how I can fix it?

And who sells replacements? (Home Depot does not)

If you remove the cover plate and look carefully, you just might see a
name on the switch. If not visible, then kill power to the fixture
and remove the two mounting screws (top and bottom) and look carefully
at the rest of the switch for some id. I've never seen a switch that
did not have the manufacturer's name on it somewhere.

wrote:
On Tue, 19 Jan 2010 14:30:29 -0800 (PST), Ivan
wrote:

My house, built in 1960, has several wall switches actuated by
rectangular pushbuttons that fit the same switchplates as normal
toggle switches. One switch is now sticking.

Any idea how I can fix it?

And who sells replacements? (Home Depot does not)

Are they white rocker switches that run relays on 24vac (the GE RR7
system) If you have the old style switch they usually are just binding
on the cover. The newer ones are a tad smaller.

What the other guy said about opening the box and looking for a
manufacturer name. Assuming they are 1960-vintage original equipment to
the house, I think OP is probably out of luck. Remember, this was 2
years before The Jetsons came on the air- ultramodern-look house
features and design gadgets were real big back then. Too bad they were
made with stone-age (by modern standards) technology, and once the fad
died down, replacements and repair parts were hard or impossible to come
by. (Pity the poor soul with a kitchen full of early-1960s built-in
small appliances. Anybody remember built-in blenders and such?)

--
aem sends...

aemeijers wrote:
wrote:
On Tue, 19 Jan 2010 14:30:29 -0800 (PST), Ivan
wrote:

My house, built in 1960, has several wall switches actuated by
rectangular pushbuttons that fit the same switchplates as normal
toggle switches. One switch is now sticking.

Any idea how I can fix it?

And who sells replacements? (Home Depot does not)

Are they white rocker switches that run relays on 24vac (the GE RR7
system) If you have the old style switch they usually are just binding
on the cover. The newer ones are a tad smaller.

What the other guy said about opening the box and looking for a
manufacturer name. Assuming they are 1960-vintage original equipment to
the house, I think OP is probably out of luck. Remember, this was 2
years before The Jetsons came on the air- ultramodern-look house
features and design gadgets were real big back then. Too bad they were
made with stone-age (by modern standards) technology, and once the fad
died down, replacements and repair parts were hard or impossible to come
by. (Pity the poor soul with a kitchen full of early-1960s built-in
small appliances. Anybody remember built-in blenders and such?)

--
aem sends...

yeah, sadly, the 1920's style two-button light switches are easier to
find and have been reproduced to boot. I know I've lived somewhere that
had the switches the OP described, or at least had a friend that did,
but I can't rememeber where - and I don't think I've ever seen those
switches for sale in any store.

nate

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

On Jan 20, 4:13*am, Nate Nagel wrote:
aemeijers wrote:
wrote:
On Tue, 19 Jan 2010 14:30:29 -0800 (PST), Ivan
wrote:

My house, built in 1960, has several wall switches actuated by
rectangular pushbuttons that fit the same switchplates as normal
toggle switches. *One switch is now sticking.

Any idea how I can fix it?

And who sells replacements? (Home Depot does not)

Are they white rocker switches that run relays on 24vac (the GE RR7
system) If you have the old style switch they usually are just binding
on the cover. The newer ones are a tad smaller.

What the other guy said about opening the box and looking for a
manufacturer name. Assuming they are 1960-vintage original equipment to
the house, I think OP is probably out of luck. *Remember, this was 2
years before The Jetsons came on the air- ultramodern-look house
features and design gadgets were real big back then. Too bad they were
made with stone-age (by modern standards) technology, and once the fad
died down, replacements and repair parts were hard or impossible to come
by. (Pity the poor soul with a kitchen full of early-1960s built-in
small appliances. Anybody remember built-in blenders and such?)

