Why is my laundry room fan constantly running

[K Frame]

Found it.  An auxiliary light switch that over-rides the timer switch.  My wife turned it on; I did not even know the switch was there.

Well hell. That's boring. And something I suggested in my first post. :D

[Triphammer]

That'll be $29.95 thanks.

[Hawkmoon]

So cancel the call for the exorcist?

[MillCreek]

Now, of course, the problem is that I broke off one of the push-on terminals in reinstalling the switch, so now I have to find, buy and install the timer switch.  It was really tight fitting the boot over the blade terminal on the white wire into the switch, and the switch terminal broke clean off.

[Hawkmoon]

No provision for back-stabbing the wire directly into the switch body?

[MillCreek]

No provision for back-stabbing the wire directly into the switch body?

Oddly enough, no.  Nor any screw terminals.

[Triphammer]

Now, of course, the problem is that I broke off one of the push-on terminals in reinstalling the switch, so now I have to find, buy and install the timer switch.  It was really tight fitting the boot over the blade terminal on the white wire into the switch, and the switch terminal broke clean off.

Like this?
https://www.zoro.com/intermatic-timer-mechanical-120v-20a-wall-switch-km2st-1g/i/G6394087/?gclid=CPWkv_mEzdACFUeTfgodPmADuw&gclsrc=aw.ds

Or from Home Depot
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Intermatic-20-Amp-Electromechanical-SPST-In-Wall-Dial-Timer-KM2ST-1G/203954916?cm_mmc=Shopping%7cTHD%7cG%7c0%7cG-VF-PLA-D27E-Electrical%7c&gclid=CMDvt6GFzdACFY9bfgod2WINIA&gclsrc=aw.ds

[MillCreek]

I bought the first on your list from Amazon.  It was not in stock at my local Lowe's, Home Depot or electrical supply.  Amazon could get it to me faster than the other three.

[230RN]

You shoulda called the guy.

Many years ago, say 1957 or 8,  I got a summer job with a TV repair company... owner was a friend of my Pop's.

I learned a lot about TV and radio repair.

But one of my main jobs was to go on service calls and determine if it could be fixed in the field (bad tubes, etc,) and the service call was $10 flat plus whatever tubes were bad.  If the problem was in the chassis, I'd bring the set in to the shop.

Over that summer, I had at least four calls where all I had to do was plug the set into the wall outlet.

Ten bucks.

"What?!?!?  You're charging me ten bucks just to plug it in?"

You shoulda called the guy.

[castle key]

"What?!?!?  You're charging me ten bucks just to plug it in?"

re establish primary power supply.

[castle key]

No provision for back-stabbing the wire directly into the switch body?

At my office we have plenty of provisions for back stabbing...

[never_retreat]

Found it.  An auxiliary light switch that over-rides the timer switch.  My wife turned it on; I did not even know the switch was there.

Kind of follows the first rule of tech support. Is it plugged in?

[230RN]

Kind of follows the first rule of tech support. Is it plugged in?

Actually, ethics aside, the shop owner didn't want us to ask that when they called in unless the caller was a distance away.  That "service call" was a fairly profitable thing, and opened the door to "Do you want me to check it out as long as I'm here so you don't have to call us again?"

The usual answer was something like, "Well, yes, as long as you're here."  So I'd get my portable tube tester out of the truck and run through the tubes. I could usually find a weak one if the set was a little old. (Yes, it was an honest tube tester.)  Two that were frequent weakies were the horizontal oscillator/amplifier and the high voltage rectifier (6BQ6 and 1B3, usually), and we could make the customer happy with changing those tubes for them... I had a stock of tubes in the truck, 45 day guarantee.

If the tuner was dirty, I'd suggest either bringing it in, or wait until it crapped out before servicing that.  Pain in the patootie cleaning the tuners because you had to re-align them, not a field service operation.  I was not allowed to do tuners at the shop anyhow, although I learned how to by watching one of the "real" techs.

If the CRT was a little dim even after cleaning the screen, I'd try to peddle one of those plug-in transformers that boosted the CRT filament voltage a little to enhance the filament emission.

They really liked the result of cleaning the screen... usually they were filthy, and they appreciated the "care" I gave their set.  I made a bit of a show over dusting the thing off, including the control knobs with a paint brush.

All in all it made them happy about that "What? Ten bucks just for plugging it in?"

Showmanship pays.

So all in all, service calls were fairly profitable.

Gee, it's kind of fun to remember all that crap,  so forgive the ramble.

Heh.  And now I'm remembering the early acoustic remote controls... bing... bong.  And that my brother could whistle the channel changing tones on our set at home.

Terry, 230RN

Edited to change "bother" to "brother."  Freudian slip, no doubt. :)

[Hawkmoon]

Kind of follows the first rule of tech support. Is it plugged in?

In this case, the fact that it was "plugged in" WAS the problem ...

[KD5NRH]

I bought the first on your list from Amazon.  It was not in stock at my local Lowe's, Home Depot or electrical supply.  Amazon could get it to me faster than the other three.

Much more reliable to do http://www.ebay.com/p/?iid=181534543436&ul_noapp=true,true&chn=ps&lpid=82,82  Lots of safety margin built in there.  For timing, a string wound around the dial of a mechanical timer can pull the lever for you.

[HankB]

. . . I'd get my portable tube tester out of the truck and run through the tubes. I could usually find a weak one if the set was a little old. (Yes, it was an honest tube tester.)  Two that were frequent weakies were the horizontal oscillator/amplifier and the high voltage rectifier (6BQ6 and 1B3, usually), and we could make the customer happy with changing those tubes for them... I had a stock of tubes in the truck, 45 day guarantee. . . 

Walgreens used to have a tube tester. I was a kid when I found out the way to fix our TV - an RCA B&W console - was to pull the tubes, take them to Walgreens on my bicycle, test them, and buy a replacement for any that tested bad. MUCH cheaper than calling a repairman.

[230RN]

^ Heh.  I had one where they took the tubes out for testing and put them back in the wrong sockets.  No wonder they couldn't get it to work again at all.  Was a fun one, because even in my still-limited experience, I spotted an octal socket tube stuck where the 5U4 rectifier should obviously have been, which clued me in.  Had to call the shop to get a verbal tube layout for that set, replaced one tube and one chassis fuse.

Two hours service charge, what with the phone call and all.

They shoulda called the guy (me) in the first place.  And I was the new guy.

Terry

[MillCreek]

The new switch has arrived.  I have now connected the white, black and red wires from the new switch to the same connections as the old switch.  The new switch has a blue wire.  Where does the blue wire connect to?

[RocketMan]

The new switch has a blue wire.  Where does the blue wire connect to?

Don't cut the blue wire!  No, wait, don't cut the red wire!

[230RN]

^ "Don't cut the blue wire!  No, wait, don't cut the red wire!"

"The ticking has stopped !  That means

<cut to white noise and scrambled raster>

<go to commercial>

[MillCreek]

The correct answer seems to be cap the blue wire.  Which is what I did with a wire nut.  I stuffed the switch back into the box, flipped the breaker back on and everything now works. 

[230RN]

Ta -daaaah!

[Hawkmoon]

The new switch has arrived.  I have now connected the white, black and red wires from the new switch to the same connections as the old switch.  The new switch has a blue wire.  Where does the blue wire connect to?

It doesn't have a wiring diagram?

[230RN]

....