Editing Reed switch (section)

== Life ==
The mechanical motion of the reeds is below the [[fatigue limit]] of the materials, so the reeds do not break due to fatigue.  Wear and life are almost entirely dependent on the [[Electrical contacts#Electrical contact theory|electrical load's effect on the contacts]] along with the properties of the specific reed switch used.  Contact surface wear occurs only when the switch contacts open or close.  Because of this, manufacturers rate life in number of operations rather than hours or years.  In general, higher voltages and higher currents cause faster wear and shorter life.  Depending on the electrical load, life can be in the range of thousands of operations or billions of operations.