Due to lightning,the power flickered a few times.I went to turn a light swtich on......?

Question

and there where some sparks.There was some electricity going to the light but the light was flickering.I turned it off and went out,bought a new light switch.I replaced the old switch and everything is fine now.My question is,should I still be concerned that the old switch sparked? Will the new one do the same over time? If not,what would have caused the old switch to do what it did?

Answer 1

Age probably along with a loose wire or lightning may have damaged the switch. You did the correct thing. One other suggestion, if your lights flicker a lot, or blink, or you get a lot of blown bulbs, then go outside and check your house ground wire. It may be loose, broken or not making good connection with the ground rod driven into the ground. Look for it near your power meter, A wire will be somewhere on the side of the house where the meter is, about the size of a pencil It will either be a bare copper wire or maybe covered with a black coating. If the rod is visible, visually inspect it. if it looks lose or broken, call an electrician to repair it or replace it. I used to work for a telecommunications company and always found 3-4 per month that were loose or broken or run over with lawn mowers. If the house ground is weak or broken you could lose your computer among other things, even with a surge protector, because a ground is necessary for the lightning surge to go to ground, which it can't do with a brokem wire. This is something a homeowner should check every year at least, and more often in some places.
BTW...some ground rods are buried and the wire clamp will corrode from the dirt and become loose. I dug mine up and added a concrete block over it with the rod in the hole so I could keep my eye on it and not hit with my lawn mower.
...jj

Answer 2

sometimes the bakerlite in the switch breaks down it becomes brittle and the moving parts inside short out because its lost its insulation qualities. new ones will take many years to do this

Answer 3

Also, sometimes lightning causes power surges against which nothing can protect.