If you want the wallpaper to look beautiful on the wall, then before pasting the surface, remove all sockets and switches from it. No amount of precision will help you get around the fixtures without removing them - the wallpaper around the perimeter will be uneven, and after the repair there will be a bitter aftertaste.
Below is a brief instruction with a photo; after spending 5 minutes on it, you will not receive an electric shock, and the wallpaper will look beautiful in the interior of your apartment.
Step one - preparation
Sockets/switches are removed immediately before wallpapering; there is no need to do this in advance, as you can get an electric shock when turning on the lights or, as an alternative, sit in the dark with electrical appliances turned off.
- Removing old wallpaper
- Prepare the wall (if necessary),
- Prepare glue and cut new wallpaper,
- Turn off the light on the meter,
- Removing sockets
- Wallpaper is being glued.
This way you can avoid some inconveniences and the use of swear words when becoming closely acquainted with the discovery of Alexander Volta.
The tools you will need are a flathead and a Phillips screwdriver.
Step two - removing the switch
Let us remind you that we remove, not dismantle, sockets and switches, so it is important to keep them intact unless replacement is planned. Using the example of a one-button model of a Legrand Etika switch, the essence remains the same for other mechanisms.
First, remove the button, for which we use a flat screwdriver or a sharp knife. We insert the screwdriver into the gap between the button and the switch frame, pressing the pressure panel until the fastening tendril comes out of the side hole. Do not overdo it - you need to press the button until the tendril comes out - no more, no less.
Now we remove the protective panel, which provides access to the wires and the main fasteners of the switch. To do this, unscrew 1-2 screws at the top and bottom and hook the protection with a screwdriver. The protective panel presses the switch frame to the wall; after removing the first one, the second one is automatically released and removed.
If the switch or socket has been standing for a long time and has begun to wobble, then at this stage the mechanism is secured. To do this, after removing the protective panel and frame, tighten the two main fastening screws. They are located on the sides of the push mechanism in the switch or to the right and left of the plug input in the socket. Tighten the screws sparing no effort – it is difficult to remove them.
There is no need to completely remove the light switch mechanism– just remove the button, protective panel and front frame!
Now all that remains is to glue the wallpaper, cutting the wallpaper sheets on the switch so that they extend 1 cm inside the perimeter of the switch, and install the mechanism back in the reverse order - the outer frame, fastening the protective panel with two screws and installing the button until it clicks.
- If you remove but do not replace switches, wash the button and top panel with soap and water after removal. Even a good housewife, over time, the switches become dirty, and it is impossible to thoroughly clean them on the wall.
- If the walls were not wet when removing old wallpaper and there are no small children at home, then do not turn off the lights when removing switches and sockets - do this immediately before pasting, when the wet sheets become a current conductor.
When facing renovation work in an apartment, it becomes necessary to dismantle the switch from the wall. This is due to the fact that painting the walls and hanging wallpaper in the apartment, without removing the switches It’s possible, but it won’t work out neatly. Also, if it is necessary to replace the switch with another model, it may turn out that the frame of the new one is somewhat smaller and then an edging of bare wall will be formed around it.
Preparing to dismantle the switch.
In order to remove the switch from the wall before installing the wallpaper, you do not need to call a qualified electrician; you can do this yourself. But before you begin dismantling, you should turn off the power to the apartment, especially if you have no experience in handling electricity. In order to de-energize the apartment, you should turn off the machine on the panel where the electric meter is located or unscrew the plug.
To work you will need:
flashlight, Phillips screwdriver, thin flat-head screwdriver
Screwdrivers must have plastic or rubber handles.
Important: Even with the slightest work with electricity, it is necessary to keep your hands completely dry.
Step-by-step removal of the switch from the wall
First you need to determine which part of the switch is removed first. Depending on the design, most often these are buttons; less often, the frame is removed first. If the switch buttons are not tightly closed in the frame, then remove them initially. Hold the buttons with your fingers on either side and gently pull them out. on yourself, on some models need to be clamped not on the sides, but on the top and bottom.
