Hot dimmer switch!

FLIR34729 FLIR34730
It only takes a few minutes, but I turn on every light in the house and FLIR it a while later. This is what I find sometimes, especially at remodel/flips, switches that are hot to the touch!.. It could save lives.

For a dimmer switch like that to get a little warm is normal.

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Randy, What temp do you usually measure for dimmers? I agree with Christopher but 139 does seem pretty warm.

could be that they have “non-dimmable” rated lights in the fixtures.

140 degrees would be normal for these. They are rated at 500 or 600 watts depending on the switch and configuration.

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Every dimmer in the house was around 80-85 degrees. This one was obviously hotter.

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That’s a rocker switch not a dimmer or are these rockers that can also serve as dimmers?

Yes, Joe, the slides on the right, that go up and down, are the dimmers.

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It’s a rocker/dimmer.

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Typically occurs when the fixture wattage exceeds the dimmer rating. Not all dimmers are the same. Before IR, we used to press our finger on the top cover screw. if it was too hot to keep your finger pressed tight to it, we wrote it up. Of course an IR picture looks better in the report.

This can often be cured simply by swapping in LED bulbs, provided they are compatible with the dimmer.

Clean fingernails here so this would not be a “bad” image to have in one’s report!! :grinning:

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