First off as most of you who have read my blog for a while know, I am not an electrician, not even close I tell ya! but this has never stopped me from attempting electrical repairs, sometimes with ease and other times let's just say have been rather Shocking! Do you need an Electrician tells a few of my experiences, and after you read this I have a feeling you will not want me to do any electrical repairs for you.
Most of the repair jobs I do are rather easy, and anything that needs done around our house I do myself rather than call anyone else to do it. I don't need no stinking instructions! Most repairs are simple, just take it apart, replace the broken piece, and put it all back together in the opposite order from which you took it apart, if there are any leftover pieces this just means that you didn't need them in the first place...Right?
My latest repair job was the light switch for our ceiling fan. Cindy always turns the light off at night by pulling the chain and leaves the fan running, yes folks she does this in the wintertime too, she will be lounging underneath the air blowing from the ceiling fan over our bed and I will be shaking and shivering underneath the blankets pulled up to my chin, with icicles forming on my mustache and beard! OK maybe not but the point is that the chain for the light on our ceiling fan gets pulled regularly.
A few weeks ago we got up one morning and Cindy pulled the chain to turn the light on and nothing happened, then she pulled it again and there was a brief flash of light, and then after yanking the chain about 10 more times the light stayed on. This went on every morning with me promising to get a new switch to replace the obviously non working one, and yes I forgot all about it everyday after I flipped the switch on the wall to turn the light off as I walked out of the room.
Each morning I heard the chain being yanked over and over and over while Cindy cursed underneath her breath and then breathed a sigh of relief once the light remained on, "I'll replace that switch for you Babe" I would once again promise and once "Thank you" was replaced by "Yeah Right!!" I went down to the Big Box Warehouse Lumberyard/Hardware store and invested three bucks in a new switch, this was the easy part.
First I had to remove the light kit from the ceiling fan, and then remove the actual little porcelain doo lolly that holds the light bulb inside the doo hicky, this is done by removing a screw inside the bottom of the light fixture, and yes the wires were disconnected and the power was off to the ceiling fan. I know some of you are picturing me with a screwdriver inside a light socket with a brand new permanent curl being burned into my hair from the inside out...
After this was removed I had access to the old light switch, I unscrewed the nut holding the switch in place and removed it from the light kit, then I followed the wiring to the longest point and clipped the wires, I then ran the new wires up the tubing and connected them into place, I ran the chain through the hole, and connected the new nut to the new switch, everything was going great.
I got everything back together with no leftover parts, and just as I turned the power switch on and pulled the chain to the new switch, Cindy walked into the room to experience with me the ease of turning the light on, but nothing happened! I yanked it again and there was a flash of light, so I yanked it again and nothing happened. The fan was running fast enough to blow my hair back so I pulled the chain to turn the fan off and the light came on...
Now I went back to the drawing board, I turned the power switch off and took everything back apart and double checked my wiring, everything looked good but you never know so I undid everything and redid it again, I put everything back together and hung the light kit back onto the ceiling fan, only to find myself yanking that chain about 10 times to get the light to stay on.
I was getting ready to go and dig the old switch out of the trash and to take the new switch back to the Big Box Warehouse Lumberyard/Hardware store when I decided that it really wasn't worth it, I guess I could go and pick up an new light kit! But for some unknown reason I went into the pantry and got myself another bulb.
I replaced the bulb and then pulled the chain and yes you guessed right, the light came on, and every since it has come on the first time and stayed on, I really didn't have a good answer when Cindy said to me "I guess it wasn't the switch!"
My advice to you and myself is if you ever find yourself in this situation, don't call an electrician, try changing the bulb first...
Most of the repair jobs I do are rather easy, and anything that needs done around our house I do myself rather than call anyone else to do it. I don't need no stinking instructions! Most repairs are simple, just take it apart, replace the broken piece, and put it all back together in the opposite order from which you took it apart, if there are any leftover pieces this just means that you didn't need them in the first place...Right?
My latest repair job was the light switch for our ceiling fan. Cindy always turns the light off at night by pulling the chain and leaves the fan running, yes folks she does this in the wintertime too, she will be lounging underneath the air blowing from the ceiling fan over our bed and I will be shaking and shivering underneath the blankets pulled up to my chin, with icicles forming on my mustache and beard! OK maybe not but the point is that the chain for the light on our ceiling fan gets pulled regularly.
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| Pulling the chain with no light coming on. |
Each morning I heard the chain being yanked over and over and over while Cindy cursed underneath her breath and then breathed a sigh of relief once the light remained on, "I'll replace that switch for you Babe" I would once again promise and once "Thank you" was replaced by "Yeah Right!!" I went down to the Big Box Warehouse Lumberyard/Hardware store and invested three bucks in a new switch, this was the easy part.
