# Paddle Switch Mounting Problem



## ajdragon (Jul 26, 2017)

Hi


I ordered a POWERTEC 110-220-Volt Paddle Switch-71007 from Home Depot last week, well it came in today and I figured sense I was going to Home Depot I might as well pick up a electrical box to mount the switch in. The problem is I could not use a single one of the boxes they had at the store because I could not mount the switch to them without doing some kind of jerry rigging. Upon closer inspection of the switch it turns out that the mounting screws were out of alignment by an 1/8 of an inch, one screw was to close to one side of the switch and the other one was to far from the other side of the switch. I figured that I had gotten a bad switch so I returned for a refund, I was just about to order another one when I thought maybe I should double check to make sure the switch I had gotten was actually defective, and guess what, it wasent a definitive switch, it is a design flaw. All of the pictures I have seen, seem to show the exact same darn problem. I have come across posts on this forum and other forums of other people having this same mounting problem but getting no help on how its supposed to be mounted properly, "other then it should fit I got mine to go on."


So my question is, how are you guys getting this switch to mount properly? I really do not want to have to do any jerry rigging inorder to get it to fit.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Perhaps it was made to fit a particular box instead of a standard electrical box.


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## ajdragon (Jul 26, 2017)

Hi


I found out why I couldn't find a box to fit it, it's not meant to be mounted in a box, it's meant to be mounted on a flat surface with a hole cut out of it for the back to pass through, as in the sheet metal of a table saw base.


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## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

Weird, it is advertised as fitting a standard electrical box, personally I would not mount it with the back open. They show a grey plastic box on Amazon that I think is deeper. The reviews are not great.

https://www.amazon.com/POWERTEC-710..._rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=0M6EZNK64XN8M08ZD9DS


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## subroc (Jan 3, 2015)

Well, I mounted mine a while back, I also made these switched extensions for the routers. Note the depth and style of the box that the switch is mounted to.


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## Tool Agnostic (Aug 13, 2017)

I installed a PowerTec 71007 switch on my bandsaw late last year. The box was already attached to the bandsaw. The issue was that I did not like the "original" switch - the Off switch was a small target and required considerable force to press. 

If I recall, I had a heck of a time fitting the PowerTec 71007 switch into the box considering that the wires were a fairly thick gauge. I was grateful that it fit, because I had read about others who were not as lucky, complaining that it would not fit into a standard size box - a larger box was needed. My box worked.

When I fitted the screws that hold the front plate to the box, I saw that they didn't match up. I knew the fault was almost surely the PowerTec 71007 switch, because the old switch matched the box perfectly. 

My solution was to improvise. I used long enough screws that I could get them both to start in their respective threaded holes in the box. After that, I tightened each screw only a little, in turn. I kept alternating the screws until it was tight enough, and obviously safe. I assumed that something would deform to make it a good enough fit; either the box, or the plate, or the screws would deform to a "good enough" state, and I was right. 

I admit, I might have broken something by proceeding with the tightening as I did, but the broken something would have been a either cheap box or a relatively cheap PowerTec switch, and I think I could argue that a refund was deserved for the switch due to their design defect. That was my thinking just before I went ahead and did it. 

I am attaching photos of the final installation of my switch. It looks good. I believe that it is safe. It works reliably. Who could ask for more?


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## ajdragon (Jul 26, 2017)

Hi


I like how that looks but I've decided not to get a paddle switch. All of the current available versions that I have checked out whether there the $8 switches or the $40 switches seem to have one things in common, they have a short life span of a couple of years before they burn out or simply brake. I don't like the idea of having to replace the switch every couple of years.


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## Alchymist (Jan 2, 2011)

Looks identical to the Grizzly version, which does fit in the standard electrical box with no room to spare. The plastic box has the wires pulled through as the box is behind the panel opening, through the opening, and attached. The switch is then pushed through the panel opening, with the wires being pushed back through the box. The box is held tight to the back of the panel and screws inserted through the switch into the box. The screws furnished are not long enough, so a screw about 1/4" longer has to be used. The wires exit the plastic box through grommets, and are clamped to the inside of the saw cabinet near the box. YMMV.

http://www.grizzly.com/search?q=(d4151)


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## Stevedore (Dec 28, 2011)

I’ve mounted a few of those switches in diecast weatherproof boxes from Home Depot. I don’t recall any issues with fit or attachment.


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