About Bob Thompson Expertise Answers to most electrical questions or problems. Answers will be code related and not necessarily correct in your jurisdiction. Master Electrician, former business owner, member of several professional organizations. I also have a little plumbing and mechanical knowledge, but I may be of little help in this area.
Experience Master Electrician, previous business owner, over 30 years experience, certified electrical, plumbing and mechanical inspector.
Question Thanks for your response. So do you mean that all light "switches" are interchangeable? I could switch a single pole to a toggle to a rocker switch? And I could switch (pardon the pun) from Leviton to Lutron, etc? Is it any more difficult than just replacing the entire switch box? I've done that before. THanks again!
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Followup To
Question -
Hi! I've just had the tiling redone on my kitchen backsplash and I'm buying wallplates. I have 3 different types I need which is making it harder to find a style I like. The most difficult ones are Leviton combos -- 2 dimmers with circular controls attached to a spindle (single pole?), next to a big rectangular toggle (not your regular light switch == the big ones). The plates Iike don't come in this configuration.
Can I switch these controls to other ones? Make them all the same?
Can you even exhcnage Levitons with others? I know I've had a hell of a time find the dimmer wheels to work on them.
THanks!
Answer -
When you say "big rectangular toggle" I assume you mean the Leviton "Decora" line of receptacles, switches and plates? Without seeing exactly what it is you have, you could find out who handles Decora in your area, and go browse a catalog to find what you need. It may not be readily stocked, and would have to be ordered. You could also change out the Decora line, and go with something more common, but that would entail a few dollars in labor and materials. All switches and receptacles function alike, although they may look different.
Answer A single pole switch performs the same way, no matter what brand it is. Of course you can't interchange a single pole for a three-way, but that should be obvious. You CAN however replace a single pole with a dimmer, and a three-way with a dimmer, as long as it's a three-way dimmer.
I have no idea why you'd changed boxes in the past, but replacing a switch is a lot easier. After you turn off the power, a single pole switch only has two wires that have to be removed before you remove and replace the device itself. Those same two wires control the load, whether they be on a Lutron, Leviton, Hubbell, or ?? switch.
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