What half-a$$ electrician comes up with this?

[Misplaced_Canuck]

[rant]

So it's been getting hot in SC, supposed to get to 100F today.

Recently I realized my attic fan wasn't working. So I get up there and I start checking things out.

There's a light switch that I assume controls the attic light. I turn it on, and sure enough the light comes on. As does the attic fan. WTF?

The half-a$$ electrician that wired it did this:

Hot wire -> light switch -> electrical outlet -> attic fan plugged into it.
...............................|-> light bulb outlet.

So anytime you want to turn off the light bulb, you turn off the power to the attic fan. Or, if you want the attic fan to be enabled (it has a temperature switch also, at the fan), you need to leave the light on. WTF?!!

Who comes up with this garbage?

[/rant]

I ended up unscrewing the light bulb, and plugging in a clip-on light (with a switch) until I get a string-pull light bulb outlet to add to the mess (and really make it ghetto).

M_C

 

[dallasdb]

What about getting the clapper?

Clap on, clap off!

 

[Sea]

Obviously no idea what they were doing. All they needed to do was pull power off the line side of the switch (if there's no other circuit handy) instead of the load side and there'd be no problem.

 

[Misplaced_Canuck]

Obviously no idea what they were doing. All they needed to do was pull power off the line side of the switch (if there's no other circuit handy) instead of the load side and there'd be no problem.

Well yes and no. The idea is to have both a switch for the lightbulb, and one for the attic fan when you want to turn it off.

M_C

 

[Sea]

Well yes and no. The idea is to have both a switch for the lightbulb, and one for the attic fan when you want to turn it off.

M_C

you know, I almost included this in my original reply: just put a separate switch in for the fan, but you said it runs on a thermostat, so you only really need one for service, and that's what a breaker's for.

 

[Misplaced_Canuck]

you know, I almost included this in my original reply: just put a separate switch in for the fan, but you said it runs on a thermostat, so you only really need one for service, and that's what a breaker's for.

Well if the light and the fan are on the same circuit, and you turn off the breaker... You won't see too much in the dark

M_C

 

[Hammy71]

Unscrew the bulb!!!! Lol

 

[Homercidal]

Thinking is HARD!

 

[Misplaced_Canuck]

Unscrew the bulb!!!! Lol

That's the current solution. Brutal on the fingers after the bulb has been on for a while.

I went ahead and got a $4 plastic socket plate with a pull string. Ghetto as can be, but it's in the attic.

M_C

 

[Sea]

I work in attics a lot installing Solar Electric System wiring, and in my experience, a light is a luxury. Probably 15% of the homes I work on have attic lights. That's why I own a flashlight, and a work light.

 

[r8rphan]

Obviously no idea what they were doing. All they needed to do was pull power off the line side of the switch (if there's no other circuit handy) instead of the load side and there'd be no problem.

I would bet that it has less to do with not knowing what they were doing, but rather 'laziness' and 'stinginess'...

Trying to save themselves as much effort and pennies as possible as opposed to taking pride in looking out for the customer...

They probably made a mistake, taking the power to the fan off of the closet J box, realized it was switched too late, and then said "Screw it, we'll be long gone by the time the customer buys the place and moves in".. And the inspector just looked to see that there was a switched light in the attic near the FAU.. as that's all he's required to look for...

That's why I think building depts are useless... Quality decisions should be left up to the owner, the lender, and the insurer.. They actually have a 'vested interest' in the house.. The inspectors interest is only in covering his ass and making sure that the city/county gets their money so he still has a purpose in life...

 

[GearBeer]

Unfortunately, it's all too common. Without getting into the ridiculous quagmire of corner cutting that is my garage, I'll mention that my room while in high school (second floor) was wired on the same circuit as the garage following my parents' remodel; I was late to school a lot when I used the air compressor the night before. To this day "Ed" is a four letter word in my parents' house.

 

[Insomniac]

Sounds like the sort of set up you get in bathrooms, fan on only when "in use", and wired up along with the light. It may have been laziness on the electricians part or could have been a bad call from the people designing the place assuming people would only want the fan on up there when people were using it (and that they would always need the light when using it).

 

[AnOldUR]

The half-a$$ electrician that wired it did this . . .

You're assuming it was an electrician. It could have been the previous homeowner with just enough wiring knowledge to run a line from the existing and closest power available. Finding a source of unswitched power may have been a challenge for a weekend project.

 

[malkore]

That doesn't sound bad compared to the first house I owned.

100amp service coming in.
200amp panel
100amp wiring inside
separate 50amp sub-panel rigged off to the side to take care of 6 double tapped circuits, which included the electric stove and dryer on one circuit, and the hot water heater split to two 15 amp breakers (which made it trip all the time which is how we figured out some moron wired it up)


So glad we got rid of that house!

 

[viking73]

Reminds me of my first house!

 

[D0ug]

The last apartment we lived in had three units. The land lord was a Grumpy Old Man with one of his middle aged kids living with him.

The three panels for the units were in the basement mounted to 50-80 year old brick knee walls for the foundation. The service came in through a hole in the bricks.

The maintenance on the place had been deffer-ed long enough that, when it rained water would seep through the brick seeped through the walls and had started to infiltrate some of the panels.

I went down one day to shut of the breaker for my kitchen, and when I turned the light one over the box I noticed rust stains on the face of the panel. It looked like some one had taken a little rust tea and poured it down the face of the panel. It was only a few of the breakers, but when I tried to throw them they wouldn't move.

I mentioned it to the landlord, his response?
"Great, something else to spend money on. 'Oughta sell this place..." And then went back to the Sox/Yankee stats for the season.

Got real serious about moving out of that place in a hurry.

My friend is always posting on FB about how much he LOVES the workmanship of the previous owners of his place.

My guy left lost of cool little hook and eye sets around for holding open windows or drop shelves, and things like that.

 

[SwampassJ]

Had a guy install a pool heater onto the same breaker as the pool pump...

 

[Misplaced_Canuck]

I did install the pull-string socket last night, without electrocuting myself... Yay me. It was 100F+ degrees in there, dropped 2 screwdrivers into the attic insulation (loose), so they're gone (but they were $1 Harbor Freight jobs so it's all good). Now the attic fan kicks in at 95-98F or so, the light comes on with the pull string... I'm happy.

I also removed the @#U*($&# CGFI outlet in the garage that pops when there's thunder/lightning. Yes, I KNOW it's not to code, but I can't chance my ferm + keg fridges being out when I'm gone over a wk-end. The 15A breaker is there for a reason



On a side-note, I need to get my eyes checked I think. Bought a $0.59 beige outlet, and bought a $0.49 WHITE face plate. DOH!

M_C