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.

On Jul 2, 5:23*pm, flips333 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. *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.

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

In article , Eric in North TX wrote:
On Jul 2, 5:23=A0pm, flips333 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.

In article , flips333 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. 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.

Sounds like a 120V outlet somehow got 240V supplied to it. You can confirm
this with a voltmeter, if you know how to use one.

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.

Apartment = you don't own it = not yours to fix. Call the landlord. This could
be a simple case of an idiot having wired a 120V outlet to a 240V circuit, or
it could be a complicated issue involving improper connections between two
circuits. A qualified electrician needs to be called in for diagnosis and
repair; this is the landlord's responsibility, not the tenant's.

"flips333" wrote in message
...
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.

Your fix it guy could start by testing the outlet voltage with something
other than appliances, possibly a volt meter

On Jul 2, 6:23*pm, flips333 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. *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.

Start by calling your landlord. The outlet could be wired wrong. Ive
seen 120v outlets get rewired for a 240 window air conditioner. Could
be that the circuit uses a shared neutral. If the nuetral connection
fails it could put 240 across the outlet. This could be an
intermittent problem as you discribed while incorrect wiring wouldnt
likely be intermittent. Call your landlord.


Jimmie

On Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:46:23 GMT, (Doug Miller)
wrote:

In article , Eric in North TX wrote:
On Jul 2, 5:23=A0pm, flips333 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.

On Jul 2, 5:46*pm, (Doug Miller) wrote:
In article , Eric in North TX wrote:



On Jul 2, 5:23=A0pm, flips333 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.

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

On Thu, 2 Jul 2009 15:23:28 -0700 (PDT), flips333
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. 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.


Is this circuit on a GFCI? If so it could be bad. Replace the outlet
if it is charred. Check the voltage, ground. Make sure the hot
(black wire) is the shorter slot. Make sure the wire nuts are tight.

In article , Eric in North TX wrote:
On Jul 2, 5:46=A0pm, (Doug Miller) wrote:
In article =
..com, Eric in North TX wrote:

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.

Take a look at the chart he
http://www.generatorjoe.net/html/web...quailplug.html

I suspect that you've been looking at 6-20R without realizing what it was.

On Jul 2, 9:47*pm, (Doug Miller) wrote:
In article , Eric in North TX wrote:

On Jul 2, 5:46=A0pm, (Doug Miller) wrote:
In article =
..com, Eric in North TX wrote:
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.

Take a look at the chart hehttp://www.generatorjoe.net/html/web...quailplug.html

I suspect that you've been looking at 6-20R without realizing what it was..

What i' saying is I've seen 520R wired for 220 volt. That may be in
violation of every code, but it still happens & more often than you
might imagine, especially in older buildings.

(Doug Miller) wrote in
:

In article
,
Eric in North TX wrote:
On Jul 2, 5:46=A0pm, (Doug Miller) wrote:
In article
=
..com, Eric in North TX wrote:

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.

Take a look at the chart he
http://www.generatorjoe.net/html/web...quailplug.html

I suspect that you've been looking at 6-20R without realizing what it
was.

Nice chart. Thanks.

On Jul 2, 5:23*pm, flips333 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. *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.

One of my houses had an older 220v outlet that looked just like a 110
outlet. It was for a log set on an electric fireplace, circa 1926.
The former owner had plugged in a box fan that lasted about 10
seconds...

JK

On Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:47:19 GMT, (Doug Miller)
wrote:

In article , Eric in North TX wrote:
On Jul 2, 5:46=A0pm, (Doug Miller) wrote:
In article =
..com, Eric in North TX wrote:

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.

Take a look at the chart he
http://www.generatorjoe.net/html/web...quailplug.html

I suspect that you've been looking at 6-20R without realizing what it was.

How do you plug a 120V fan (1-15P or 5-15P) into a 6-20R?

BTW, I notice how those charts always have a certain omission. What
does the 2-15P plug into?
--
Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.us

"Properly read, the Bible is the most potent
force for atheism ever conceived." -- Isaac Asimov

In article , Mark Lloyd wrote:
On Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:47:19 GMT, (Doug Miller)
wrote:

In article
, Eric in
North TX wrote:
On Jul 2, 5:46=A0pm, (Doug Miller) wrote:
In article =
..com, Eric in North TX wrote:

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.

Take a look at the chart he
http://www.generatorjoe.net/html/web...quailplug.html

I suspect that you've been looking at 6-20R without realizing what it was.

How do you plug a 120V fan (1-15P or 5-15P) into a 6-20R?

I never suggested that the OP had a 6-20R. Do try to keep up.

In article
,
JIMMIE wrote:

incorrect wiring wouldnt
likely be intermittent.

Agreed.

Big_Jake wrote:
....
One of my houses had an older 220v outlet that looked just like a 110
outlet. ...

It probably _was_ a 110V outlet simply being misused...

--

Mark Lloyd wrote:
....
BTW, I notice how those charts always have a certain omission. What
does the 2-15P plug into?

6-15R -- the load doesn't require the ground for any application that
would use the 2-15P.

--

RBM wrote:
"flips333" wrote in message
...
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. ...
....
Your fix it guy could start by testing the outlet voltage with something
other than appliances, possibly a volt meter
....

Think????

LOL...

--

On Jul 3, 1:47*pm, dpb wrote:
RBM wrote:
"flips333" wrote in message
....
So I just moved into thisnewplace and I have a problematicoutlet.
I have pluged threefansinto it and all three are busted. *...
...
Your fix it guy could start by testing theoutletvoltage with something
other than appliances, possibly a volt meter

...