If it seems that the buttons give in, but do not come out of the grooves, you need to use a thin flat-head screwdriver. Insert a screwdriver into the gap between the frame and the buttons and pull them towards you with slow, light movements.
If the buttons are covered by the frame itself, it can also be removed using a screwdriver. And only after that the buttons are removed, following the example above.
Next, you should consider the frame fasteners. With conventional plastic holders, the frame is removed by lightly tightening it with a screwdriver. Sometimes the frame is attached to small bolts; to remove them you will need a Phillips screwdriver.
Having removed the frame, all that remains is to remove the switch housing itself from the wall. Usually there are two to four bolts on the metal part of the case that should be removed. After removing the case, all that remains is to disconnect the wires themselves.
Important: in some models, the body is mounted on sharp spacer feet. They must be removed very carefully, as they can severely damage the plaster. To remove this type of fastener, the paws are pressed inward, towards each other.
Disconnecting the wires from the body is done by unscrewing the mounting bolts from the switch body. Next, the wires are carefully removed from the housing. The wire must be removed very carefully, especially in apartments with old wiring, so as not to damage it.
After completing the process of removing the switch, the wires should be insulated with simple electrical tape. The wires must not touch each other.
If you need to remove the switch before installing or removing wallpaper without subsequent replacement, you can limit yourself to only removing the buttons and frame.
Important: you should not make large overlaps of wallpaper onto the switch hole; they should be cut off with a paint knife; this is required by safety regulations.
Elements of home electrical wiring sooner or later have to be replaced or repaired. To do this efficiently, and most importantly, safely for your life, you need to know how the main aspects of the work are performed: how to remove a switch, socket from the wall, how to disassemble them and find out which part in their device is not working correctly or has completely failed.
Fault diagnosis
Has the light gone out in your house, garage or shed? Before you take a screwdriver, you need to find out the possible cause. There may be several of them, identifying them is not difficult:
If you have spare electrical accessories and several screwdrivers at home, you can immediately begin repair work. The only difficulty is to correctly locate the mounting points and not damage the appearance of the switch when removing it from the wall.
The fact is that the reason for the inactivity of the on/off mechanism can be easily eliminated using home methods, and replacement will not be required, then it will be possible to put the repaired switch back in place. And given that manufacturers now pay great attention to the design of their products, all screws, clamps and other fasteners are usually hidden under the frame. Therefore, when dismantling, without knowing the detailed structure of the fittings, you can easily damage the keys or frame, and this will significantly worsen the external data.
When performing any work on electrical wiring, first of all you need to turn off the electricity at the panel, de-energizing the repair site. You should also stock up on a special indicator screwdriver, with which you can check whether everything is disabled.
The procedure for dismantling will be as follows:
After this, you can begin to dismantle the mechanism itself and unscrew the bolts that secure the wiring.
Repair features
When all the preparatory work is completed, you need to disassemble the light switch and carefully examine it. If the contacts are oxidized, they need to be cleaned. Oxidation can also prevent the passage of electrical current, so if there is severe contamination of the contacts, then most likely that is why the mechanism did not work. After cleaning, you need to connect all the wires, mount the device back into the hole in the wall and secure the frame and keys in place. To check its operation, electricity is supplied.
If the contacts of the switch are melted, this indicates that a short circuit has occurred, as a result of which the mechanism overheated and became deformed. In this case, only replacement will help., such a switch can no longer be repaired. In order for the new device to fit, you need to take the old one with you to the store, then there will be no problems with choosing accessories.
In addition, the wire contacts at the terminals may become loose. If everything looks fine on the outside, you should try unscrewing the wiring from the mounting points and screwing it back on, tightening the screws tightly. If the check reveals that this is not the case, then it is worth checking the quality of the wiring with a special device - a multimeter.
The need for knowledge and practical skills on how to disassemble a light switch arises when major repairs are made in buildings or individual rooms. Sometimes there is a need to replace a faulty light switch.
Main types of light switches
There are two main types of wall mounting designs, which are fundamentally different:
- for hidden wiring,
- for external wiring.
