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Exploring The Different Types Of Electrical Switches

Electrical switches are such an important of any building. These convenient appliances keep our appliances plugged in and running. But did you know there are several switches to choose from?

Apart from the standard electrical switches, we are all familiar with, there are several other models featuring their own unique functions. If you want to learn more about this appliance, let’s explore the different types of electrical switches.

What Are Electrical Switches?

We all know what electrical switches do, but do we really know what these devices are? Let’s take a closer look at what goes on in an electrical switch.

A switch is an electronic component that is used to disrupt the flow of electricity or electrical current. These switches are binary devices which means they can be either completely on or off.

In short, this electrical device makes or breaks the electronic circuit in your home, office or business place. These essential devices can control light fixtures, some devices and other appliances.

You can operate them with a toggle, slider, push-button or rocker. The style of the switch does not affect its function, but it can make it hard to choose one.

Since the invention of the first electrical switch, the market has gone through many evolutions and innovations. Nowadays, there are endless options to choose from.

So let’s take a look at some of these different types of electrical switches.

What Are The The Different Types Of Switches Based On Configuration?

First, let’s take a look at different electric switches based on how they affect their function.

Single Pole Electrical Switch

A single pole or one way switch is the most common type of electrical switch. You can easily recognise this device due to its simple on and off marking.

Single pole switches are commonly used for controlling lights, fans, appliances and sockets from one location.

The simple toggle in a single pole switch sets it apart from other configurations of electrical switches. With a closer look, you can see that this switch comes with two brass coloured screw terminals on its body.

One of these terminals is connected to the current carrying or “hot” wire. The other terminal is used for the outgoing current carrying wire.

On this switch, you might also find a green screw which is connected to the metallic strap. Most single pole switches also include a ground terminal that connects the circuit’s grounding wire.

When this switch is turned on, the two terminals become connected. When it’s turned off, the contact between the two components is broken.

Important Tip For Single Pole Switches

In general, the neutral or blue wires are not connected to this electrical switch. If there are two neutral wires present in the circuit box, they are typically joined so that they can remain in the box without touching the electrical switch.

In some cases, you might see a single neutral wire pass through the circuit box. If there is a blue wire connected to the switch, it’s functioning as a hot wire.

If this happens, you should wrap a piece of black tape on the wire close to the switch to indicate that it's operating as a hot wire, not a neutral one.

Double Pole Electrical Switch

A double pole or two way electrical switch is typically used in industrial settings, but you can also use it in some home electrical systems.

Just like the single pole version, this two-way electrical device sometimes also has the on and off marking on the body. You can control any equipment or device with this switch from more than one location.

Double pole switches are commonly used for equipment with a 30 amp capacity. This means they can control appliances with a higher capacity, such as air conditioners, water heaters and furnaces.

A two way switch has four brass terminals carrying hot wires. This switch also has a ground terminal which allows you to connect it to more than one hot wire.

To better understand this device, just think of two single pole switches combined to form one switch. It’s important to note that one of the terminals can connect to the remaining two.

However, both terminals can’t connect at the same time. When you make a connection with one terminal, the other one gets interrupted.

Double pole switches are commonly used for equipment with a 30 amp capacity. This means they can control appliances with a higher capacity, such as air conditioners, water heaters and furnaces.

Three Way Switch

Three way electrical switches are often used in pacers, and you can find them at both ends of a staircase. These can also be installed in the basement or garages with two separate entry points.

In short, these switches are ideal for controlling one appliance from two different wall locations. A triple pole switch has three terminal screws.

Depending on where this device falls in the circuit system, the darkest screw terminal is connected to the hot wire arriving from the energy source.

It can also be connected to the hot wire running to the light fixture. The rest of the screw terminals are connected to traveller wires that link two triple pole switches together.

These electrical switches also have a green grounding terminal where a copper grounding wire is attached.

Four Way Electrical Switch

Even though this switch is not used as commonly as the other options, they are still functional in several places. You can install them in long hallways or very large rooms with more than two entrances.

A four way electrical switch is made from two three-way switches, and they provide control for a light fixture and outlet from multiple areas.

Let’s say you own a large event space which would make controlling each outlet time-consuming. if you want to control a single fixture from five different places, a four way switch will be the ideal choice.

You can also add a couple three way switches in between for even more functionality. In terms of the switch body, this device has four terminals plus an additional ground terminal.

Two of these four terminals typically have a brass colour, while the other two are dark. But unlike the three way switch, you won’t find a common terminal here. Essentially, the four way switch acts as a switching device for the travelling cables between a three way switch.

Practice Caution

With a four way electrical switch, you may need to take extra precautions while handling it. Be very careful when you choose to replace a four way switch.

Remember that there are two special layouts for the terminals depending on which manufacturer produces them. One is IN on the left and OUT on the right. The other is IN at the top and OUT at the bottom.

What Are The The Different Types Of Switches Based On Usage?

You can also find electrical switches that perform various functions apart from just turning your lighting on/off. Here’s a look at electrical switches based on their usage.

Dimmer Switch

Dimmer switches work by cutting down the power supplied to your light bulb. These switches do so by trimming an area of a waveform.

Some dimmers come with a round knob or a slider for light adjustment. The dimmer makes the trim either on the trailing edge or the leading edge of the wave. Most manufacturers create LED compatible dimmer switches with a trailing edge configuration.

Trailing edge dimmer is most commonly found in households, and they are slightly more efficient than leading edge dimmer.

These trailing edge dimmers are also more expensive than the leading edge; however, they have many great features such as silent running, better control, multi-way dimming and soft start.

These benefits not only give you better control over your lighting but also improve the life of your LED light bulbs. So, what is the difference between these two dimmer options?

Trailing Edge Dimmer

This function is modern and improved, so you will have a much better experience with your dimmer.