First I had to remove the light kit from the ceiling fan, and then remove the actual little porcelain doo lolly that holds the light bulb inside the doo hicky, this is done by removing a screw inside the bottom of the light fixture, and yes the wires were disconnected and the power was off to the ceiling fan. I know some of you are picturing me with a screwdriver inside a light socket with a brand new permanent curl being burned into my hair from the inside out...
After this was removed I had access to the old light switch, I unscrewed the nut holding the switch in place and removed it from the light kit, then I followed the wiring to the longest point and clipped the wires, I then ran the new wires up the tubing and connected them into place, I ran the chain through the hole, and connected the new nut to the new switch, everything was going great.
I got everything back together with no leftover parts, and just as I turned the power switch on and pulled the chain to the new switch, Cindy walked into the room to experience with me the ease of turning the light on, but nothing happened! I yanked it again and there was a flash of light, so I yanked it again and nothing happened. The fan was running fast enough to blow my hair back so I pulled the chain to turn the fan off and the light came on...
Now I went back to the drawing board, I turned the power switch off and took everything back apart and double checked my wiring, everything looked good but you never know so I undid everything and redid it again, I put everything back together and hung the light kit back onto the ceiling fan, only to find myself yanking that chain about 10 times to get the light to stay on.
I was getting ready to go and dig the old switch out of the trash and to take the new switch back to the Big Box Warehouse Lumberyard/Hardware store when I decided that it really wasn't worth it, I guess I could go and pick up an new light kit! But for some unknown reason I went into the pantry and got myself another bulb.
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| The light is now working. |
My advice to you and myself is if you ever find yourself in this situation, don't call an electrician, try changing the bulb first...
Bwahahahahahahaha. That was a lot of work and expense and all you needed was a new bulb? Too funny.
ReplyDeleteHave a fabulous day. ☺
Yes Sandee his was a lot of effort for a bulb, hopefully next time I remember to change that first ha ha.
DeleteI'm afraid we've been there.
ReplyDeleteI bet it is more of a common occurrence than we realize Delores, you know one of those things that happen but we don't speak about.
DeleteIf at first you don't succeed, call a professional!!
ReplyDeleteI wonder how many times a professional has been called out to end up only changing a bulb?
DeleteThere was a case on one of the judges shows on TV recently where a renter turned a landlord into the housing authorities for "not maintaining the electricity in her apartment" and all it was was light bulbs needed changing!
ReplyDeleteI hope by "turning off the power switch" you meant "flipping the circuit breaker." Made me nervous reading your adventures in electricity. Glad Cindy got her pull chain working again and you didn't have to replace the whole thing.
As for the situation on the judges show, I can so see this happening, some people have no common sense and when they rent think that absolutely everything is up to the landlord, I have a feeling that the judge was on the side of the landlord on this one.
DeleteI would have been really upset had I changed out the whole light kit for nothing, the switch I feel not so bad about, the new one is a lot smoother.
I mean, who would have known the bulb was burned out since the fan still worked, Right? haha.
ReplyDeleteShould have tried the "Thing-a-ma-jig first.
Lisa
Ahhh the Thing-a-ma-jig! I should have checked that before the doo-hicky and the doo-lolly, I bet I don't make that mistake again.
DeleteOoops.
ReplyDeleteI am with Cindy - I do like cool air blowing on me, particularly at night.
Glad that at the end of the day you succeeded in your task. DYI can be incredibly frustrating (and time consuming).
Always something new in DIY projects, I mean after the yanking of the chain and the light to continue coming on I never even considered that the bulb was bad...
DeleteHaha, yes always change the light bulb and fuse first! Anyway, the good news is it works!
ReplyDeleteExactly Joey, that is the best thing to remember when troubleshooting, always change the easy stuff first, I think the switch was partially the problem anyway because the new one operates so much smoother.
DeleteI'm finally getting a chance to catch up with your blog! I like your new header photo (or whatever that photo is called at the top - love the pic of Cindy!).
ReplyDeleteYeah, anything with electricity makes me a little nervous. Good thing Cindy was just pulling the fan's chain...not yours.
Thank you so much, I like how that photo worked out too, after trying so many others that I just wasn't satisfied with, this one gives it a whole new look.
DeleteYeah electricity is a serious subject, I'm always a little nervous working with it.
I saw that result coming, if you haven't gotten LED I'd highly recommended it.
