Electrical short?

Jun 18, 2021 Last reply: 5 years ago 5 Replies

Hi everyone, For the last week when going to sit on the back porch in the afternoon the ceiling fan will not come on. I have checked the fuse box and all the plugs with trips and nothing is tripped. After multiple times flipping everything it still won’t come on. The outside light on the same circuit also does not come on so it is not the fan. In the mornings both the fan and the light works! What could be causing this?



Thank you for all info, Laura


It sounds as if this is a recent problem. That should rule out an installation mistake. Is there some sort of timer or sensor on the circuit?

WRT subject line, NO, it's not a short.

It sounds far more like an open, which is, in a manner of speaking, the opposite of a short.

Not every electrical problem is called a short.

You should use a voltmeter to examine the wires in and out of the switch.

In that case, start your day early.

Sounds like a loose connection, possible that it makes contact when it's cooler and opens in the afternoon when it's warm. Places to look for that would be at switch boxes on that circuit. A simple voltage tester is really needed to track it down. And the skill to know how to do it safely, etc.

If you can remember the name of the company or person who installed it, that would be good.

Some people have their outside light on a photocell.

Just possible the light and fan are on the same circuit and the photocell is in shade in the morning and in the sun in the afternoon.

You should be able to test this, put some tape over the photocell if you can find it.

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