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Thread: Anyone else having to replace Lutron switches with broken bezels that won't stay on?

  1. #1

    Angry Anyone else having to replace Lutron switches with broken bezels that won't stay on?

    I bought my house about 10 years ago. We have a lot Lutron dimmer switches throughout. Anyways, over the past year or two we have had to replace 4 Lutron light switches because the small bezels that keep the switch in place keep breaking. When this happens, when the switch is depressed in the "on" position, the switch pops out slightly and won't stay depressed. One has to use a piece of tape or apply constant pressure with a finger to keep the switch in the on position. Upon inspection this is happening because a small piece of plastic that makes up part of the bezel that keeps the switch in place has broken away.

    Given that we are not doing anything to the switches that would create wear beyond anything normal I would hazzard to suggest that these bezels are under engineered. Given the price point of Lutron switches this type of bezel failure seems to happen much too frequently. Has anyone else experienced these issues with Lutron switches? Has the company changed designs recently to improve durability? Thanks.

  2. #2
    Senior Member
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    Oct 2013
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    Pix help, to clarify where the item is breaking? That and which model switches? And are these in Claro (Lutron) faceplates, or something else?

  3. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by wkearney99 View Post
    Pix help, to clarify where the item is breaking? That and which model switches? And are these in Claro (Lutron) faceplates, or something else?
    No, it is not the faceplate that surrounds the switch but the actual switch itself. For lack of a better term the bezel in question is on the "switch plate" (i.e. the piece of plastic you touch with your finger to turn the switch on and off). The problems have been with the Diva line of dimmer switches - in this specific case it is the Diva DVELV - 300P - but I would guess the problem is with all Diva switches with this type of switch plate. I uploaded a photo showing one of the broken bezels. Two plastic bezels are on the midsection of the plastic switch plate. The two bezels act as part of a hinge assembly that attaches the switch plate to the main body of the switch. When assembled the bezels attach to two small plastic knobs in the midsection of the plastic housing. When depressed in the on position, the switch plate has a small plastic protuberance on the upper left side of the switch plate that depresses a small spring loaded switch within the main body of the switch assembly (i.e. the internal switch that actually opens and closes the circuit). Sure enough, it is always the bezel on the left side of the switch plate that sheers off. I imagine this is so because the tension on the switch plate from the spring loaded switch on the upper left of the assembly must put greater force on the left bezel than the right one. Over time, after repeated use, the left bezel fatigues and eventually shears away from the repeated stress. Once the bezel breaks the switch won't stay on because the switch plate is no longer sufficiently attached to the housing to provide sufficient force to keep the spring loaded internal switch depressed. Hence the switch needs to be replaced or you are reduced to using a taught piece of duct tape over the switch plate to provide the extra force needed to keep the switch depressed in the on position.

    These bezels should be engineered better, especially at the price point that Lutron charges for their switches. I can understand having a defective switch here and there but this is now the 4th switch that I have had to replace for this very reason. From my experience the problem with the bezels seems to be endemic and should be fixed. The switches I am replacing can't be more than 15 or 20 years old and it is ironic that these are the ones causing me problems when the vast majority of the switches in my house are originals from 1914 and continue to work just fine going on their second century of service. Go figure.

  4. #4
    Authorized Lutron Contributor
    Join Date
    May 2013
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    289
    Hi jcross041971, we're sorry to hear that you're having issues with your Diva bezels breaking. If you call in and work with our Technical Support Team, we can see what we can do about resolving your issue. We look forward to hearing from you soon.Our Technical Support line is 1-844-588-7661 or you can email Support@lutron.com with pictures of your dimmers and a brief description and we'll be more than happy to help you out.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Hi jcross041971, we're sorry to hear that you're having issues with your Diva bezels breaking. If you call in and work with our Technical Support Team, we can see what we can do about resolving your issue. We look forward to hearing from you soon.Our Technical Support line is 1-844-588-7661 or you can email Support@lutron.com with pictures of your dimmers and a brief description and we'll be more than happy to help you out.

  5. #5
    Junior Member
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    I have the same issue with three of our Lutron switches. Will call support a little later. Thanks . .

  6. #6
    Junior Member
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    May 2018
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    Exact same problem

    [QUOTE=jcross041971;18873]I bought my house about 10 years ago. We have a lot Lutron dimmer switches throughout. Anyways, over the past year or two we have had to replace 4 Lutron light switches because the small bezels that keep the switch in place keep breaking. When this happens, when the switch is depressed in the "on" position, the switch pops out slightly and won't stay depressed. One has to use a piece of tape or apply constant pressure with a finger to keep the switch in the on position. Upon inspection this is happening because a small piece of plastic that makes up part of the bezel that keeps the switch in place has broken away”

    We have the exact same problem....over the last few weeks three of our switches won’t stay on unless you hold the button....
    It just randomly started to happen....I will call customer service....

  7. #7
    Junior Member
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    Sep 2018
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    1

    Exact Same Issue with Diva DVFSQ-F - DIY Fix

    I had the exact same issue with a Diva DVFSQ-F fan switch. I took the switch apart to explore the issue, and sure enough, one of the bevels had broken off and fell right out when I took the switch plate off the rest of the switch. I noticed that the reason the switch would not stay on was because the missing bevel caused the spring sub-assembly to basically be sitting crooked inside the switchplate (only off by about 1mm), which meant that when you pushed the switch in the "on" position, the spring assembly would not "pop out" as it was designed to do to keep the switch in the "on" position. The missing bevel was enabling the force of the spring to merely push the assembly sideways instead of up.

    To fix this, the DIY solution is to find a very thin piece of hard / semi-hard plastic, and slide it in next to the spring assembly so that it remains straight when the switch is in the off position. Something like an old thin plastic library card might work. You'll basically cut out one of the corners and trim it down until it fits the slot next to the spring assembly, without sticking up above the housing it's in too much. Couldn't believe I got it to work, but the switch works perfectly now. Uploading some pictures for everyone so you can see what I did. I hope this helps someone out there.

    (Lutron: please tell your engineers / manufacturers to increase the build quality of the bevels inside these switches. This switch did not receive heavy use.)

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Click image for larger version. 

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  8. Thanks Brendan Barthe thanked for this post
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  9. #8
    Hey n1oconner, thanks for posting. Clever. Will try next time I have another fail.

  10. #9
    Junior Member
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    Thank you!

    I "bopped" the switch a little hard and it broke the same piece that is described as being broken here. Thanks for the fix and taking the time to photograph it as well!

  11. #10
    Junior Member
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    Apr 2019
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    Hi, the "bezel" is actually called a paddle (per Lutron) and I have the exact same issue as you described. I've had to replace a half a dozen over the past few years simply because the paddle rocker broke and the light one stay on. Most of mine have been 3 way dimmers and they cost about $30 a pop. I searched Lutron's online catalog to see if they offered dealers a replacement paddle part, but they did not. This clearly is a design flaw/materials defect with the product. all broker with normal wear and tear. Some with very little use overall. It makes me not want to buy Lutron anymore if every expensive switch I buy I know I will have to replace in a few years because of a broken plastic piece. I also wonder about people who remodel and want to change switch colors. If Lutron offered a paddle replacement part, DYIers could change out the paddle with the new color (it's simple to change out) replace the switch cover plates and be done without having to do a forklift replacement of all switches, rewiring, etc., which could be expensive, and not worth it. As a top-tier manufacturer, they should either provide either a 10 yr fully warranty on plastics (normal wear&tear) or provide replacement parts at a reasonable price. Sounds like an opening for a competitive manufacturer to exploit. IMHO.

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