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#47965 01/31/05 11:40 AM
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 80
B
Bert66 Offline OP
Member
I installed a lighting circuit that has two 3-way switches and one 4-way switch. One 3-way switch is leading into the laundry area from the kitchen, the other 3-way is coming from the garage into the laundry area. And the 4-way is at a wall near a door leaving the laundry area, going into the backyard.

Now the problem is that the 4-way seems to be failing often. This will be the second call back on this one switch. Bring the switch count to #3. When we Finished this house the circuit worked, when we replaced it and showed the homeowner, it worked. Now 4 months later same thing.
We are using Pass and Seymour switches and recepticals. And to date this seems to be the only one to really haunt us. Any help out there, has anyone had anything like this happen to them?

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#47966 01/31/05 12:17 PM
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 135
M
Member
At my house I had a Pass and Seymour 4-way fail twice on me in the same location, I replaced it with a Leviton from HD and no problems for about 8 months now, who says the stuff at the supply house is of better quality?? The P&S 4 way failed the first time about 2 months after installation and about 3 weeks later it failed the 2nd time.

#47967 01/31/05 12:51 PM
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 717
M
Member
It has been my experience that decora style 4 way switches fail quite often. These have been mostly Leviton. Funny how the price is so much higher for decora, but they seem to be less reliable at least for 4 way's.

#47968 01/31/05 05:01 PM
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 1,457
E
Member
I find a higher failure rate with 4-way decora no matter what the brand.

#47969 01/31/05 05:22 PM
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 1,716
R
Member
Not trying to bash a manufacturer, but I had a bad batch of red P&S three ways that were installed in 7 O.R.'s. Out of the 14 installed 8 were replaced within 2 months.

This involved dressing out in sterile garb and scheduling with the facility, it was quite a pain.


Roger

#47970 01/31/05 07:06 PM
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 444
S
Member
Add my name to the pile....I have had NUMEROUS failures with any Decora 4W switch. Decora, only, the standard toggle is fine.

Why are the Decora 4W so expensive?

#47971 01/31/05 07:50 PM
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 687
A
Member
Yep,
Lots of Leviton Decora 4 way failures. I hate trying to find the bad switch when it faild on one position only but you got a lot of switches conected. Also changed some because the customer complained of a spongy action to them.

Tom

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#47972 01/31/05 08:03 PM
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 267
W
Member
Has anyone had any problems with cooper brand decora or cooper in general? They bought out eagle several years ago. We are on the edge of converting to leviton because of the demand.

#47973 01/31/05 08:32 PM
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 276
T
Member
I notice because of the large surface area of the button and the fact that they are almost flush with the wall and hard to find in the dark, people tend to hammer on decoras, either because they are groping blindly for them or they just hit them too hard when using them. This may be a little out in left field, but how full is the box? I notice decoras get flaky and temperamental if the wires in the box are pushing on the back of the device.

#47974 01/31/05 11:22 PM
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 642
N
Member
Have had 5 4 way switch failures out of last 10 4 way switches installed. All were regular toggle type switches. Abouthalf purcased at supply house and the other half at home desperate (when you need it now and the supply ha=ouse is closed or far away).
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