Need electrical help in Havasu

[RiverDave]

Before I call an electrician I figured I would ask on here.. The ceiling fab light in Daniels room quick working. For awhile if you turned on the switch it would flicker then come on. Then you would have to flip the switch a couple times, and it would work. Now it doesn't work at all.

I have made it kind if my life's mission to stay away from anything electrical since I was a kid and got electrocuted (got the shit shocked out of me.)

Any suggestions? I took the switch out of the wall and checked all the connections I could see. Looked ok. My next step is to start taking apart the fan to see what I can see, hoping to find a loose wire..

Any thoughts?

 

[ductape1000]

Replace the switch...

 

[spectras only]

Dave, just replaced the old ceiling fan in the family room with new one that has a light. Noticed a bunch of electronic components inside the cylindrical part between the light and the fan motor. You may want to open this part with the switches and check connections that may become loose inside. To avoid getting electrocuted, just trip the fuse in the main electrical panel before proceed. My son is an electrician and he got zapped like you as a kid, poking into the wall plug with a pin,haha. We had those plastic plugs installed into every one of those wall plugs, after that.
Here's the picture of the fan me holding the light separately. Wife didn't want any light on the fan. All the switches and control components are inside the bottom of the fan with the string hanging from.



If your fan is relatively new model, you may have the same element as this. It is spring loaded installed and may have to be rotated to clean the contacts.

 

[SoCalDave]

Do you have a mutimeter or even a small little stick light devise (below) to see if you have power coming out of the switch going to the fan light?
Without some sort of test devise it will be a guessing game for you and you probably will get shocked :yikes

 

[SoCalDave]

Is the fan and fan light power coming from the same switch? If so does the fan work?

 

[Heylam]

Is bulb(s) incandescent or fluorescent?

 

[rivrrts429]

Bulbs have loosened. Tighten them up and voila lol

 

[RiverDave]

Is the fan and fan light power coming from the same switch? If so does the fan work?

Separate switches and yes the fan works.

 

[RiverDave]

Bulbs have loosened. Tighten them up and voila lol

Lol.. Checked

 

[Maw]

If it's an incandescent lamp have you visually checked the filament or measured it with an ohmmeter (maybe 30 ohms when cold)? There are specific vibration-tolerant lamps intended for use in ceiling lamps, though you might have to drop by a fan/lamp shop to get them.

 

[SoCalDave]

Separate switches and yes the fan works.

You gotta go back and start at the switch then and your going to need a meter or stick test to do any troubleshooting.
Don't be afraid of electrical just be careful. Electricity flows just like water, open the valve (flip the switch) and you should have power to the appliance. Just by looking at eh switch doesn't mean it is good. You need to determine if power is present or not.

 

[Brian]

I would start simple and replace the switch.

 

[mjc]

Being as I have worked with electrical stuff for the last 35 year at work If you had said something yesterday I could have looked at it for you.

 

[Heylam]

I would start simpler, and replace the bulb. If by chance you have a fluorescent bulb and switch is a dimmer, good chance that is where your problem is.

 

[Rexone]

Dave just because power is off does not mean the neutral (white wire) up at the fan is dead. It may be a shared neutral and may shock you just like a hot lead... check with meter always. Neutral can electrocute you just like a hot, you become the path to ground. Just fyi if you decide to dig into it yourself.

 

[robby dmax]

Start with the switch... just put on some leather gloves that will give you the security you are looking for... and just remember the black wire is the hot one.

 

[RiverDave]

If it's an incandescent lamp have you visually checked the filament or measured it with an ohmmeter (maybe 30 ohms when cold)? There are specific vibration-tolerant lamps intended for use in ceiling lamps, though you might have to drop by a fan/lamp shop to get them.

I just took a bulb out of another ceiling fan and threw it in this one. No worky. Put the bulb back in the original fan and it worked fine.

 

[rivrrts429]

I just took a bulb out of another ceiling fan and threw it in this one. No worky. Put the bulb back in the original fan and it worked fine.

I had you thinking about it though

 

[Yellowboat]

sounds like it's either a loose connection on the switch, both are easy fixs. I can walk you through both

 

[my dixie wrecked]

I just took a bulb out of another ceiling fan and threw it in this one. No worky. Put the bulb back in the original fan and it worked fine.

Sounds like you lost a neutral up in the fan housing. They do it all the time. You'll need to drop the light housing from the fan and tighten the wire nuts inside

 

[spectras only]

Dave, the fan with optional light has four wires. One for ground, black and white wire for the fan and a blue wire for the light.
The blue wire may have come undone and you want to check that by removing the canopy [ normally 4 screws on its side ]
and see if the marret still tight on the wires. Like everyone said, get a simple curcit tester.

 

[Stainless]

Dave, can you post the winning guess when you get it fixed?

 

[RiverDave]

I had you thinking about it though

It was the first thing I did.. I tend to keep it simple..

 

[RiverDave]

Sounds like you lost a neutral up in the fan housing. They do it all the time. You'll need to drop the light housing from the fan and tighten the wire nuts inside

I will give that a shot when I take a break from wet sanding these fenders.. I hate polishing..

