New apartment, electrical outlet blew out 3 fans.

Posted by flips333 on July 2, 2009, 6:23 pm

So I just moved into this new place and I have a problematic outlet.
I have pluged three fans into it and all three are busted. The first
2 I immediately heard a clicking noise and then the fan wouldn't work
at all anymore. Then My fiance called the fix it guy next door and he
came over and they plugged a third fan in. It worked... Then after
the guy left (of course) the same clicking noise happened and the fan
started smoking. Any Idea on what sort of problem with the outlet
could cause this?

PS aparently the people who lived here before me wouldn't plug
anything in there cause it would blow out the lamp.

thanks to anyone who can give me an Idea as to what to look for when I
bring someone in to fix it... or is it something I can do myself.

Posted by Eric in North TX on July 2, 2009, 6:37 pm

> So I just moved into this new place and I have a problematic outlet.
> I have pluged three fans into it and all three are busted. =A0The first
> 2 I immediately heard a clicking noise and then the fan wouldn't work
> at all anymore. =A0Then My fiance called the fix it guy next door and he
> came over and they plugged a third fan in. =A0It worked... Then after
> the guy left (of course) the same clicking noise happened and the fan
> started smoking. =A0Any Idea on what sort of problem with the outlet
> could cause this?
> PS aparently the people who lived here before me wouldn't plug
> anything in there cause it would blow out the lamp.
> thanks to anyone who can give me an Idea as to what to look for when I
> bring someone in to fix it... or is it something I can do myself.

Is it near a window and has a pattern like this: (|- |)? If so it
could be 220v

Posted by Doug Miller on July 2, 2009, 6:46 pm

>> So I just moved into this new place and I have a problematic outlet.
>> I have pluged three fans into it and all three are busted. =A0The first
>> 2 I immediately heard a clicking noise and then the fan wouldn't work
>> at all anymore. =A0Then My fiance called the fix it guy next door and he
>> came over and they plugged a third fan in. =A0It worked... Then after
>> the guy left (of course) the same clicking noise happened and the fan
>> started smoking. =A0Any Idea on what sort of problem with the outlet
>> could cause this?
>> PS aparently the people who lived here before me wouldn't plug
>> anything in there cause it would blow out the lamp.
>> thanks to anyone who can give me an Idea as to what to look for when I
>> bring someone in to fix it... or is it something I can do myself.

>Is it near a window and has a pattern like this: (|- |)? If so it
>could be 220v

That's not a 220V pattern -- that's 120V 20A.

Posted by Metspitzer on July 2, 2009, 7:55 pm

On Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:46:23 GMT, spambait@milmac.com (Doug Miller)
wrote:

>>> So I just moved into this new place and I have a problematic outlet.
>>> I have pluged three fans into it and all three are busted. =A0The first
>>> 2 I immediately heard a clicking noise and then the fan wouldn't work
>>> at all anymore. =A0Then My fiance called the fix it guy next door and he
>>> came over and they plugged a third fan in. =A0It worked... Then after
>>> the guy left (of course) the same clicking noise happened and the fan
>>> started smoking. =A0Any Idea on what sort of problem with the outlet
>>> could cause this?
>>> PS aparently the people who lived here before me wouldn't plug
>>> anything in there cause it would blow out the lamp.
>>> thanks to anyone who can give me an Idea as to what to look for when I
>>> bring someone in to fix it... or is it something I can do myself.

>>Is it near a window and has a pattern like this: (|- |)? If so it
>>could be 220v

>That's not a 220V pattern -- that's 120V 20A.

It sounds like someone changed a 220V receptacle to a 120V. A voltage
tester would tell you in a second if this is the problem.

Actually building maintenance should be the one checking.

Posted by Eric in North TX on July 2, 2009, 8:12 pm

On Jul 2, 5:46=A0pm, spamb...@milmac.com (Doug Miller) wrote:

> In article <c62b47ca-a530-470d-b38d-e3231d3ba...@n11g2000yqb.googlegroups=

> >> So I just moved into this new place and I have a problematic outlet.
> >> I have pluged three fans into it and all three are busted. =3DA0The fi=

rst

> >> 2 I immediately heard a clicking noise and then the fan wouldn't work
> >> at all anymore. =3DA0Then My fiance called the fix it guy next door an=

d he

> >> came over and they plugged a third fan in. =3DA0It worked... Then afte=

> >> the guy left (of course) the same clicking noise happened and the fan
> >> started smoking. =3DA0Any Idea on what sort of problem with the outlet
> >> could cause this?
> >> PS aparently the people who lived here before me wouldn't plug
> >> anything in there cause it would blow out the lamp.
> >> thanks to anyone who can give me an Idea as to what to look for when I
> >> bring someone in to fix it... or is it something I can do myself.

> >Is it near a window and has a pattern like this: (|- |)? If so it
> >could be 220v

> That's not a 220V pattern -- that's 120V 20A.

Perhaps, but I've seen it wires as 220v more than once where a window
A/C unit lived.

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