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I have an epidemic of broken Decora light switches in my house. None of them seem to last more than a few years. Usually the paddles break off, or the housing breaks apart. Pictured here are 2 switches and a face place from a group of 3 switches and two GFCI outlets I bought only 3 years ago. All three switches have fallen apart (two of them in pic), and both face plates have cracked (one in pic). And I've had several others like this recently.

Is this normal?

The damage shown here on the lower left is the most common one I've seen: the "hub" part of the housing, that holds the paddle hinge pins, breaks, releasing the paddle from the housing. I've had three switches go that way in the last year.

These are all "Spec Grade". Not sure if that means anything or is just marketing. They do feel like crap, but they were not cheap.

I can't think of any kind of rough treatment that would cause this particular damage.

This batch of broken switches are all LeGrand. I cannot remember the brands of the other ones that broke recently.

enter image description here

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    Not normal- I have had mine at home for 12 years and none have ever broken. As to why yours are breaking, it is very hard to tell from here. Were they purchased from a box store or from an electric or lighting supply house ?
    – Kyle
    Commented Apr 21, 2022 at 3:45
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    Face plates might crack if tighten to much, but you usually see/notice that when putting them on. Switches/outlets would need abuse or stop playing baseball inside.
    – crip659
    Commented Apr 21, 2022 at 10:47
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    there are two types of plastic used in at least the face plates. one is much more flexible and doesn't crack as easy (they are also twice the cost). If the drywaller did a crap job it is possible the area around the switches is not flat and this can cause the face plates to flex more than normal and be more prone to breaking. I'd also try a different brand of decora switch to see if perhaps that one is just extra cheap.
    – Fresh Codemonger
    Commented Apr 21, 2022 at 22:47
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    Note that "spec grade" means "cheapest possible while still meeting code". It's what builders install because they have to put switches and outlets into a new house to get it sold. It's not what's installed to provide long-lasting quality. Quality costs more and the builder is, quite frequently, trying to build for the lowest possible cost to get a lower sale price or to improve profit.
    – FreeMan
    Commented Apr 22, 2022 at 12:09
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    @crip659 I've had that happen when over-tightening screws on a faceplate before, but these plates don't appear to even have screw-holes in them, guessing they're the snap-on kind? It could be that the switch box is not properly flush with the wall, leaving a gap that allows the faceplate to flex more than it should?
    – Darrel Hoffman
    Commented Apr 22, 2022 at 13:07

4 Answers 4

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There is no conceivable mechanical or electrical fault in a switch which would break the cover plate. That is the smoking gun evidence.

You have someone in your household who is turning switches on and off with brass knuckles. It only takes pinkie pressure.

If you can't contain the misbehavior, then it's time to switch to the classic toggle switches (whose opening is a narrow slot). Those operate on an up-down motion, and they do not invite the slap/punch motion that clearly, someone is using. I swipe them all the time sometimes pretty aggressively, but it doesn't bother them.

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    the white dots on the corner of the faceplate look like impact marks from something small, heavy, and fast, like a ring or keys.
    – dandavis
    Commented Apr 21, 2022 at 7:56
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    If this is it (and it probably is) I have to fix both switches and people. I have to overcome the careless behavior of the likely culprits and also the aesthetic sensibilities of certain other household members. (White toggle switches would put me in the dog house). Or I could glue spikes onto the paddles. :(.
    – jay613
    Commented Apr 21, 2022 at 12:24
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    Looks like there are some "pretty" switches that are not amenable to operation by fist so I might find a reasonable spike-free solution.
    – jay613
    Commented Apr 21, 2022 at 12:33
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    Having the breaker pay for replacement plus pro electrician labour cost might help(loan sharks have ways to help non payers).
    – crip659
    Commented Apr 21, 2022 at 13:56
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    @jay613 Don't let them put you in the middle. Tell the aesthetics person that Decora can't be used per NEC 110.11 and 110.12(B) due to the equipment not being able to survive the environment, and if they want aesthetics THEY need to solve the smashing problem. I would add "This is why you can't have nice things", that gets 'em everytime lol. By the way, they make steel cover plates - some are very aesthetic brass or stainless, but others are basic galvanized steel. The latter are tougher.
    – Harper - Reinstate Monica
    Commented Apr 22, 2022 at 1:33
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Plastics tend to become brittle with age, as the chemical softeners diffuse out over the years.
Maybe you got a batch of old ones that were twenty years in the warehouse storage before you bought them (or some days in the sun).

