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Would it damage LED lights does anyone know? So for example I have 4 sets of LED light bars plugged into a 4-way extender. Each light set has its own switch. But there is also a switch at the mains socket on the wall that the 4-way extender is plugged into. Is it safe to leave all light sets with their switches in the On position, and just use the mains switch on the wall to switch them all on/off at the same time? Can’t find an answer to this anywhere. It sounds like a bad idea for some reason like a power surge or something (I know nothing about electrics) but it would be handy to be able to do it :) Thanks

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  • Using a simple wall switch should be okay, Might be a problem if using the main breaker/disconnect for the whole house and had major electric appliances turning on at same time(same for power outage).
    – crip659
    Jul 14, 2021 at 13:55

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Is it safe to leave all light sets with their switches in the On position, and just use the mains switch on the wall to switch them all on/off at the same time?

Yes, it's fine.

That's exactly how light switches work and lights are built from day one to accept this usage pattern. This is true regardless whether the mechanism is a pull-switch, button, flip switch, remote control, etc. You're just delegating the on/off functionality further away from the device.

Before ceiling lights became common-place it was normal to plug a lamp into the wall socket, turn the lamp into the "on" position, and control the wall socket via a switch on the wall.

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  • Correct that it won't harm the lights. You've probably checked that the lights recover their on/off state after a power loss, but some might default to off. Assuming this is in the UK where the switches on wall outlets are designed to be used routinely as switches, this will not harm the switch either. Otherwise, using a circuit breaker as a switch might reduce its life.
    – jay613
    Jul 14, 2021 at 15:39
  • Thanks for the responses. This has put my mind at ease and have been using the wall switch for a couple of days now 👍🏻
    – bickle77
    Jul 16, 2021 at 8:21
  • @bickle77 You're welcome, please feel free to mark my answer as accepted if it solves your issue =)
    – MonkeyZeus
    Jul 16, 2021 at 12:56
  • Yes, there are some "electronic/software switches" which might default to "off" after a power cycle/reset, but they are rare.
    – Harper - Reinstate Monica
    Jul 16, 2021 at 18:03
  • @Harper-ReinstateMonica Yep, generally computers have such a mechanism and you can set it in the BIOS.
    – MonkeyZeus
    Jul 16, 2021 at 18:09

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