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The most common malfunctions of switches are that they simply cease to work or they give off sparks when you flip them off and on. If a light doesn’t work and you suspect the switch, do the following:
1) Turn off the power to the light’s circuit.
2) Remove the switch’s cover plate and unscrew the two screws that mount the switch to the electrical box.
3) Use an electrical tester to check the screw terminals on the side of the switch to make sure they’re not hot (charged), and then gently pull the switch out from the box.
4) Unscrew the wires from the two terminals and straighten their ends with a pair of long-nose pliers.
5) Twist the two bare ends together and screw a wire nut onto the twisted pair.
7) If the light still doesn’t work, the problem is in the wiring or the light fixture, so turn off the power to the circuit, reconnect the original switch (unless this is more trouble than it’s worth), put the cover plate back on, restore the power to the circuit, and check the light fixture as discussed in Lighting Fixtures: Troubleshooting & Repairs.
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