Is it normal for a dimmer light switch to be slightly warm even when turned off?

Over the past month, I have installed many wall dimmer switches. My concern is that they are running warm to hot. They seem to be fine when one to two lamps are running off one switch, but once the load gets to 250-300 watts, they seem to be very hot to the touch.

We often hear from customers who may leave a light on for 3 or 4 hours and when they go to turn off the switch they are startled by the heat felt from beneath the trim plate. Is this normal, acceptable, not normal, or acceptable? Let's talk about this common issue.

Is it normal for wall dimmer module to get warm to the touch? All the dimmers we sell use an electrical component called a triac. A triac is a semiconductor, like a transistor, which can vary the amount of electricity it can pass.

As electricity flows through this component, heat is built up and must be dissipated somewhere, most commonly it is dumped into the metal mounting bracket. This is the metal plate on the front of the switch. This heat in turn is transferred to the switch cover plate.

In most cases, it is not noticeable when the dimmer switch is driving a single bulb or a load of 100 watts or so. The heat does become more noticeable when the wattage of the load gets above 300. All single gang dimming wall switches must be able to dissipate one watt of internal power (heat) for every 100 watts of controlled load.

At full load, this pushes the internal and external temperatures to the safe limits imposed by UL. This isn't to imply that higher wattage ratings are dangerous. As long as the total wattage is below the rating printed on the dimmer, you can rest assured that it is safe to use in your home.

All the wall switches we sell are approved by a nationally recognized testing service, typically Underwriter's Labs (UL). During the development of our SwitchLinc dimmer, we stress tested it by connecting it to a 1500-watt halogen floodlight for 24-hours. This switch was rated for only 600-watts, but we wanted to make sure that it could handle much more safely.

It was left on for 24 hours and was still driving the floodlight at the end of the test. The heat radiated by the switch was so intense that all the plastic had melted and deformed around the switch. While it could no longer be used as a regular switch because of the plastic deformation, the switch never smoked or caught on fire.

Wall dimmer switches are rated for 500 to 1000 watts when used with either normal mechanical switches (non-dimmers) on its sides or no switches next to it. If two 500-watt X10 wall dimmer switches are next to each other, the maximum load that each switch can handle is de-rated by 100 watts each. If three x10 switches are next to each other, the load rating drops to a total of 200 watt each so that each should not handle more than 300 watts each.

With multiple X10 switches next to each other, the heat dissipation becomes a concern, thus the de-rating. De-rating instructions are included with each switch, so the exact about of de-rating for any one switch may vary from model to model. Minimizing the heat build up.

The most common path for heat to escape the switch is by the metal bracket. That metal mounting bracket is in direct contact with the trim plate, hence the trim plate becomes hot as the heat tries to escape. Replacing a regular size plastic trim plate with a slightly larger metal trim plate will help the heat dissipate from the dimmer switch.

Most electrical boxes today are plastic and they do not conduct heat nearly as well as the older metal boxes. If the current box is plastic, replace it with metal, thereby improving the heat sink. Take care that the front of the metal box is flush with the finished wall, giving the dimmer a broader surface to make contact with to improve heat conduction.

If you stick to using plastic wall boxes, we recommend getting the largest ones you can find. Besides making it easier to install the dimmer in a larger box, the larger air gaps inside the box will help spread out the heat. Another important mounting consideration is the area surrounding the rear of the electrical box the switch is installed into.

If the dimmer switch is mounted on an exterior wall, remove as much insulation as possible around the junction box. Often times, removing the trim plate and pushing back the insulation with a putty knife will help the heat build-up. There is usually a small gap between the electrical junction box and the wallboard to get the knife between for working the insulation back.

Do you need a dimmer switch? You may want to consider changing the switch if you don't need dimming. If you are using wall dimmer switches to control floodlights, task lighting, or lighting that normally runs at full brightness, dimming may not be needed and changing to a non-dimming switch can fix this problem instantly.

An alternative switch for non-dimming applications is our SwitchLinc Relay Switch #2476S. It uses a hard-contact relay to switch on and off the load. It does not contain a triac so it does not dim or generate any significant heat.

Try using smaller wattage bulbs. Here is a simple screw-in solution to help cut-down on the heat generated by a wall dimmer. Replace the existing bulbs with lower wattage models.

For example, replacing six 75-watt bulbs that is controlled by one dimmer with 40-watt equivalents will bring down the total controlled load from 450 watts to 240. The old bulbs can always be used for other purposes around the house. Check the instructions included with your switch, some models need to work with bulbs that have a minimum rating of 60-watts.