Why dimmer switches feel hot?

Answer 1

If it is dimming the light, yes. A dimmer switch is nothing but a potentiometer, better explained as a variable resistor. It will lower the voltage going to the light bulb, but the excess energy must go someplace, and is released as heat. The lower the brightness, the warmer it will get (until it is turned all the way off).

There are newer dimmer switches that work in different manners, but I don't believe that is what you are referring to.

Answer 2

The "triac" in the dimmer, which is what dims the light, generates heat caused by the electricity flowing through it. The dimmer is made of a large piece of aluminum, which acts as a "heat sink", allowing for a better dissipation of the heat.

Answer 3

A light switch gets hot because the internal contacts have lost their tension against each other to make a proper contact. This loss of tension starts to create a higher than normal resistance within the switch. When the current flowing through the switched circuit travels through the switch this resistance is encountered and the result is heat being generated. With the operation of the switch from the on to off positions compounds the problem due to heating and cooling the contacts. About this time the circuits breaker will start tripping trying to protect the switches circuit. Over time this resistance increases and eventually enough heat will be generated through the switch contacts to burn the contacts completely. Change out any switch that you are not comfortable with, as it is cheap insurance for peace of mind.

Answer 4

Dimmer switches may feel hot because they use a mechanism known as a triac to control the amount of voltage passing through them. The triac generates heat as it regulates the flow of electricity, causing the switch to warm up during operation. This is a normal characteristic of dimmer switches and does not necessarily indicate a problem as long as it is not overheating excessively.

Answer 5

Any resistive material with electric current passing through it will increase in temperature. However, if the switch is working correctly it should not get hot.

Answer 6

A light switch should never get hot and if it does it should be removed as a fire risk and replaced with a new switch.