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Is electrical tape enough to insulate contact that may be touching wall?
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I have a 3-contact switch like this. 
As you can see, the switch doesn't have an OFF position, it diverts the current either between middle and left, or middle and right contacts.
Had to attach it to a wall lamp that didn't have a switch, by drilling a hole in the base of the lamp:
I have therefore one contact that I am not going to use and where I don't want current to flow at all. I cut it off and rolled all over the switch body in the place with 2 layers of insulating tape. The remaining 2 contacts were rolled in a layer of insulating tape as well, after connected to incoming live (middle contact) and lamp live (left contact) wires respectively.
As I drilled the hole in the base of the lamp, it turned out that the side of the switch with the spare contact may be touching the drywall a bit.
The question: since the current is supposedly trying to go from middle contact to the spare contact when lamp is turned off -- is it liable to cause problems such as heating up its insulation or similar -- simply by being live?
electrical insulation
asked 3 hours ago
Gnudiff
222139
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
favorite
I have a 3-contact switch like this.
As you can see, the switch doesn't have an OFF position, it diverts the current either between middle and left, or middle and right contacts.
Had to attach it to a wall lamp that didn't have a switch, by drilling a hole in the base of the lamp:
I have therefore one contact that I am not going to use and where I don't want current to flow at all. I cut it off and rolled all over the switch body in the place with 2 layers of insulating tape. The remaining 2 contacts were rolled in a layer of insulating tape as well, after connected to incoming live (middle contact) and lamp live (left contact) wires respectively.
As I drilled the hole in the base of the lamp, it turned out that the side of the switch with the spare contact may be touching the drywall a bit.
The question: since the current is supposedly trying to go from middle contact to the spare contact when lamp is turned off -- is it liable to cause problems such as heating up its insulation or similar -- simply by being live?
electrical insulation
asked 3 hours ago
Gnudiff
222139
Does this lamp fixture actually bolt up to a proper junction box such as a pancake or octagon box? Is this low-voltage lighting?
– Harper
3 hours ago
@Harper this lamp is 220v fixture I connected to the 220v wire that goes under drywall to the fuse box. All the work on wiring was done by an electrician just a month ago. I am just attaching a kind of lamp that needs to have a switch near it, as I forgot to specify that there should be a switch in the wall for this wire, when the wiring work was done. The lamp itself mounts on a bracket that is attached to the wall.
– Gnudiff
3 hours ago
Wait. Latvia is in the EU. Has your country harmonized to EU electrical codes yet? Was this permitted/inspected? Or did you get some cranky old Soviet era guy who's still doing it the old way? EU codes don't exactly match North American codes, but they both agree on the major points. #suspicious of bad work
– Harper
2 hours ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
favorite
up vote
1
down vote
favorite
I have a 3-contact switch like this.
As you can see, the switch doesn't have an OFF position, it diverts the current either between middle and left, or middle and right contacts.
Had to attach it to a wall lamp that didn't have a switch, by drilling a hole in the base of the lamp:
I have therefore one contact that I am not going to use and where I don't want current to flow at all. I cut it off and rolled all over the switch body in the place with 2 layers of insulating tape. The remaining 2 contacts were rolled in a layer of insulating tape as well, after connected to incoming live (middle contact) and lamp live (left contact) wires respectively.
As I drilled the hole in the base of the lamp, it turned out that the side of the switch with the spare contact may be touching the drywall a bit.
The question: since the current is supposedly trying to go from middle contact to the spare contact when lamp is turned off -- is it liable to cause problems such as heating up its insulation or similar -- simply by being live?
electrical insulation
asked 3 hours ago
Gnudiff
222139
I have a 3-contact switch like this.
As you can see, the switch doesn't have an OFF position, it diverts the current either between middle and left, or middle and right contacts.
Had to attach it to a wall lamp that didn't have a switch, by drilling a hole in the base of the lamp:
I have therefore one contact that I am not going to use and where I don't want current to flow at all. I cut it off and rolled all over the switch body in the place with 2 layers of insulating tape. The remaining 2 contacts were rolled in a layer of insulating tape as well, after connected to incoming live (middle contact) and lamp live (left contact) wires respectively.
As I drilled the hole in the base of the lamp, it turned out that the side of the switch with the spare contact may be touching the drywall a bit.
The question: since the current is supposedly trying to go from middle contact to the spare contact when lamp is turned off -- is it liable to cause problems such as heating up its insulation or similar -- simply by being live?
electrical insulation
electrical insulation
asked 3 hours ago
Gnudiff
222139
asked 3 hours ago
Gnudiff
222139
asked 3 hours ago
Gnudiff
222139
asked 3 hours ago
Gnudiff
222139
asked 3 hours ago
Gnudiff
222139
222139
Does this lamp fixture actually bolt up to a proper junction box such as a pancake or octagon box? Is this low-voltage lighting?