To avoid mistakes:
- short circuit,
- burnout of expensive lighting fixtures, energy-saving, LED or fluorescent lamps,
- burning of insulation in a junction box or wall,
- electric shock.
Necessary:
- Familiarize yourself with the basic rules of safety measures. Before removing the switch, you need to study the design of their fastening and connection. Products for external wiring are fastened with ordinary dowels and self-tapping screws, and the housing is pressed against the wall through the mounting holes. For internal wiring models, fastening technologies are more complicated. The design of the case includes a mechanism of sliding strips, which fix the case on two opposite sides in a pre-made hole with a diameter of 67-70 mm.
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- Regardless of the type of light switch, for what purpose it has to be disassembled, first of all at the distribution board, the circuit breaker is turned off. This is done for safety reasons to prevent the possibility of electric shock to working people. You need to make sure that the shutdowns are made correctly, click the keys several times, the lighting devices should not work. According to the requirements of the PUE (Electrical Installation Rules), a sign must be hung on the circuit breaker in the switchboard: “Do not turn on people working.” It is advisable to close the cabinet and keep the keys with you so that strangers do not have access to the switches. Having completed these steps, you can begin to disassemble the switch itself.
Disassembling the internal wiring switch
- Remove the plastic key strips and decorative cover from the switch.
On older models, to remove the decorative cover, you just need to unscrew two screws; they are located on the surface. In new models, these bolts are hidden under the keys, which are easily removed with your fingers or can be pryed off with a screwdriver.
Only then will you gain access to the screws securing the top cover. After removing the decorative elements, you will see the housing in the mounting hole. If it is fixed by a conscientious electrician, you will not be able to pry it with a screwdriver and pull it out.
- Unscrew the two screws of the spacer mechanism counterclockwise; the fixing strips will move away from the wall.
In some models, along the perimeter of the structure there is a galvanized plate with holes for fastening the housing with self-tapping screws to the wall. The plate has holes for attaching the housing to plastic socket boxes, which have channels for fastening screws.
There are cases when the entire structure is supported only by a spacer mechanism, or perhaps screwed to the wall and socket box. Check all the options, disconnect all the fasteners, after which the entire mechanism can be removed from the mounting hole by hand without much effort.
- Once again, use an indicator screwdriver to check the absence of voltage on all contacts. After making sure that there is no danger, disconnect the wires from the terminals. In cases where the terminals are stuck, the insulation and the housing have melted, you cannot unscrew the bolts on the contacts with a screwdriver, bite off the wire with wire cutters. The wire must be bitten off so that no burnt insulation remains, at the same time, the length is sufficient for installing a new product. When the wires remain too short, it is not recommended to lengthen them by twisting them; the best option is to replace them along the entire section from the box to the switch, this is another topic.
Disassembling the external wiring switch
For external wiring structures, the disassembly sequence is similar, but it is necessary to take into account that instead of the screws of the spacer mechanism, screws are unscrewed that press the housing directly to the wall. The safety measures are the same, for reliability you can wear dry household rubber gloves, the voltage is low, this will be quite enough for protection. All operations can be done with one indicator screwdriver.
Having become familiar with the types of fastening and the sequence of operations on how to disassemble a switch, you can do everything yourself without inviting electricians. In addition to keyboard options, there are resistive and capacitive ones with a smooth change in light brightness. The housing designs differ in appearance, but the general principle of fastening and the disassembly sequence remains the same. De-energize the wiring, remove the decorative covers, unscrew the fastening screws and disconnect the wires; we haven’t come up with any other options yet.
When faced with a renovation, each of us asks related questions. For example, how to take it apart so that it doesn’t interfere with wallpapering? With sockets, everything seems to be clear. There you can see the head of the screw for a flat or Phillips screwdriver. By unscrewing it, we release the socket cover. The switch is a little more difficult - the screws are not visible.
In case of malfunction
Even if the switch malfunctions, there is no need to call expensive specialists. Even a person far from electricity can solve the problem of how to disassemble a light switch. First you need to identify the problem node. If the switch changes position with difficulty, makes unusual sounds when turned on, or smells burnt, it is immediately clear where the problem is.
