Door jamb light switch

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ron

ron

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Any one know of a door jamb light switch that can be fed from a 120V 20A circuit? The lighting load in the closet is small (fed from the door jamb switch) but the overall lighting load on the circuit is 10A.

The ones I'm finding are 3A (Leviton), but i can't imagine it can be fed from a 20A breaker.

Thoughts?
 
ron said:
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The ones I'm finding are 3A (Leviton), but i can't imagine it can be fed from a 20A breaker.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Why not? 1A table lamps are fed from 20A breakers all the time.

To power a 10A load you may have to combine the jamb switch with a contactor or RIB.
But if the load in the closet itself is small and is all that is switched, you have no problem.
 
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ron said:
Any one know of a door jamb light switch that can be fed from a 120V 20A circuit? The lighting load in the closet is small (fed from the door jamb switch) but the overall lighting load on the circuit is 10A.

The ones I'm finding are 3A (Leviton), but i can't imagine it can be fed from a 20A breaker.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...
The switch will not see more than the part of the load going through it.
 
luckylerado said:
The switch will not see more than the part of the load going through it.
Click to expand...
I agree.


I guess I was thinking that a typical light switch is rated 15 or 20A to be protected at its rating by the upstream breaker.

Maybe the code doesn't require a switch rated for protection from the upstream, but just to carry its load.
 
ron said:
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Maybe the code doesn't require a switch rated for protection from the upstream, but just to carry its load.
Click to expand...
:thumbsup: when the switch is part of equipment. Not as clear when it is part of the building wiring.
What you do not know is what the carrying capacity (short term) of the switch is. The 3A could be based on making and interrupting a tungsten load, not long term carrying capacity.
 
There isn't much room in those door jamb boxes so I would prefer to use a 15 amp circuit on it however there is no reason not to use a 20 amp circuit.
 
ron said:
Any one know of a door jamb light switch that can be fed from a 120V 20A circuit? The lighting load in the closet is small (fed from the door jamb switch) but the overall lighting load on the circuit is 10A.

The ones I'm finding are 3A (Leviton), but i can't imagine it can be fed from a 20A breaker.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...


Do you have any wiggle room to use a smaller breaker on that circuit?
It may make it easier to source the switch.
 
ron said:
Even if I brought it down to the smallest normally available breaker size of 15A, the door jamb switches seem to be less.
Click to expand...

IDK if a door jamb switch is considered a snap switch, but I believe the switch needs only to be the correct voltage rating and be rated for the load.

The following is for snap switches, but it is the closet I could find:

404.14

(A) Alternating-Current General-Use Snap Switch. A
form of general-use snap switch suitable only for use on ac
circuits for controlling the following:

(1) Resistive and inductive loads not exceeding the ampere
rating of the switch at the voltage applied

(2) Tungsten-filament lamp loads not exceeding the ampere
rating of the switch at 120 volts

(3) Motor loads not exceeding 80 percent of the ampere
rating of the switch at its rated voltage
 
ron said:
The lighting load in the closet is small (fed from the door jamb switch) but the overall lighting load on the circuit is 10A.
Click to expand...
Dennis Alwon said:
There isn't much room in those door jamb boxes so I would prefer to use a 15 amp circuit on it however there is no reason not to use a 20 amp circuit.
Click to expand...
If the load on this branch is just lighting and in the 10A range, I'd change to a 15A breaker.
 
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