Hey folks,

I came home very late last night, and my fiancé went to flip the switch on the hall light. According to her, the switch made a sizzling noise, and then the light went out. The hall light is hooked up to two switches -- one upstairs, one downstairs -- the upstairs switch worked fine, and when we flipped the downstairs switch again, it worked fine. We couldn't feel any heat on the plate or wall, and couldn't smell anything, so we threw the breaker off for that part of the house and went to bed. We turned it on this morning and everything seems to be working fine.

Is this a problem? Should I replace the switch? Should I have an electrician over to inspect the wiring? The house is about 40 years old, and virtually everything is original.

Thanks!

Most likely just a bad switch, as they get older the contacts get pitted, and can cause the sizzling sound you heard. Replace the switch, but before you do be sure to note the wires and terminals.

One terminal should be black or dark in golor, and the other two should be brass. This is a 3 way switch, get a replacement, and be sure the wire on the black screw gets on the new common. The other two wires make no difference which is which.