Something Is Breaking These Light Switches

[George7941]

This has been going on for years at a customer's house. Mom and Dad and three boys, now eight to eleven years of age. I have replaced at least forty broken switches so far at this house. The rate of breakage has been slowing down over the years, possibly because the kids are maturing.

Dad has been watching the kids operate the switches and has not noticed anything unusual. Not bouncing balls off the switches or using the end of a hockey stick to operate the switches. The receptacles, located further down the wall, do not have this damage.

I have been replacing with spec grade switches and that has definitely helped. The ones breaking now are the old ones, not the spec grade.

Any guesses as to cause of damage?

 

[rijndael]

Were they over tightened in the box?

Looks like it's right where the metal frame attaches to the plastic.

 

[rijndael]

What's up with these plastic deformities? Is it getting brittle?

 

[George7941]

The screws don't feel overtightened when I remove the switches. In fact a lot of them are slightly loose so that, on multi gang boxes, the switches can be shifted slightly to align with the three or four gang wall plates.

 

[George7941]

What's up with these plastic deformities? Is it getting brittle?

View attachment 314131

Those are not deformities. That is the surface layer flaking off from the stresses that the switches are being subjected to.

 

[rijndael]

Plastic dents before it "flakes" off. These parts are defective, IMO.

 

[George7941]

Here is the same switch before I replaced it

 

[George7941]

Plastic dents before it "flakes" off. These parts are defective, IMO.

Leviton switches and unlikely a bad batch, because both standard and three way switches are breaking.

 

[rijndael]

 

[George7941]

The wall plates don't have the damage, just the switches. That pretty much rules out damage from balls thrown during kids play.

 

[dishdude]

The screws don't feel overtightened when I remove the switches. In fact a lot of them are slightly loose so that, on multi gang boxes, the switches can be shifted slightly to align with the three or four gang wall plates.

I think too loose is worse than too tight, the switch flexes when really pushed hard.

 

[RedSpider]

I wouldnt expect damage to wall plates even if balls were thrown at them, most of the ones I have in my house are advertised as "unbreakable" and after trying, I believe them. I've tried to break a few and wasnt able to.

 

[iCurious]

Maybe from pounding the switches too many times?

I have these switches too.

 

[demarpaint]

I changed five of them Monday in my son's condo in Florida. They were pretty much broken the same way, my thoughts were cheap builder's grade garbage was used.

 

[dubber09]

What do they hit them with?
When I worked for Rockwell Automation we had a complaint one PLC touch screen was getting broken often - turned out a short operator guy was hitting the screen with long screwdriver's handle resulting in cracked screens.

 

[JohnnyJohnson]

Mostly the same switches (location) a little spy cam may tell you more than you want to know.

 

[George7941]

The damage shown in the Reddit thread is pretty much the same damage at my customer's house.

 

[tcp71]

Ummm. Really??? I have two boys (18 and 20 now). Here's your answer:

This has been going on for years at a customer's house. Mom and Dad and three boys, now eight to eleven years of age. I have replaced at least forty broken switches so far at this house. The rate of breakage has been slowing down over the years, possibly because the kids are maturing

 

[JohnnyG]

Install a different kind of switch. The old toggles work great.

 

[opus1]

My money would be on the kids. When younger, they likely reached as high as they could and slapped the switches on/off. Now that they're older, they are taller and can reach but are still using a heavy hand to work the switches.