--
aem sends...

yeah, sadly, the 1920's style two-button light switches are easier to
find and have been reproduced to boot. *I know I've lived somewhere that
had the switches the OP described, or at least had a friend that did,
but I can't rememeber where - and I don't think I've ever seen those
switches for sale in any store.

nate

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.http://members.cox.net/njnagel- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Maybe the OP will do what I suggested and open things up and then tell
us what he finds.

On Jan 20, 5:13*am, Nate Nagel wrote:
aemeijers wrote:
wrote:
On Tue, 19 Jan 2010 14:30:29 -0800 (PST), Ivan
wrote:

My house, built in 1960, has several wall switches actuated by
rectangular pushbuttons that fit the same switchplates as normal
toggle switches. *One switch is now sticking.

Any idea how I can fix it?

And who sells replacements? (Home Depot does not)

Are they white rocker switches that run relays on 24vac (the GE RR7
system) If you have the old style switch they usually are just binding
on the cover. The newer ones are a tad smaller.

What the other guy said about opening the box and looking for a
manufacturer name. Assuming they are 1960-vintage original equipment to
the house, I think OP is probably out of luck. *Remember, this was 2
years before The Jetsons came on the air- ultramodern-look house
features and design gadgets were real big back then. Too bad they were
made with stone-age (by modern standards) technology, and once the fad
died down, replacements and repair parts were hard or impossible to come
by. (Pity the poor soul with a kitchen full of early-1960s built-in
small appliances. Anybody remember built-in blenders and such?)

--
aem sends...

yeah, sadly, the 1920's style two-button light switches are easier to
find and have been reproduced to boot. *I know I've lived somewhere that
had the switches the OP described, or at least had a friend that did,
but I can't rememeber where - and I don't think I've ever seen those
switches for sale in any store.


I just remembered where I saw them, it's in the house that my
grandparents bought after they moved out of the old farmhouse they'd
lived in for years.

I know, that's not helpful, but it was bugging the crap out of me. I
believe that it was built within a few years of 1960. Still has the
original kitchen cabinets and countertop, of which I am quite envious.

nate

On Jan 19, 10:50*pm, wrote:
On Tue, 19 Jan 2010 14:30:29 -0800 (PST), Ivan
wrote:

My house, built in 1960, has several wall switches actuated by
rectangular pushbuttons that fit the same switchplates as normal
toggle switches. *One switch is now sticking.

Any idea how I can fix it?

And who sells replacements? (Home Depot does not)

Are they white rocker switches that run relays on 24vac (the GE RR7
system) If you have the old style switch they usually are just binding
on the cover. The newer ones are a tad smaller.

I don't believe these are for relays--I have replaced a few others in
the house with X10 switches, and they were just conventional switches
except for having a rectangular button instead of a toggle. I prefer
not to use x10 in this application, though. And the switch still
binds even with the cover removed, so that's not the problem.

On 1/20/2010 9:36 AM Ivan spake thus:

On Jan 19, 10:50 pm, wrote:

On Tue, 19 Jan 2010 14:30:29 -0800 (PST), Ivan
wrote:

My house, built in 1960, has several wall switches actuated by
rectangular pushbuttons that fit the same switchplates as normal
toggle switches. One switch is now sticking.

Any idea how I can fix it?

And who sells replacements? (Home Depot does not)

Are they white rocker switches that run relays on 24vac (the GE RR7
system) If you have the old style switch they usually are just binding
on the cover. The newer ones are a tad smaller.

I don't believe these are for relays--I have replaced a few others in
the house with X10 switches, and they were just conventional switches
except for having a rectangular button instead of a toggle. I prefer
not to use x10 in this application, though. And the switch still
binds even with the cover removed, so that's not the problem.

As others have stated here, you need to find a real electrical supply
place. Contrary to what others have said, I've found it easy to purchase
supplies at such places--they're not just for contractors spending
$thousands. And sometimes they're even cheaper than Home Despot. Plus
they actually know about what they sell.


--
You were wrong, and I'm man enough to admit it.

