Calling All Sparkies

[pgrin]

I had a table fan plugged into an extension cord. A glass of water spilled into plug and the fan stopped working. No sparks, nothing dramatic it just stopped. I waited awhile and tried it in another outlet, no joy. Is the fan motor fried or is there a replaceable part? Also I got a small shock from the plug of the fan after it was unplugged. How is that possible? Is there some type of capacitor in the fan that can hold a charge? Thanks in advance for any or all answers.

P

[longball53098]

Is the fan one of the types that has a electronic control touch pad? Not the normal 3 speed switches? and an off position?

If the electronic control type of fan the short circuit with the water may have damaged the circuit board in the fan housing. If the standard switch controlled fan it may have a fusible link that has popped?

Don't know why you would get zapped but I guess it could have a cap that is discharging thru you.

[hhgz]

"Don't know why you would get zapped but I guess it could have a cap that is discharging thru you."

What were you touching when you got a shock? Small table fans don't have capacitors. I think the water caused the fan to short out, and allowed the electrical current to flow through your body. Unless the fan has special sentimental value, I wouldn't waste time trying to fix it.

[pgrin]

The fan was unplugged and in another room when I touched the fan plug and got a shock. It was not connected or near any electrical supply at the time, very strange. I took the bottom cover off and the is a breaker of some kind. If I were to guess it is an overheat type breaker. It is solid state so no reset switch or fuse. To Carre Foure tomorrow fro a new one.

P

[Crossy]

The fan was unplugged and in another room when I touched the fan plug and got a shock. It was not connected or near any electrical supply at the time, very strange. I took the bottom cover off and the is a breaker of some kind. If I were to guess it is an overheat type breaker. It is solid state so no reset switch or fuse. To Carre Foure tomorrow fro a new one.

P

Please post a photo of the device in question.

You'd be amazed what's available in retail outlets here, you can fix almost anything with sufficient knowledge, and if you don't have that knowledge your local electrical man likely will for a very nominal fee

There are whole streets of shops re-winding fan motors, something which in The West would be totally un-economical.

[pgrin]

Sorry for the low quality, camera phone.

P

[Crossy]

Sorry for the low quality, camera phone.

P

Good enough, that is a capacitor probably wired as a start-cap.

If that's all that is in the base it's difficult to know exactly what the failure mode is. Does the fan run if you connect the power and hand-start by spinning the blades?

[pgrin]

The capacitor explains the shock

Tried to hand start, no joy.

P

[Crossy]

Difficult to work out the failure mode without seeing the beast and making some measurements.

It's still worth dropping it round to your fix-it man. For a nominal fee if he can get it going he will if not you've lost very little