We'd do it if we were rewiring our place. We've designed lots of closets to have door-operated swithes that turn the closet light on when the door opens, off when the door shuts (like a refrigerator!).
We love the idea because it uses the light only when you need it and you simply can't forget to turn it off. Pllus, it keeps wall-mounted switches to a minimum, which we always favor over big banks of switches cluttering up a wall.
My childhood home has these, and I'm surprised that more homes don't. In my estimation, they are definitely worth it.
i have these in my closets and they're a great idea - def. surprised these aren't more common.
I have light switches in every closet and they are a must - as oposed to those bulky switches I installed small switches that are rolling ball type which you can get in any hardware store - they are very small and work great
Let me present a dissenting view. I have a cat--the screen name long predates his arrival--and while he loves to open closets, he's not so good at remembering to close them. Every morning I'm awoken by a nifty fluorescent glow.
They don't annoy me enough to rip them out. But I thought about it.
I have these in both clothes closets in my home, love them, and also included the idea in our pantry, where they really come in handy! The idea of wiring them to a fluorescent strip light on the space above the door is a trick we also used. It's a great simple idea that we enjoy every day.
How does your cat open the doors?
Is there a battery operate retrofit version of a door jamb switch?
We installed the switches with motion detectors in our closet. So when you open the door, the motion detector "sees" you and the light goes on. It will turn itself off after a period of no movement, even if the door is left open. You can get them at any hardware store, and you could even replace an existing switch with the motion detector kind.
"How does your cat open the doors?"
Our closets don't have knobs; they have magnetic closures. So he just gets on his back and digs his claws into the bottom of the door. I used to put things in front of the doors, like 25 lb weights, but those aren't a deterrent, either. Now I live with it. But the motion sensor is an idea...
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Can you post a link to one of those rolling ball switches? I can't seem to find any that aren't "low voltage". Tx,
LV
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When I bought my new house I was really excited that the master closet had one of these door switches installed. However, after living with it for a while I'm ready to tear it out. We have a large walk-in closet and since I'm married it would be nice to go in the closet in the morning and shut the door and get dressed so as not to disturb my spouse. However, I have to prop the door open enough to keep the light on but as far closed as possible to not wake him. I know I get irritated when he gets up before me and the light just glares in the bedroom. I think for a pantry it would be great though. Or if mine was motion sensored I would like it better.
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