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  • Yes, I've had this problem with MUCH older outlets and cover plates ... usually from the 1950s or 60s, where the plastic becomes brittle. With newer ones, and especially with the ones in my pictures that are only a few years old, the problem is the opposite .. the plastics are soft and flimsy. Who knows if they will become brittle in 50 years? I doubt any of them will last that long.
    – jay613
    Commented Apr 22, 2022 at 12:49
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Aganju hit on something with his answer but doesn't expound on it any.

There's two types of light-switch covers that are sold in bulk. Leviton in particular markets these as "standard" (hard plastic) and "premium" (nylon) wall plates. The standard ones will get brittle over time and shatter more readily than their nylon brethren. Guess which ones contractors are going to buy... If you elect to keep your decora switches, try a nylon wall plate first and see if it survives any better than the cheap plastic ones. If necessary, consider upping the grade even higher and buy metal ones that won't shatter at all.

The other thing to check here are the switches themselves. Make sure the switches aren't loose or proud (not flush with) from the box. If they are, you might want to see if the box was mounted incorrectly and possibly add some spacers to better ensure the switches aren't allowed to move or create potential pressure points between the wall plate and the wall. Either would allow this sort of thing to happen more readily.

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  • I think you're right, better alignment of the wall, box, switches, and plate may have allowed these to survive the rough treatment they seem to have received. That was definitely a problem with this installation. I think Aganju's issue is one I did not have at all in this instance, but I have certainly had switches and outlets deteriorate from age and sun exposure, and disintegrate gradually. Usually after decades.
    – jay613
    Commented Apr 22, 2022 at 14:58
  • The good news is, I'll have no choice but to address the issues suggested here because the box and the entire wall has been removed to gain access to a leaky pipe. :(
    – jay613
    Commented Apr 22, 2022 at 14:58
  • If I have an old new-work 3-gang metal box that was nailed to a joist on one side using the "new work" external straps, and has gradually come loose over the years so the opposite side rocks in and out, and sits slightly recessed from the wall, is there a good approach to making the corrections you suggest as a REPAIR, ie not replacing it? Would this be a good new question?
    – jay613
    Commented Apr 22, 2022 at 17:51
  • Yeah, that should be a new question. It sounds like a good one too.
    – Machavity
    Commented Apr 22, 2022 at 17:55
  • Follow up question
    – jay613
    Commented Apr 22, 2022 at 19:06
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Contrary to FreeMan's comment, "spec grade" is not the bottom quality rung. The bottom quality rung for receptacles is "residential grade", often seen in bulk packs at the big box store. Spec grade is, in theory, short for US Federal Specification W-C-596. If it has the UL stamp flanked by an F on one side and S on the other the device meets W-C-596. In practice it's usually meant to connote commercial quality, typically a step up from residential grade. Above that is "hospital grade" which is indicated by a green dot on the face plate. With switches you'll typically only see residential and commercial grades. Decora is a trademark of Leviton and with their switches you'll see Decora (residential) and Decora Plus (commercial/spec grade) on the shelves.

With the wall plate material you'll typically see metal (stainless steel), thermoset (polycarbonate), and thermoplastic (nylon). At least in the Leviton catalog the only nylon face plate available uses screws and is only available in an oversized (midsize) configuration and is marketed as "unbreakable".

Even cheapie residential grade stuff shouldn't fall to pieces in a couple years though.

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