– Harper
3 hours ago
@Harper this lamp is 220v fixture I connected to the 220v wire that goes under drywall to the fuse box. All the work on wiring was done by an electrician just a month ago. I am just attaching a kind of lamp that needs to have a switch near it, as I forgot to specify that there should be a switch in the wall for this wire, when the wiring work was done. The lamp itself mounts on a bracket that is attached to the wall.
– Gnudiff
3 hours ago
Wait. Latvia is in the EU. Has your country harmonized to EU electrical codes yet? Was this permitted/inspected? Or did you get some cranky old Soviet era guy who's still doing it the old way? EU codes don't exactly match North American codes, but they both agree on the major points. #suspicious of bad work
– Harper
2 hours ago
add a comment |Â
Does this lamp fixture actually bolt up to a proper junction box such as a pancake or octagon box? Is this low-voltage lighting?
– Harper
3 hours ago
@Harper this lamp is 220v fixture I connected to the 220v wire that goes under drywall to the fuse box. All the work on wiring was done by an electrician just a month ago. I am just attaching a kind of lamp that needs to have a switch near it, as I forgot to specify that there should be a switch in the wall for this wire, when the wiring work was done. The lamp itself mounts on a bracket that is attached to the wall.
– Gnudiff
3 hours ago
Wait. Latvia is in the EU. Has your country harmonized to EU electrical codes yet? Was this permitted/inspected? Or did you get some cranky old Soviet era guy who's still doing it the old way? EU codes don't exactly match North American codes, but they both agree on the major points. #suspicious of bad work
– Harper
2 hours ago
Does this lamp fixture actually bolt up to a proper junction box such as a pancake or octagon box? Is this low-voltage lighting?
– Harper
3 hours ago
Does this lamp fixture actually bolt up to a proper junction box such as a pancake or octagon box? Is this low-voltage lighting?
– Harper
3 hours ago
@Harper this lamp is 220v fixture I connected to the 220v wire that goes under drywall to the fuse box. All the work on wiring was done by an electrician just a month ago. I am just attaching a kind of lamp that needs to have a switch near it, as I forgot to specify that there should be a switch in the wall for this wire, when the wiring work was done. The lamp itself mounts on a bracket that is attached to the wall.
– Gnudiff
3 hours ago
@Harper this lamp is 220v fixture I connected to the 220v wire that goes under drywall to the fuse box. All the work on wiring was done by an electrician just a month ago. I am just attaching a kind of lamp that needs to have a switch near it, as I forgot to specify that there should be a switch in the wall for this wire, when the wiring work was done. The lamp itself mounts on a bracket that is attached to the wall.
– Gnudiff
3 hours ago
Wait. Latvia is in the EU. Has your country harmonized to EU electrical codes yet? Was this permitted/inspected? Or did you get some cranky old Soviet era guy who's still doing it the old way? EU codes don't exactly match North American codes, but they both agree on the major points. #suspicious of bad work
– Harper
2 hours ago
Wait. Latvia is in the EU. Has your country harmonized to EU electrical codes yet? Was this permitted/inspected? Or did you get some cranky old Soviet era guy who's still doing it the old way? EU codes don't exactly match North American codes, but they both agree on the major points. #suspicious of bad work
– Harper
2 hours ago
add a comment |Â
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
up vote
2
down vote
You can use the other contact not the common for the hot and then there would be no connection to the other contact point when the switch is in the off position but will work just fine just switch the hot to the other contact and the load to the common and you don't even need tape on the other side.
answered 1 hour ago
Ed Beal
24.3k11534
Ed Beal, brilliant. Hot power in one end contact, energizes middle contact when switched "ON". Other end contact never live. @Gnudiff, start un-taping.
– Jimmy Fix-it
40 mins ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
0
down vote
The middle or spare contact won't heat up anything as long as no current is flowing, even when it is live and contacting the wall (which is usually not a conductor).
However that does not guarantee that your installation is safe and code-compliant. What I would worry is that when current flowing through middle-left contacts when the light is on, the heat generated at the contact point between your wire and the left contact would downgrade your electrical tape and compromise its insulation.
answered 2 hours ago
user12075
2116
add a comment |Â
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
2
down vote
You can use the other contact not the common for the hot and then there would be no connection to the other contact point when the switch is in the off position but will work just fine just switch the hot to the other contact and the load to the common and you don't even need tape on the other side.
answered 1 hour ago
Ed Beal
24.3k11534
Ed Beal, brilliant. Hot power in one end contact, energizes middle contact when switched "ON". Other end contact never live. @Gnudiff, start un-taping.