Think????

LOL...

--

Thanks to all who helped and here's the answer... the neutral is
receiving power. Thus it blows out any and all normal appliances that
go in it. Until I can get someone to fix it I'm just gonna fill it
with those baby proof socket fillers.

Thanks again you all rock.

flips333 wrote:
....
Thanks to all who helped and here's the answer... the neutral is
receiving power. Thus it blows out any and all normal appliances that
go in it. Until I can get someone to fix it I'm just gonna fill it
with those baby proof socket fillers.
....

What you mean by "the neutral is receiving power", kemo sabe?

If it was just reversed hot/neutral that wouldn't make any difference;
think unpolarized cord plugs. (It ain't right and should be corrected,
but that won't cause the problem described).

If neutral _AND_ hot are hot and not same supply side, that's a 240V
circuit and that certainly _WILL_ blow a 110V appliance.

Sounds like the same "handyman", maybe????

--

On Jul 4, 8:54*am, flips333 wrote:
On Jul 3, 1:47*pm, dpb wrote:





RBM wrote:
"flips333" wrote in message
....
So I just moved into thisnewplace and I have a problematicoutlet.
I have pluged threefansinto it and all three are busted. *...
...
Your fix it guy could start by testing theoutletvoltage with something
other than appliances, possibly a volt meter

...

Think????

LOL...

--

Thanks to all who helped and here's the answer... *the neutral is
receiving power. Thus it blows out any and all normal appliances that
go in it. *Until I can get someone to fix it I'm just gonna fill it
with those baby proof socket fillers.

Thanks again you all rock.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

When my friend lived in base housing there was a dedicated 120 VAC 20
amp circuit beneath a window so you could install a window AC unit.
Someone connected the neutral to the to the hot bus so they would have
240 for a larger unit. His wife found out about it when she plugged in
a christmas tree.

Jimmie

I have been suspecting that kind of thing is at work, here.
A qualified person should test the outlet with a VOM, and
see if it's 120 VAC or 240 VAC.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"JIMMIE" wrote in message
news:ed5fa504-1029-4ed8-893e-

When my friend lived in base housing there was a dedicated
120 VAC 20
amp circuit beneath a window so you could install a window
AC unit.
Someone connected the neutral to the to the hot bus so they
would have
240 for a larger unit. His wife found out about it when she
plugged in
a christmas tree.

Jimmie

"JIMMIE" wrote in message
...
On Jul 4, 8:54 am, flips333 wrote:
On Jul 3, 1:47 pm, dpb wrote:





RBM wrote:
"flips333" wrote in message
...
So I just moved into thisnewplace and I have a problematicoutlet.
I have pluged threefansinto it and all three are busted. ...
...
Your fix it guy could start by testing theoutletvoltage with something
other than appliances, possibly a volt meter

...

Think????

LOL...

--

Thanks to all who helped and here's the answer... the neutral is
receiving power. Thus it blows out any and all normal appliances that
go in it. Until I can get someone to fix it I'm just gonna fill it
with those baby proof socket fillers.

Thanks again you all rock.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

When my friend lived in base housing there was a dedicated 120 VAC 20
amp circuit beneath a window so you could install a window AC unit.
Someone connected the neutral to the to the hot bus so they would have
240 for a larger unit. His wife found out about it when she plugged in
a christmas tree.

Jimmie

Whoever reconnected the wiring for 240 volts, should have replaced the
receptacle, as no 240 volt appliance will fit in a 120 volt receptacle. This
is very possibly the same scenario as the OP

In ,
JIMMIE wrote:
On Jul 4, 8:54*am, flips333 wrote:
On Jul 3, 1:47*pm, dpb wrote:

RBM wrote:

SNIP to here

Thanks to all who helped and here's the answer... *the neutral is
receiving power. Thus it blows out any and all normal appliances that
go in it. *Until I can get someone to fix it I'm just gonna fill it
with those baby proof socket fillers.

Thanks again you all rock.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

When my friend lived in base housing there was a dedicated 120 VAC 20
amp circuit beneath a window so you could install a window AC unit.
Someone connected the neutral to the to the hot bus so they would have
240 for a larger unit. His wife found out about it when she plugged in
a christmas tree.

That does not sound to me like a "dedicated 120 VAC" circuit, but a
240V one for 240V air conditioners. Better hope the outlet is one
designed for 240V and made to accept plugs of 240V window air conditioners
and to reject plugs of 120V applicances.

In a "USA-usual" 240V circuit, the two conductors other than the
"grounding conductor" are both "hot" and both "live" to extent of 120
volts.

A USA-usual 120V circuit differs from the 240V one by having between the
2 conductors other than "grounding conductor",
one is "hot" ("ungrounded conductor") and the other is "neutral"
("grounded conductor").

You should know the mutual concepts of "hot-neutral-ground",
"ungrounded-grounded-grounding", "black-white-green/bare" as well as
preferably good multimeter/voltmeter usage practice for USA-usual 120V
circuits and occaisional (all-too-common) errors therein.

This is what you should know, along with what various various-amp-rating
120V and 240V residental outlets look like and should have looked like
30-50 years ago, along with some knowledge of existence of both 120V and
240V residential window air conditioning units and the cords and plugs
that they had and the receptacles that they plugged into.

- Don Klipstein )