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[chritie]

I have had x-10 three way switches in my
kitchen for two years. Last night when I
went into the kitchen I turned on the light
by pushing in the button. When I left the
kitchen I pushed again and nothing happened.
I checked the switch to make sure the nob at
the bottom of the buttom was in the right
possition. I slid it out of possition and
the lights went off. I slid it back into
possition and the lights came back on. I
used the push button again and nothing
happened. I tried the other switch in the
kitchen which just has a push on it and
nothing happened. So right now the only way
I can turn the lights on in the kitchen is
to slide the bottom part of the button back
and forth.

Does this mean the switch is going out and I
need to replace it or is there something
else I should be doing to resolve this
problem?

Thanks for you help. I love my system.

[Brian H]

Sounds like the switch has failed. Do you
have any other units that don't work
correctly or just the two for that light?

[chritie]

No, they are the only ones that have failed.
It is probably the most heaviest used switch
in the house.

[Brian H]

Well it sounds like the switch has failed.
If many of them where strange; there could
have been a different problem.

[chritie]

Thanks, I ordered new switches last night
after reading your post. Do you think I will
need to trade out both switches or just the
main one?

[billy]

Christie,
You should only have to replace the main
one, the one with the slide switch. Probably
a bad triac in it. If your kitchen light has
multiple bulbs in it check to see if they
are all good. I have had a switch go bad
when turning on a light and the bulb burns
out with a flash and takes out the switch.

[chritie]

Thanks for your information. As a matter of
fact there was a burned out bulb when I
turned it on the lights that night I don't
remember a flash, but maybe the previous
time it was turned on there was a flash. It
hasn't happened with other burned out bulbs
(that would be frustrating), but perhaps it
was just worn out enough this time to have
it happen.

Thanks again for you support.

[Brian H]

OH a burned out bulb. Most times it just
stops lighting and you change it. As the
bulb burns out there sometimes is a surge
that can short out the triac [component that
controls the power to the light]. So it will
stay on all the time. The safety switch you
mentioned physically opens the circuit and
the bulb goes off. I have never seen a wall
switch damaged by a burning out bulb, but I
have killed 3 LM15A's with a burning out
bulb. Always the same symptom. Can't turn it
off.