on/off switch doesnt work for light anymore

[kiasu]

I noticed few swtiches for the light in the living room are not working anymore, even I replaced with a new light bulk. I check the mainboard in the basement and all the swtiches are ON too. Any idea what could be the reason? Or how to fix it? Thx

[loudsubz]

doesn't turn the light on?

or doesn't turn it off?

If they dont go on it could be a wire cut somewhere, or maybe a wire has come loose on another branch that the light switch is tied into.

[kiasu]

doesn't turn the light on?

or doesn't turn it off?

If they dont go on it could be a wire cut somewhere, or maybe a wire has come loose on another branch that the light switch is tied into.

doesnt turn the light on...

it's a 4yrs old house..hmmm....in that case, does that mean i need to ask a technician to come up and check? arr..dont understand why would the wire come loose or got cut...there's no mice or rat...

thank you loudsubz...

[Spidey]

Turn off the breaker for the switch, take the face plate off. Then take out the switch and make sure the 2 wires are connected.

If they werent tighted corretly it could of vibrated loose over time and broke the circuit.

I had a plug like this that had no power. The plug on the other side of the wall was fine, but this plug basically on the other side had no power.

went in and seen that a wire was off the one screw, breaking the circuit.

[kiasu]

basically i have two swtiches to control the SAME light..one at the main entrance and the other at the living room...both are not working

do u think is at the on/off switch? or it's at the end of the circuirt to the light?

[Spidey]

basically i have two swtiches to control the SAME light..one at the main entrance and the other at the living room...both are not working

do u think is at the on/off switch? or it's at the end of the circuirt to the light?

Oh thats a two way switch, that has a bit of a different setup. It still comes down to loose or unconnected wires though.

Should be able to fix it yourself. Just make sure the breaker is off

[Drthorne]

three way switch, chances are you need a new switch

[kiasu]

ok..i will check it tomorrow morning....thank you guys..appreciate...

[Wiseman]

Maybe it's a problem with the fixture, not the bulb/switches.

[cwb27]

Yeah by the sound of things, 1 light controlled by 2 switches, you need to use 3 way switches in order for everything to work correctly

[Drthorne]

are they potlights? those have a overheat switch built in that turns the light off when the inside gets too hot. the switch could be stuck open

[BobW]

Get 2 new 3 way switches and replace the existing ones. Make sure you wire the new switches exactly the same as the old, or you will go crazy trying to make them work right.

Switches can burn out (especially Decora style)

[Kenny Blankenship]

Clap On

[joo]

I think you should call someone.

Based on the way you asked the question and answered the follow up questions I'd say you're not mechanically adept enough to complete this repair safely.

[stealth]

I think you should call someone.

Based on the way you asked the question and answered the follow up questions I'd say you're not mechanically adept enough to complete this repair safely.

Ya, he prob should. Maybe not a fully licensed electrician as that would be expensive for what is most likely a simple fix, but someone handier than himself.
When something goes wrong, always start by checking the cheaper/simpler things that can go wrong...In this case, the bulb, followed by the connections at the fixture itself, followed by each switch, followed by the connections at the breaker, followed by connections at other boxes on the circuit. If you dont know how to do these things (without any more clarification), than you should call someone as you are over your head and could get killed.Watch what they do, and next time you will be able to help yourself better.

[stealth]

doesnt turn the light on...

it's a 4yrs old house..hmmm....in that case, does that mean i need to ask a technician to come up and check? arr..dont understand why would the wire come loose or got cut...there's no mice or rat...

thank you loudsubz...

Mice or rats rarely cause electrical problems. Usually, temperature fluctuations, movement, sloppy installation, defective products.

do u think is at the on/off switch? or it's at the end of the circuirt to the light?
Impossible to know without testing. Could be either (or even both) of those things as well as the others I mentioned above.

[kiasu]

wow...thanks guy for all the suggestion...
i will call someone in to check

or is there any other any good handyman or home improvement website that I can go through?

[Dustbunny]

Although simple fixes can be done, if you don't know anything about electricity you may be better to bite the bullet and call someone. As well, if you ever have a fire from work you have done your insurance can be null and void.

I had a whole side of my house cut out last year and spent a lot of time checking the lighting and switch connections etc. and so on and in the end it took an electrician to find the problem. Temp changes in the attic had disconnected part of the wiring that went through the attic to a light causing a break in the power supply. Basically it caused a short which also caused a bit of a burn on the wires. That sort of thing made me very nervous when it was pointed out. One tip off I missed was that particular light needing new bulbs quite often before the final break happened.

Anyway, I wasted some time and money trying to save some and it didn't pay me at all.