- a Usenet "apology"

Ivan wrote the following:
My house, built in 1960, has several wall switches actuated by
rectangular pushbuttons that fit the same switchplates as normal
toggle switches. One switch is now sticking.

Any idea how I can fix it?

And who sells replacements? (Home Depot does not)


I can't picture square buttons in a standard toggle switch plate. You
mean there are two small square buttons in the 3/8ths inch by 1" hole in
the switchplate?

--

Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
In the original Orange County. Est. 1683
To email, remove the double zeroes after @

On Jan 20, 4:48*pm, willshak wrote:
Ivan wrote the following:

My house, built in 1960, has several wall switches actuated by
rectangular pushbuttons that fit the same switchplates as normal
toggle switches. *One switch is now sticking.

Any idea how I can fix it?

And who sells replacements? (Home Depot does not)

I can't picture square buttons in a standard toggle switch plate. You
mean there are two small square buttons in the 3/8ths inch by 1" hole in
the switchplate?

no, I know exactly what he's talking about. It's an ivory (or other?)
colored single pushbutton, the exact size and shape of the hole in a
traditional toggle switch cover plate. Push on, push off.

My suggestion would be to buy a good toggle switch in the same color
as the other switches while searching for a replacement, 'cause I
suspect it's going to take a while. If the OP is not enamored of the
old school flavor of the house, a 10-pack of spec grade toggle
switches is likely under $20 at a good electrical supply, and then he
can sell the still-working switches that he removed and replaced on
eBay.

nate

On Jan 20, 4:51*pm, N8N wrote:
On Jan 20, 4:48*pm, willshak wrote:

Ivan wrote the following:

My house, built in 1960, has several wall switches actuated by
rectangular pushbuttons that fit the same switchplates as normal
toggle switches. *One switch is now sticking.

Any idea how I can fix it?

And who sells replacements? (Home Depot does not)

I can't picture square buttons in a standard toggle switch plate. You
mean there are two small square buttons in the 3/8ths inch by 1" hole in
the switchplate?

no, I know exactly what he's talking about. *It's an ivory (or other?)
colored single pushbutton, the exact size and shape of the hole in a
traditional toggle switch cover plate. *Push on, push off.

My suggestion would be to buy a good toggle switch in the same color
as the other switches while searching for a replacement, 'cause I
suspect it's going to take a while. *If the OP is not enamored of the
old school flavor of the house, a 10-pack of spec grade toggle
switches is likely under $20 at a good electrical supply, and then he
can sell the still-working switches that he removed and replaced on
eBay.

nate

Oh, forgot to mention. Would be worth checking before driving to the
electrical supply to determine what the wiring material is in said
house. I believe that 1960 falls within the period where Al wiring
was sometimes used in residential construction; if this is the case,
the OP needs to make sure that the new switches that he purchases are
Cu/Al rated - most are not. The other option is to pigtail all the
wiring with copper, using Cu/Al rated wire nuts and the special
magical paste.

Completely as an aside, does anyone know when it ceased being common
practice for the individual conductors in a cable to be tinned for
soldering? I've got a mix of both in my house (1948/49 vintage.) The
BX and 14/3 NM is pretinned, while the 14/2 is not.

nate

N8N wrote:
On Jan 20, 4:51 pm, N8N wrote:
On Jan 20, 4:48 pm, willshak wrote:

Ivan wrote the following:
My house, built in 1960, has several wall switches actuated by
rectangular pushbuttons that fit the same switchplates as normal
toggle switches. One switch is now sticking.
Any idea how I can fix it?
And who sells replacements? (Home Depot does not)
I can't picture square buttons in a standard toggle switch plate. You
mean there are two small square buttons in the 3/8ths inch by 1" hole in
the switchplate?
no, I know exactly what he's talking about. It's an ivory (or other?)
colored single pushbutton, the exact size and shape of the hole in a
traditional toggle switch cover plate. Push on, push off.

