Light switch smells like ozone? An ozone smell coming out of a light switch is an indicator for an electrical fault. This electrical fault could be a range of things but it is important to take it seriously because of the risk of a house fire. This post will go into several reasons why your light switch smells like ozone and what you can do about it.
What Is An Ozone Smell At Your Light Switch?
Ozone is known to smell ‘fishy’, metallic or like ‘bleach’. Ozone itself is a poisonous gas. The most likely reason why you are smelling ‘ozone’ is because plastic or electrical components, like wire insulation have melted or are melting in the light switch due to an electrical fault.
Now that we have established that an electrical fault is the most likely cause of your light switch smelling like ozone, let’s discuss a few potential causes for why this is.
Light Switch Smells Like Ozone? – Reason #1
Short Circuit In Light Switch
The first reason why your light switch smells like ozone is because of a short circuit. A short circuit occurs when the phase wire comes in contact with the neutral wire. When this happens, a release of heat and energy, or a ‘flash’ occurs. This can cause the light switch and the insulation around wires to melt resulting in an ozone-like odor. There are many reasons for there being a short circuit at your light switch including wear and tear, poor wiring, loose wire connection, debris accumulation, rodent intrusion, moisture intrusion among many other reasons. A short circuit would have blown a fuse in your switchboard, provided that the fuse is correctly rated for the circuit.
Light Switch Smells Like Ozone? – Reason #2
Switch Wired Incorrectly
Has someone been working on this light switch recently? Sometimes light switches can be wired incorrectly, even by experienced electricians. If someone has been working on the light switch lately, get in touch with them to see what they have done.
Light Switch Smells Like Ozone? – Reason #3
Mechanical Failure Of The Switch
Over time the switch can break down due to wear and tear. This happens around the button action when you press the switch. The button can begin to feel ‘uneven’ or hard to press. Behind the switch this leads to the electrical contacts doing weird things, such as sparking, eventually leading to melting which would cause the light switch to smell like ozone.
Light Switch Smells Like Ozone? – Reason #4
Dimmer Has Failed
If there is a dimmer in the light switch there is a possibility that it has failed. Older dimmers are known to generate a lot of heat and when they fail can melt the surrounding plastic around the light switch. This might seem to smell like ozone
Light Switch Smells Like Ozone? – Reason #5
Loose Wires
Loose wires in the switch can lead to sparking when the light is switched. Sparking leads to heat being generated which can cause a fire to start.
Light Switch Smells Like Ozone? – Reason #6
Incorrectly Rated Fuse
An ozone smell at the light switch might indicate that a fuse is either incorrectly rated or not operating as expected. In a normal situation, fuses will blow within a specific time frame, usually a fraction of a second. It does this to prevent a fire from occurring. However, if you have an incorrectly rated fuse then it may not trip within the specified time frame, or not trip at all. This can cause the light switch to melt longer than it would if the fuse was working correctly. Both of these scenarios can be quite serious so it is important to resolve the issue as soon as possible.
Light Switch Smells Like Ozone? – Reason #7
Old Switchboard
In older switchboards, old rewireable fuses are notorious for not tripping in time. As mentioned above, if a fuse doesn’t trip it means melting is going to keep occurring, eventually causing a fire. If you have an older switchboard then this might be the reason why your light switch smells like ozone. The best thing to do is to get an old switchboard upgraded as soon as possible.
Conclusion
Light switch smells like ozone? The most likely cause is a short circuit from a component in the light switch. This component could be a dimmer, or perhaps a mechanical failure of the switch. Fixing this would involve replacing these components. However, if the smell appears to be getting worse then it is important to take immediate action to avoid a potential fire. This might be a symptom of fuses not working as expected. This would involve replacing fuses with correctly rated ones, or even updating the switchboard if completely necessary.