Wall warm near light switch? The heat might be caused by an overloaded circuit. Heat coming from a wall is a potential fire hazard so it’s important to find the cause as soon as possible. This post will go into some basic fault finding to work out why the wall is warm near your light switch. You can then use this information to work out the best course of action to resolve the problem.
Wall Warm Near Light Switch? – Reason #1
Check If Nearby Appliances Are Heating The Wall
Wall warm near light switch? The first thing you need to do is rule out if any heat generating appliances are in the vicinity of the wall.
These appliances could be easily making the wall feel warm.
A fridge or microwave can make the wall behind it feel warm, as can a range of other appliances.
Check the opposite side of the wall, if that is possible.
Is there a bedroom, kitchen or laundry on the opposite side of the wall?
Maybe there is a cupboard with your hot water cylinder?
A wall heater on the other side, or a fridge up against the wall can make the wall feel warm.
Doing this might help you identify a faulty appliance that needs replacing or repairs.
There are many things which can make your wall feel warm. If you’ve identified anything like a fridge making the wall warm, then move it away from the wall and see if the wall cools down. If it does, you might have found your problem.
Wall Warm Near Light Switch? – Reason #2
Overloaded Circuit
An overloaded circuit could be causing the problem. An overload occurs when a circuit draws more electricity than the cables are designed to handle. For example, you may have too many lights which draw more current than the circuit is rated for.
When a circuit overloads, the cables will begin to heat up, the insulation will melt away, eventually leading to a fire in your wall cavity – unless a circuit breaker trips to prevent this from happening.
The way to check if you have an overloaded circuit is to turn off the switch. Wait 5 minutes or so, then feel the wall again. If the wall no longer feels warm, then it is possible that the cause of the warm wall was an overloaded circuit.
A simple fix for an overloaded lighting circuit is to replace your lights with newer LED’s which use less electricity.
Another potential problem with an overloaded circuit is an incorrectly rated circuit breaker (MCB). A circuit breaker is supposed to disconnect the power supply before the cables get too hot. This is to protect the house from the risk of fire. But if the breaker is incorrectly rated then this won’t happen – leading to a warm wall and potential fire hazard.
If this is the case, then it is important to get a registered electrician in to fix the problem ASAP.
Wall Warm Near Light Switch? – Reason #3
Loose Wires At The Switch
The next potential reason is loose wires at the light switch. Loose wires can lead to sparking which generates heat. This can obviously make the wall feel warm. If you can see sparks when you press the switch, then this may be the cause of the problem. You may also smell something burnt or evidence of burning, such as soot or melted plastic. Here are other light switch faults which could be causing the problem. If this is the case then it is important to get in contact with an electrician immediately to fix the problem.
Wall Warm Near Light Switch? – Reason #4
Damaged Cables In The Wall
Rodents are known to chew cables. If the wall feels warm further up towards the ceiling, then it is possible there is cable damage higher up the wall. Rodents in the wall cavity can chew cables causing sparking, and dead shorts (and dead mice!). You may have noticed a circuit breaker tripping, indicating a potential dead short somewhere. If no circuit breaker was tripping, then it is possible it is not working or incorrectly rated. Both of these situations require a registered electrician to resolve.
Next Steps
Wall warm near light switch? Hopefully this post has given you some good ideas about why this is happening.
You can use this information to do some basic fault finding and rule out certain potential causes of the problem (such as nearby appliances making the wall warm). If you’ve found the cause of the problem, it might save you money when it comes time to call the electrician. If you suspect something more serious, then it is important to get expert advice immediately.
What You Can Do
- If you know someone who could benefit from this content, please don’t forget to share.
- Download our free guide on how you can save Electrician time