The Lifespan Of Wall Switches Is Often Underestimated.

Wall Switch in residential and commercial buildings undergoes dozens or even hundreds of operations every day, but most users lack awareness of its life cycle. National standards stipulate that the mechanical lifespan of household wall switches should reach 40,000 cycles, with high-quality products achieving over 80,000 cycles. In actual use, however, products often experience poor contact or button malfunctions before reaching their theoretical lifespan.

The contact material directly determines the electrical lifespan. Silver-nickel alloy contacts offer excellent resistance to arc erosion, but are more expensive. Ordinary brass contacts develop an oxide layer during frequent switching, increasing contact resistance and causing heat generation. The tiny arc generated with each opening and closing gradually erodes the contact surface, forming pits and carbon deposits. When the contact gap is less than 0.5 mm, arcing easily occurs, accelerating wear.