Rocker switches, also known as decora-style or decorator switches, operate in the same basic way as a standard toggle switches. Many people replace the toggle switches in their homes with rocker switches to enhance the overall look of a room decor. Toggle switches are the standard type used everywhere, in which the switch sticks out of the cover: Flipping the switch up turns it on and flipping it down turns it off. Rocker switches are low profile and barely protrude from the cover at all: Pressing at the top turns it on, and pressing on the bottom turns it off. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Turn on the switch you want to replace so that the light is illuminated. Turn off the breaker controlling the circuit for that switch, and verify that the light is off, indicating there is no power to the circuit.
2. Remove the cover from the existing switch by removing the two screws with a flat-head screwdriver. Remove the two screws that hold the switch at the top and bottom of the electrical box, and pull the switch out of the box. Loosen the screw holding the bare ground wire to the switch and disconnect it.
3. Loosen the two screws holding the black wires to the switch and remove the wires. If the wires are inserted into holes in the switch, hold the unit and twist clockwise, then counterclockwise until the wires come out of the holes. There is a slot alongside the holes that you can stick a small straight screwdriver into to release the wires, if they won't come out by twisting.
4. Connect the bare ground wire to the green screw on the rocker switch and tighten the screw. Connect one of the two black wires to one of the silver screws on the switch. Connect the other black wire to the remaining silver screw on the switch. It does not matter which black wire goes to which silver screw.
5. Push the bare ground wire into the back of the electrical box to make sure that it does not touch either of the silver screws when you push the switch into the box. Fasten the two screws at the top and bottom to secure the switch in the box. Install the new rocker switch cover using the flat-head screwdriver..
6. Turn on the breaker to restore power for the circuit.
Tags: bare ground, bare ground wire, ground wire, black wire, black wires