If there are no obvious signs of damage, you should first check the position of the circuit breakers in the power supply panel. The pampering of children, the vindictiveness of neighbors, or simply a voltage drop could leave your apartment without light. Turn on the machine from your apartment and check the lighting operation. If it turned itself off again, obviously something that can happen in a switch can only occur in the rare case when it is installed directly above a current-carrying wire, and this wire surprisingly became exposed and caught the contacts of the switch. Look for other causes of the malfunction.
Checking the lamp and socket
Before disassembling the light switch in the apartment, you should check the functionality of the light bulb, its contacts and tightness of installation. According to the experience of electricians, problems arise in lamps and lamp sockets much more often than in a switch, since the nominal service life of the switching device is always significantly longer than the service life of consumable light elements and contacts that are subject to mechanical stress when replacing a lamp.
You also need to check the presence of phase current in different positions of the switch using a simple tester (indicator). In Soviet times, there were no particular differences in where the switch was installed - before or after the load. However, recently builders have been trying to install switches on the phase, driving wire. If the difference when switching on is visible on the tester, then the open circuit in the switch disappears, and you need to look for other reasons.
Tools and work area
After making sure that the problem is in the switch, you should prepare your tools and work area. Here you may need:
- Phillips and flathead screwdrivers;
- a knife with a plastic handle in case the blade accidentally touches the wires;
- pliers with insulated handles;
- indicator or tester to determine the presence of voltage;
- insulating tape.
Preparation of the workplace begins with providing illumination of the work area without the use of connected lighting. Roughly speaking, you need to work during the day, and in dark places additionally use a flashlight or other non-volatile light source. Dust inside the electrical box can stain fabric chairs and chairs, so move them away before disassembling the light switch.
Safety first
So, first of all, you need to de-energize the section of the circuit that you are supposed to work with. To do this, you should find machines related to your apartment on the staircase. Recently, the ownership of differential current switches in apartments has been signed on the panels; otherwise, you should warn your neighbors in the stairwell about your intentions to turn off the current and jointly find the necessary switches experimentally. Do not turn off the power without notifying your neighbors if you are not sure about the ownership of the machines.
A few simple manipulations
Next you need to get to the mounting screws to remove the protective casing from the switch. First, remove the key by prying it in the middle with a thin knife blade. The decorative casing is usually attached to a plastic latch or screws; we remove it using a screwdriver. On the sides of the switch there will be two fixing bolts with spacer tabs. You need to unscrew them a little to release the switch from the box socket.
Next, the contacts are inspected. Most often, oxidized or simply jumping wires from sockets and fastenings can cause a malfunction. Having tightened the wire connections properly, the switch is first checked “in weight”, without inserting it into the box.
Switch replacement
Burnt contacts, melted insulation and simply a lack of response to your actions indicate that it is better to replace the switch. After disconnecting the wires, under no circumstances leave them hanging out of the wall, even for half an hour. This is a familiar place on the wall where households automatically place their hand to turn on the light. Wrap it with duct tape while going to the store. The situation will be a little more complicated in large rooms with different lighting intensities. However, the sequence of actions on how to disassemble the lights is no different from working with a single-key one. The only caveat of a multi-key switch is that you need to mark the ends of the wires in the wall if it is necessary to replace the element. You can, of course, experimentally determine the connection sequence, but this will take extra time and is not very safe.
Dimmers
With simple switches, it seems that's all. How to disassemble the light switch? So-called dimmers, especially mechanical ones, are connected to the circuit in the same way as regular switches. Their dismantling is carried out approximately according to the same scheme. First, remove the rotary handle, then release the decorative panel from the latch with a knife or screwdriver, then loosen the fastening tabs by unscrewing the fixing bolts on the body.
That's all. Installation is carried out in reverse order. So, we found out how to disassemble a two-key light switch and its single-key counterpart. Everything is quite simple, and any self-taught master can handle this work. And if you know how to disassemble the light control switch, then putting everything back together won’t be a big problem at all. Remember that all connections and fastenings must be tightened properly so as not to have to repair the switch again.