The Home Improvement Thread

[justkidding]

Originally Posted by Locke

Are you kidding?

No, I am.

[Locke]

Well done folks. Well done. I think we've got this joke all wrapped up.

Slow clap.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by no_joke

My bathroom exhaust fan tripped the GFCI, located at a receptacle in the same bathroom, after a long, hot shower. I can reset the GFCI and use lights and other loads on the circuit, but running the exhaust fan will trip the GFCI- the fan will only run for about a second. I've tried this a few times now. It has been several hours after the initial trip so the room humidity should have dissipated as well. I've removed the fan cover and had a quick look but there wasn't an "obvious" issue e.g., dust, moisture.

I might be able to recall one other time several years ago when this GFCI tripped that might have been due to high draw, but that just required a simple reset. I'll Google some more and troubleshoot but if anyone has any pointers, I'm all ears!

GFCI's do go bad, but they also don't really like the type of draw a motor like that generates. They can cause some feedback from the motor causing a trip. I think it usually means the motor needs to be replaced(if it worked fine for years), but I'd try swapping a new GFCI first. Apparently they are only supposed to last 10 years.

[Brendone]

I had a GFCI trip randomly in our basement. Bought an outlet tester from Amazon and found several plugs with bad grounds (wire wasn’t under the box ground bolt). Based on that, I started pulling switches out and found a couple bad grounds there as well. Could be unrelated, but so far no trips since I fixed those (knock on wood).

[no_joke]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

GFCI's do go bad, but they also don't really like the type of draw a motor like that generates. They can cause some feedback from the motor causing a trip. I think it usually means the motor needs to be replaced(if it worked fine for years), but I'd try swapping a new GFCI first. Apparently they are only supposed to last 10 years.

That's straightforward enough- I like it!

Originally Posted by Brendone

I had a GFCI trip randomly in our basement. Bought an outlet tester from Amazon and found several plugs with bad grounds (wire wasn’t under the box ground bolt). Based on that, I started pulling switches out and found a couple bad grounds there as well. Could be unrelated, but so far no trips since I fixed those (knock on wood).

YouTube is pointing me in the direction of ground fault and continuity testing. This might be my once-every-decade opportunity to dust off the multimeter!

[no_joke]

I noticed condensation around the quick connectors at the fan motor wiring so I disconnected them and let them (and everything else) air out overnight. I reconnected them and lo and behold, it worked!

I guess that was the source of the current imbalance and cause for the trip. I did hear bit of a popping sound when the fan powered up yesterday before the GFCI tripped, but didn't know where the issue was- I guess I still don't know for sure.

Anyways, I'll take a problem that fixes itself. At least I got to go to the hardware store!

I'll clean up the fan and try to seal up the wiring connection. I will go turn down the temperature at the hot water tank now as well.

[Hanni]

My wife did the same thing with a long hot shower as well, though she didn't turn the fan on at all. I did the same thing as you and pulled the cover off, unplugged the fan and the condensation was noticeable on the plug. After drying it thoroughly it has been fine for two years.

You might want to consider upgrading the fan if it's no longer drawing the humidity enough, I also found the builder grade fans that come in bathrooms are usually not the greatest and the bare minimum size.

[sa226]

Are you guys in renovated or newer houses? Or are the fans directly in the shower, or over the tub?

Just curious. I didn't think it was code to have GFCI protected fans unless they were directly in the shower or over the bath. Definitely safer though.

I guess some of the newer fans have built in GFCI protection as well.

[MoneyGuy]

Is it a problem if home humidity falls under 30% for an extended period of time? Edit to add that we have hardwood floors, if that matters.

[Nufy]

Originally Posted by no_joke

I noticed condensation around the quick connectors at the fan motor wiring so I disconnected them and let them (and everything else) air out overnight. I reconnected them and lo and behold, it worked!

I guess that was the source of the current imbalance and cause for the trip. I did hear bit of a popping sound when the fan powered up yesterday before the GFCI tripped, but didn't know where the issue was- I guess I still don't know for sure.

Anyways, I'll take a problem that fixes itself. At least I got to go to the hardware store!

I'll clean up the fan and try to seal up the wiring connection. I will go turn down the temperature at the hot water tank now as well.

You should check why there is condensation as well.

Is the fan housing insulated properly ?

There should be enough air flow to remove the moisture and it should be warm enough to not have condensation when not used.

[Hanni]

Originally Posted by sa226

Are you guys in renovated or newer houses? Or are the fans directly in the shower, or over the tub?

Just curious. I didn't think it was code to have GFCI protected fans unless they were directly in the shower or over the bath. Definitely safer though.

I guess some of the newer fans have built in GFCI protection as well.

Just what I would consider a standard ensuite, shower and tub are near the fan but it is not in the shower or directly over the tub. The fan is wired to the GFCI plug on one end of the vanity as that's the one it tripped.

[psyang]

Ok, follow up to my oven issue. It will need to be replaced.

It's a double wall oven. I'm confident I can perform all steps of removing/installing a new one...except for the weight. They are about 300lbs.

Does anyone know if it is possible to rent some sort of height-adjustable dolly? Just want to know if it's possible to do on my own, or if I need to call some friends with muscle to help out.

I'm looking to buy private, so getting delivery/haul away/installation from a retail store wouldn't be an option.

[Fuzz]

You should be able to rent a decent dolly at Home Depot or Rogers Rent-All.

[psyang]

Yeah, actually, just found this. Didn't know such a thing existed! And $35/day is very reasonable.

[Fuzz]

Ya, Rogers is a great place to find all sorts of rentals. Been using them for years.

[mrkajz44]

Originally Posted by MoneyGuy

Is it a problem if home humidity falls under 30% for an extended period of time? Edit to add that we have hardwood floors, if that matters.

I would guess that any home without a house-wide humidifier would have humidity under 30% for longer stretches every winter. In fact, at these temperatures, going under 30% is recommended to avoid condensation on the windows.

[calgarywinning]

Originally Posted by mrkajz44

I would guess that any home without a house-wide humidifier would have humidity under 30% for longer stretches every winter. In fact, at these temperatures, going under 30% is recommended to avoid condensation on the windows.

Weather like today it should be set at 10-15% now for this reason.

Wondering if anyone has any experience with residential tankless systems for hot water with a tank accessory (for minor holding) that can also run in floor heating separate OR speak to brand experience.

[calgarygeologist]

I thought it might be nice to turn on the fireplace today while I sit around and watch football. The pilot light has always been on so I hit the switch and the fire comes on for a minute and goes out. I wait for the fireplace to reset and I lit the pilot light and turned on the fire and it goes out again. I've got the pilot light on again but I'm not going to bother with the fire. Does anyone know what might be going on with this thing?

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

I thought it might be nice to turn on the fireplace today while I sit around and watch football. The pilot light has always been on so I hit the switch and the fire comes on for a minute and goes out. I wait for the fireplace to reset and I lit the pilot light and turned on the fire and it goes out again. I've got the pilot light on again but I'm not going to bother with the fire. Does anyone know what might be going on with this thing?

I had this happen last year and it was because vent outside was blocked with snow.

[Whynotnow]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

I thought it might be nice to turn on the fireplace today while I sit around and watch football. The pilot light has always been on so I hit the switch and the fire comes on for a minute and goes out. I wait for the fireplace to reset and I lit the pilot light and turned on the fire and it goes out again. I've got the pilot light on again but I'm not going to bother with the fire. Does anyone know what might be going on with this thing?

Mine did that, was a loose connection in the low voltage switch and so it didn’t quite make a solid connection and keep the flame going. That’s the easy fix otherwise it might be the valve on the unit.