ReplyDeleteThank you Adam, LED is actually what I changed this bulb to, the old one was one of those spiral fluorescent bulbs, I have never much cared for those.
DeleteI think maybe you just subconsciously wanted a trip to the Big Box Warehouse Lumberyard/Hardware store. I know how you guys are...
ReplyDeleteYou got me Val, you can never go wrong with a trip to the Big Box Warehouse Lumberyard/Hardware store, I mean even if you don't need anything the trip is still worth it...
DeleteHahaha! You sound pretty competent with the actual electrical work, though - I'm impressed. I don't like to even change a light bulb here because 75% of them I need a stepladder for and the other 25% are for lamps in sockets where they are wired to two light switches each. So I can never tell if the problem is the light bulb, the lamp, or that one or both of the switches is turned the wrong way. I'm more like Cindy, I point at it and my husband fixes it . . . when he gets around to it :D
ReplyDeleteI can do basic wiring stuff and changing out switches and fixtures with no problem, now if I just remember to check the bulbs first. Ha Ha.
DeleteI think that is part of the husband's job to fix things the wife points at, not necessarily right then but eventually...
Thanks for the GREAT laugh. Ooooh Jimmy, at least you know all about wiring and stuff.. my Joe wouldn't even have attempted a rewiring job or switch replacement. I did learn a few things but nothing as complicated as rewiring. I knew how to change a bulb though haha. I know all about bulb changing and can do most in my house but there are one or two I shall need help with 'cause I'm a bit unsteady on steps.
ReplyDeleteYou are very welcome Valerie, there are a few things that I'm just not good with and work hard to avoid, like plumbing I can do it just not very well. I imagine there were a lot of other things Joe was good with, just not on the electrical side, he was most likely very smart to avoid this anyway, I know there have been times that I should have...
DeleteSince I don't have a handy handy-man around the place it would be a good idea for me to make sure any ceiling fan I had installed would be separate from the ceiling light fixture. Because I know how to change a light globe(it begins with dragging in the big heavy ladder and hoping I never fall off it again), but something involving fans and chains would be beyond me.
ReplyDeleteRiver I never did like the ceiling fans and lights being all together, especially on the same wall switch but most places I have ever lived this has been the best option, I really hate those pull chain switches to tell you the truth.
DeleteThis sounds like the time our dryer wasn't working and my husband said to just call a repair man. It took the guy 15 seconds to flip the break switch and charge me $80.
ReplyDeleteOh Lordy Bijoux, I bet that repairman smiled all the way back to his truck, I know that your husband checks the breakers first now.
DeleteYes that is hilarious. Glad you did not call an electrician.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad that I didn't either, that would have been an expensive bulb...
DeleteHa ha, that was funny--here in Ar, not so sure in your world. Got a giggle about the importance of left over parts and I am like Cindy. The ceiling fan here runs all winter also. I like the cool and the soft white noise.
ReplyDeletePatti, I have to admit that after it's all said and done, it's even funny here. The soft white noise just may be as important as the cool air for Cindy too, I had not thought of that.
Deletehaha
ReplyDeletewhat an interesting story Jimmy!
and excellent advice , two brothers of my husband are electricians but mostly he likes to solve small problems by himself ,i call him all rounder as he can fix almost everything ,i don't know how
Like your husband I choose to fix ever that I can around the house, it is fun and sometimes frustrating learning how some things work, I am sure your husband can tell many stories of his experiences also.
DeleteOMG - This is so funny, and I can just picture all this happening.(lol) Thank goodness for that bulb! Hugs...RO
ReplyDeleteOh Lordy RO, I wish now that I had started with that bulb, next time you bet I will Lol.
DeleteJust peeking in to say hello to you and Cindy on this Wonderful Wednesday! Hugs...RO
ReplyDeleteI am so glad that you dropped by RO it is sure good to see you, I hope your Wednesday was great and that the rest of your week is perfect!
DeleteGreat story Jimmy! I'm also one of those people who will try to fix everything. If we have to call a repair person, I feel like a failure. Not really that bad, but still...
ReplyDeleteAt least you had the sense to turn off the power. I would have only done that as a last resort (meaning I got shocked).
I know exactly what you mean about freezing while Cindy isn't. Several years ago, my wife would not only have the fan on, she'd have the AC blowing. I swear it was already cold before she did either of those things. I started dressing like I was going snow fishing. My wife would swear that it was hot. I'm not the smartest person, but it only took me a little while to learn that my opinion about whether it was hot or cold in our house, was neither needed or wanted. So I just slip into my parka and try to go to sleep.