Trailing edge dimmers are manufacturers to fade the voltage of the switch to zero instead completely shutting it off. This happens when resistance to the voltage creates a ramp.

The ramp increases the level of heat dissipation because the resistive area generates heat energy.

In short, you can easily dim your lighting without any interference or buzzing from the switch. This quality makes the trailing edge dimmer ideal for LED lighting.

Leading Edge Dimmer

Older dimmers were much more likely to have this function. Leading edge dimmer is designed to work with incandescent or halogen lighting.

Additionally, these dimmers have a high minimum load which means they won’t work well with your LEDs.

You would need to connect several LED bulbs just to use one dimmer switch. If you want energy efficiency, opt for the trailing edge option.

Smart Switches

Smart switches are the modern way of controlling your lighting. These devices come with several advanced features that do much more than just switch your lights on/off.

Almost all smart switches use a corresponding app that you download on your phone, tablet etc. Instead of replacing each bulb with a smart option, just adding one smart switch is much more cost-effective.

Smart switches also connect to your home network system. The most common network connection for smart switches is Wi-Fi; however, you can use other connections as well.

If you have a home assistant device, you can use voice commands to switch on the appliances. You can also use these schedules to operate your appliances while you are away from home.

For example, if you want to control your fireplace with a smart switch, you can schedule the fireplace to start heating your home while you are away.

Since you have more precise control over how your appliances work, smart switches can also help you save energy in some cases.

With better control, you have the ability to use your devices more efficiently. If you forget to turn off your lights or fans, you can use your smartphone to turn off these appliances from anywhere inside or outside your home.

This switch also contains a dimmer function which allows you to customise lighting according to your needs. As we’ve mentioned before, you can control multiple devices with this device apart from just lighting.

“Do Not Disturb” Electrical Switch

As the name suggests, do not disturb switches are used to ensure privacy or silence, depending on where they are installed.

You might have noticed this switch around before, as it is often found in hospitality settings such as a hotel. But you can also find them in hospitals to ensure a calming environment for patients.

Often these switches have a small light that illuminates a sign displaying the do not disturb message. They use a soft touch operating system for easier control.

Occupancy Electrical Switch

An occupancy electrical switch uses a motion sensor that detects when someone walks into a room. The switch allows the light to stay on for a certain amount of time.

After this, if the motion sensor does not pick up any more movement, it automatically shuts off to save energy.

The sensors have a rectangular and flat appearance, so they don’t stand out too much in a room. These switches also come with a toggle that lets you choose between three options:

Set the lights to always stay on
Switch off the light completely
Use the light with the sensor mode.

Some occupancy switch sensors also have daylight detection features. This allows the light to stay switched off during daylight hours.

Apart from lighting, you can also use occupancy switches with an exhaust fan in the bathroom. So if you ever forget to turn this device off, the occupancy switch will take care of it for you.

Bell Push Switch

A bell push switch is another common device that you might have seen before. This switch is connected to the doorbell, so when the switch is pushed, it rings the bell.

You can find this switch in homes, offices or any other place that needs this type of function. A bell push switch always keeps a broken circuit until the button is pressed.

Specialty Electrical Switches

There are multiple types of speciality electrical switches that do much more than just run on and off a light or device.

For example, some switches have a timer function that turners the light on/off at the same preset time every day. This is a great option for outdoor lighting because it will automatically turn off when it gets too dark.

Similarly, if you’re not at home but want your luminaries to switch on at night, you can use a speciality switch to do so. Just like these switches, you can also find time-delay devices that will keep your light on for a preset amount of time, after which they will automatically shut off.

Other options also include switches with an outlet which have more functionality with one device. When it comes to the switch toggle, you have other options to choose from as well.

Apart from the standard knob and slider, you can also find switches with a flat touchpad. This control the electric current when you push on the touchpad.

How To Choose The Right Wall Switch?

Choosing the ideal wall switch depends on several factors. Think about how the light fixture or appliance is controlled in the electrical circuit. Or whether you want some level of automation or completely remote functioning.

General single pole switches, three way switches and four way switches are all created to work with standard 120-volt household systems.

Your ideal choice should also depend on whether you want to control an appliance from one, two, three or more wall locations.

Double pole switches are typically considered speciality devices because they are only used when you want to control a 240-volt circuit. This means this switch only works best when you want to control large appliances.

Maybe you want a smart switch with your modern LED lighting? These switches are a great option for any household because of all the different features you can play around with. Before choosing your wall switch, think of what you need to make the best choice.

Wall Switches And LED Lighting

The right wall switch can enhance your LED lighting. Once you get a dimmer switch for LED bulbs, you will get more of your lighting experience.

A modern LED compatible dimmer switch rapidly uses the electricity from circuits to turn the lights completely on or off. It’s the switching rate of the light that determines the brightness.

Due to this process, a dimmer will help you save energy in the long run. Once you install a dimmer to your LED light, you can have even more control over the illumination intensity.

Regular dimmers and dimmers for LED lights are completely different. This is because not all dimmer switches are designed to work with LED luminaries. So, before you buy any LED light, you must check if it is compatible with a dimmer.

You can also opt for LED dimmers instead. Specialised LED dimmers are far more energy efficient than regular switches.

So, if you want your LED lights to maintain or increase their energy saving properties, you should purchase a specialised dimmer for LED lights.

The wiring configuration is the main difference between a regular and an LED dimmer. The three-wire arrangement in the LED dimmers makes them much more stable for circuit use.

Find Your Next Switch At Meteor

If you’re looking for high-quality switches and sockets, head to Meteor Electrical. At Meteor, we carry some of the best switches to fit all your wiring needs.

You can browse standard electrical switches and specialised ones as well. Whether you want a smart switch or a dimmer device, Meteor has you covered.