Light switch cord broken and light won't go off!

[Spocksmum]

Help!!!!!!!! Last night, I pulled the short light switch cord for the light over the bathroom sink and it broke off at the end in my hand. I can't access the place where it must pull a switch up and down to put it on and off. This is somewhere inside the fitting.

Don't have time (or spare cash) to get an electrician to come out at present - so the light has had to be left on.

Does anyone know if I can dare to take apart the light fitting myself and see if I can just switch it off permanently? Will this be tricky and risky or really easy?

Meanwhile, how safe is it for a bathroom, over-sink light to be left on all the time and will the electricity bill rocket upwards?

It's safe left on.

It won't cost the earth to be left on.

Take the fuse out at the consumer unit before you do anything, then remove the cover and have a look at it. It might be very simple to attach a new string to the switch.

If you really want it off, and not confident fiddling around, take the fuse out as oink says, and the take lightbulb out. What will you do when you need a wee in the night though?!

Sorry to be thick but when you say, "take the fuse out at the consumer unit" do you mean I'll have to unscrew the entire light fitting off the wall, whilst it's all 'live' and the 2 bulbs are on? I was worried about doing this in case I got an electric shock.

It's not like there's a plug with a fuse inside it - it's all integral to the whole light fitting that's attached to the bathroom wall over the mirror. There are no visible plugs/fuses and to get 'inside' the light fitting, would mean unscrewing the whole fitting off the wall IYSWIM?

The 2 bulbs, either side of the unit are too hot to take off whilst they're on.

The consumer unit is your fuse box. If you have a modern one with switches (hopefully they've been labelled) you can switch off the one for the upstairs lights for example. The bathroom light will go off. When the bulbs have cooled down you can open up the fitting to get at where the cord is attached.

If you're not sure, post a photo of your fuse box. The fuse box is likely to be downstairs somewhere - ours is in the cellar. It can be handy to have someone to help, especially if the switches on the box aren't labelled, as they can switch them off in turn and you can tell, 'No, not that one', or 'Yes - that's it!' without having to run up and downstairs

Thanks. Hadn't realised a consumer unit and fuse box were the same thing! Sorry! Will have a go. I don't remember any of the fuses in the switch box being labelled - so it'll be trial and error and hope the DCs PCs aren't switched off in the process.

It's a downstairs bathroom but the unit is a wall unit and I'm not sure if this will also connect to the ceiling light. If it does, this room will be so dark, it;ll be tricky to take off the light unit as there's no windows in the room at all. Will need to get a v bright torch too!

I hope you have circuit breakers, not fuses. For a lighting circuit, it will be marked "B6" or"6amp" or "5" or it might have white dots on it.

If you have actual fuses, you must turn off the main switch before pulling or inserting the fuseholder.

I'm mixing old and new terminology, sorry.

I should have said "take the fuse out at the fuse box" or "flick or press the switch at the consumer unit". Either way, it's where the main switch for all your household's electricity is.

Thr switch/fuse could be on either the lights or the power circuits, but even if they are unlabelled, you will be able to tell when you've got the right one because the light in the bathroom will go off.

btw if it is a light in a cupboard, it will probably have a special switch, and you will not be able to replace it with an ordinary ceiling pull-switch as sold in DIY sheds.

If you take it apart you may be able to see how to fit a new bit of cord to the old switch.

I wouldn't go in there if you are not competent in basic electrical knowledge. A replacement switch is around £4/£5 and would take a decent electrician/DIY'r 10 minutes. Buy a switch, have a knowledgable friend or colleague help and reward them with tea and biscuits.

it might possibly be one of these

Just re-reading your thread, my mistake, not a normal pull switch. I would turn of the power, remove the bulb and await to afford a replacement. I would not risk pulling the switch apart if you are not confident in doing so.

Though if you can fix it with the electricity to the light switched off it will only cost a few pounds. An electrician may have a call out or minimum charge.