– Jimmy Fix-it
40 mins ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
2
down vote
You can use the other contact not the common for the hot and then there would be no connection to the other contact point when the switch is in the off position but will work just fine just switch the hot to the other contact and the load to the common and you don't even need tape on the other side.
answered 1 hour ago
Ed Beal
24.3k11534
Ed Beal, brilliant. Hot power in one end contact, energizes middle contact when switched "ON". Other end contact never live. @Gnudiff, start un-taping.
– Jimmy Fix-it
40 mins ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
2
down vote
up vote
2
down vote
You can use the other contact not the common for the hot and then there would be no connection to the other contact point when the switch is in the off position but will work just fine just switch the hot to the other contact and the load to the common and you don't even need tape on the other side.
answered 1 hour ago
Ed Beal
24.3k11534
You can use the other contact not the common for the hot and then there would be no connection to the other contact point when the switch is in the off position but will work just fine just switch the hot to the other contact and the load to the common and you don't even need tape on the other side.
answered 1 hour ago
Ed Beal
24.3k11534
answered 1 hour ago
Ed Beal
24.3k11534
answered 1 hour ago
Ed Beal
24.3k11534
answered 1 hour ago
Ed Beal
24.3k11534
24.3k11534
Ed Beal, brilliant. Hot power in one end contact, energizes middle contact when switched "ON". Other end contact never live. @Gnudiff, start un-taping.
– Jimmy Fix-it
40 mins ago
add a comment |Â
Ed Beal, brilliant. Hot power in one end contact, energizes middle contact when switched "ON". Other end contact never live. @Gnudiff, start un-taping.
– Jimmy Fix-it
40 mins ago
Ed Beal, brilliant. Hot power in one end contact, energizes middle contact when switched "ON". Other end contact never live. @Gnudiff, start un-taping.
– Jimmy Fix-it
40 mins ago
Ed Beal, brilliant. Hot power in one end contact, energizes middle contact when switched "ON". Other end contact never live. @Gnudiff, start un-taping.
– Jimmy Fix-it
40 mins ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
0
down vote
The middle or spare contact won't heat up anything as long as no current is flowing, even when it is live and contacting the wall (which is usually not a conductor).
However that does not guarantee that your installation is safe and code-compliant. What I would worry is that when current flowing through middle-left contacts when the light is on, the heat generated at the contact point between your wire and the left contact would downgrade your electrical tape and compromise its insulation.
answered 2 hours ago
user12075
2116
add a comment |Â
up vote
0
down vote
The middle or spare contact won't heat up anything as long as no current is flowing, even when it is live and contacting the wall (which is usually not a conductor).
However that does not guarantee that your installation is safe and code-compliant. What I would worry is that when current flowing through middle-left contacts when the light is on, the heat generated at the contact point between your wire and the left contact would downgrade your electrical tape and compromise its insulation.
answered 2 hours ago
user12075
2116
add a comment |Â
up vote
0
down vote
up vote
0
down vote
The middle or spare contact won't heat up anything as long as no current is flowing, even when it is live and contacting the wall (which is usually not a conductor).
However that does not guarantee that your installation is safe and code-compliant. What I would worry is that when current flowing through middle-left contacts when the light is on, the heat generated at the contact point between your wire and the left contact would downgrade your electrical tape and compromise its insulation.
answered 2 hours ago
user12075
2116
The middle or spare contact won't heat up anything as long as no current is flowing, even when it is live and contacting the wall (which is usually not a conductor).
However that does not guarantee that your installation is safe and code-compliant. What I would worry is that when current flowing through middle-left contacts when the light is on, the heat generated at the contact point between your wire and the left contact would downgrade your electrical tape and compromise its insulation.
answered 2 hours ago
user12075
2116
answered 2 hours ago
user12075
2116
answered 2 hours ago
user12075
2116
answered 2 hours ago
user12075
2116
2116
add a comment |Â
add a comment |Â
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Does this lamp fixture actually bolt up to a proper junction box such as a pancake or octagon box? Is this low-voltage lighting?
– Harper
3 hours ago
@Harper this lamp is 220v fixture I connected to the 220v wire that goes under drywall to the fuse box. All the work on wiring was done by an electrician just a month ago. I am just attaching a kind of lamp that needs to have a switch near it, as I forgot to specify that there should be a switch in the wall for this wire, when the wiring work was done. The lamp itself mounts on a bracket that is attached to the wall.
– Gnudiff
3 hours ago
Wait. Latvia is in the EU. Has your country harmonized to EU electrical codes yet? Was this permitted/inspected? Or did you get some cranky old Soviet era guy who's still doing it the old way? EU codes don't exactly match North American codes, but they both agree on the major points. #suspicious of bad work
– Harper
2 hours ago