 

[RiverDave]

Dave, can you post the winning guess when you get it fixed?

Yes.. I'm gonna dig into it in a few hours..

 

[yz450mm]

My $$ would be on a bad switch

 

[Abc123]

Dave just because power is off does not mean the neutral (white wire) up at the fan is dead. It may be a shared neutral and may shock you just like a hot lead... check with meter always. Neutral can electrocute you just like a hot, you become the path to ground. Just fyi if you decide to dig into it yourself.

Oh come on, 110 will just give you a little tickle. Nothing to be scared of.

 

[RiverDave]

Well all the wire nuts are tight.. Did the wiggle with the switch on, and nada.. From here on out I have to get a tester deal.. Will pick one up tomorrow and start looking. View attachment 386373

 

[yz450mm]

Take the wires out of the switch and (carefully) touch together.

 

[spectras only]

The blue wire with the blue tag on it is what you want to trace. Goin through the down rod it may have chafed or as I said may be disconnected under the canopy.After the canopy is removed, you can use an ohm meter and check continuity touching the wire ends. I'd get a continuty tester with audible feature. It would come handy to use on your car boat, whatever.

 

[RiverDave]

Take the wires out of the switch and (carefully) touch together.

Be a little more specific please..

 

[hallett21]

Be a little more specific please..

One side of the switch is always hot (unless breaker is off) that is the line side. The other side is the load side ( only hot when the switch is on.) So by connecting the two lines together you have by- passed the switch. That will tell you if you have a bad switch (if the light goes on). These wires will be attached by the two gold screws typically.

If nothing happens then without having a multimeter kinda hard to locate where the voltage is lost at.

 

[NicPaus]

Be a little more specific please..

There is two wires to the switch, connect them together and see if light comes on. If it does the switch is bad.

 

[Heylam]

Bypass switch by connecting wires that go to switch together and see if light comes on. Can do by either touching the wires together, or by using a jumper.

 

[VoodooMedMan]

Oh come on, 110 will just give you a little tickle. Nothing to be scared of.

True unless something is wired wrong. Volts don't kill, amps do.

 

[my dixie wrecked]

Well all the wire nuts are tight.. Did the wiggle with the switch on, and nada.. From here on out I have to get a tester deal.. Will pick one up tomorrow and start looking. View attachment 386373

It can still be a broken wire inside one of those wire nuts, a lot of times they'll break from being over tightened but still make contact till they vibrate just enough not to make contact any more. Take the wire nutz off one at a time and look closely for a broken end

 

[SHOCKtheMONKEY]

I work for swag

But I charge for travel....

Good luck!

 

[SoCalDave]

He still needs to start at the switch. Without having to disconnect the wires from the wall switch take a 6-8" long piece of wire and strip the ends off. Touch each end to the screw terminals and see if the light comes on. If not it maybe over your head and you'll need a meter to do further TS. If your not comfortable with it don't fuk with it. I'm sure there are members here that are willing to stop by and check it out for you and have a beer.

 

[RiverDave]

Daniel is asleep in there now. I will take the switch off the wall again in the am..

 

[hallett21]

RD you knock out the power to your street yet??

 

[RiverDave]

RD you knock out the power to your street yet??

Lol.. No. Have to take care of something's on here before I can jump into it. Don't worry my hair will be standing on end shortly..

 

[RiverDave]

Ok got a test wire.. And switch out..

View attachment 386505

Now there are three wires here on the switch. I would think that I would go red to red.. That correct?

 

[Taboma]

Red to black Dave, they're using the other red attached to the screw as a feed through to continue the "Hot", in lieu of splicing it in the box --- this begs other questions, but please "Carry On"

 

[RiverDave]

Upon closer inspection here.. It looks like the red wire and black wire coming out of the switch go straight into the body of the switch?

View attachment 386508




So how do you jump that?

 

[RiverDave]

Red to black Dave, they're using the other red attached to the screw as a feed through to continue the "Hot", in lieu of splicing it in the box --- this begs other questions, but please "Carry On"

So basically jump from one screw to the next screw?

View attachment 386511

 

[mjc]

yes and wear gloves if you have them

 

[AzGeo]

looked up north and don't see smoke over the roofs yet .

 

[RiverDave]

yes and wear gloves if you have them

Put the wire across the two screws on the one side of the switch. Nothing happened. Tried with switch in on position. Nothing happened..

 

[Stainless]

Dave I would not be jumping things if your not sure. Get a multi meter with continuity tester. Only test continuity with power off.

 

[Taboma]

Yes going screw to screw is the same as closing the switch, the wires going into the holes in the back are just stabbed in (Retained by a spring clip) versus being screwed.
You need a tester in order to establish you have voltage at the red HOT wire, I suspect the red should be HOT because it's being fed through.
If you have a multi-meter then check red (or black) to the ground wire in the box. If the red or black wire is hot then I'm guessing you have a loose neutral wire either in that switch box. If the neutral is not in the switch box, then it's up in the J-Box above the fan - light.