[mythtv-users] My Ceiling Fan Controls My Mythtv Sound :(

[Brian Wood]

On Aug 8, 2006, at 1:11 PM, John Pierce wrote:

>>> No this is not a joke!
>>
>> Please believe him, it is a serious matter. The symptoms indicate a
>> high-resistance someplace in the circuit, and high resistance will
>> cause heating which can indeed cause a fire.
>>
>> Unless you are truly well-qualified, this is a matter for a licensed
>> electrician. It is definitely a case where they earn their admittedly
>> high dollar rate.
>
> I concur, being a journeyman electrician by trade, you may well find
> the problem on the neutral conductor and even more likely if your
> service entrance mains were aluminum.  Aluminum expands and contracts
> quite a bit more than copper, and more often becomes loose.
>
> Have you noticed any symptoms of a loose neutral ie: incandescent
> lamps flickering (even in clear weather), stove top burners or oven
> burners not getting as hot as they should.
>


BTW - folks should be aware that just because you pay "X" dollars an  
hour for an electrician (or a plumber, or any other tradesman) does  
not mean that he/she is earning that amount.

If he works for a contractor his employer is keeping a large share of  
the hourly rate, and if he is independent he must pay for a truck,  
tools, commercial insurance/bonding, union dues etc.

Construction tradesman usually earn a decent living, but they are not  
wealthy by any means, and the situation is getting worse not better.

I remember when a tradesman could expect to have his wife stay home  
with the kids and put two or three of them through college. He could  
certainly not do that today.