My suggestion would be to buy a good toggle switch in the same color
as the other switches while searching for a replacement, 'cause I
suspect it's going to take a while. If the OP is not enamored of the
old school flavor of the house, a 10-pack of spec grade toggle
switches is likely under $20 at a good electrical supply, and then he
can sell the still-working switches that he removed and replaced on
eBay.

nate

Oh, forgot to mention. Would be worth checking before driving to the
electrical supply to determine what the wiring material is in said
house. I believe that 1960 falls within the period where Al wiring
was sometimes used in residential construction; if this is the case,
the OP needs to make sure that the new switches that he purchases are
Cu/Al rated - most are not. The other option is to pigtail all the
wiring with copper, using Cu/Al rated wire nuts and the special
magical paste.

Completely as an aside, does anyone know when it ceased being common
practice for the individual conductors in a cable to be tinned for
soldering? I've got a mix of both in my house (1948/49 vintage.) The
BX and 14/3 NM is pretinned, while the 14/2 is not.

nate

this was bugging me enough to do some research myself... Hubbell
PresSwitch seems to be similar to but not exactly the same as the ones I
remember

http://www.hubbell-wiring.com/Press/...g/page0153.pdf

does this help?

nate

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

Thanks. The Hubbell seems slightly different, a similar shape but a
rocker rather than a pushbutton. Luckily, I found another of the
original switches, which I had replaced with an X10 wallswitch,

The original switch was a Rodale Touchette, but there seems to be
nothing left of Rodale Mfg except an EPA superfund site.

And my wiring is all coopper.

Thanks,


On Jan 20, 7:12*pm, Nate Nagel wrote:
N8N wrote:
On Jan 20, 4:51 pm, N8N wrote:
On Jan 20, 4:48 pm, willshak wrote:

Ivan wrote the following:
My house, built in 1960, has several wallswitchesactuated by
rectangular pushbuttons that fit the same switchplates as normal
toggleswitches. *One switch is now sticking.
Any idea how I can fix it?
And who sells replacements? (Home Depot does not)
I can't picture square buttons in a standard toggle switch plate. You
mean there are two small square buttons in the 3/8ths inch by 1" hole in
the switchplate?
no, I know exactly what he's talking about. *It's an ivory (or other?)
colored single pushbutton, the exact size and shape of the hole in a
traditional toggle switch cover plate. *Push on, push off.

My suggestion would be to buy a good toggle switch in the same color
as the otherswitcheswhile searching for a replacement, 'cause I
suspect it's going to take a while. *If the OP is not enamored of the
old school flavor of the house, a 10-pack of spec grade toggle
switchesis likely under $20 at a good electrical supply, and then he
can sell the still-workingswitchesthat he removed and replaced on
eBay.

nate

Oh, forgot to mention. *Would be worth checking before driving to the
electrical supply to determine what the wiring material is in said
house. *I believe that 1960 falls within the period where Al wiring
was sometimes used in residential construction; if this is the case,
the OP needs to make sure that the newswitchesthat he purchases are
Cu/Al rated - most are not. *The other option is to pigtail all the
wiring with copper, using Cu/Al rated wire nuts and the special
magical paste.

Completely as an aside, does anyone know when it ceased being common
practice for the individual conductors in a cable to be tinned for
soldering? *I've got a mix of both in my house (1948/49 vintage.) *The
BX and 14/3 NM is pretinned, while the 14/2 is not.

nate

this was bugging me enough to do some research myself... *Hubbell
PresSwitch seems to be similar to but not exactly the same as the ones I
remember

http://www.hubbell-wiring.com/Press/...g/page0153.pdf

does this help?

nate

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.http://members.cox.net/njnagel- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

replying to Ivan, Geo wrote:
They are Rodale Touchette switches . You can buy one on Ebay for $8-$12z I
just had one that failed and i replaced it with a standard toggle type Lutron
wall switch.

--
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