Replacing The Switch On A Ceiling Fan/Light Fixture

Disclaimer: If you attempt to follow the instructions below; I take no responsibility or liability for the following.

So, I'm walking through Lowes and I walk by these 2 women who are looking at ceiling fans and talking to one another. "I can't believe I have to buy a whole new fan just because the chain broke off at the switch." The other women says, " I know. Are you sure you want to spend over 200 dollars?" I interrupt. "Sorry to interrupt but you can replace the switch for about 20 dollars." The women look at each other and gasp. "REALLY?? How?" I ask them to walk with me over to the next isle where the switches are.

I explain to them the following:

The replacement switch needed is a: SPST Pull Chain Switch The SPST stands for Single pole, Single Throw

Materials Needed:

• SPST Pull Chain Switch $4.00
  
• 4- #16 Twist-on Wire Connectors $3.00
  

Tools Needed:

• Screwdriver (to disassemble the fan/light fixture) Everyone should have this!
  
• Klein Wire stripper/cutter tool $12.00
  

Please read this all the way through before attempting. Do the repair in your head first and make sure everything makes sense.

1. Safety First!!!

The first thing you have to do is turn off the power to the light/ceiling fan.

• If you have switch on the wall that turns the light/fan on/off, simply turn it off. Unless there is a wiring problem, this should interrupt the current going to the light/fan.
  

• If you have a pull chain - pull it. Be careful, this will turn off the light but - There is still a current going to the light fixture. The black wire going to the fixture is still "hot".
  

Now the mantra here is: "I can touch the black wire (load) separately and I can touch the white wire (neutral) separately. I just cannot touch them at the same time." If you touch them both at the same time, you complete the circuit and WILL get shocked.

"Holy crap, what kind of shock are we talking about?!?!" You ask startled! Well, if you have a electrical system that is to code and newish the light circuit is 15amps. It will feel like a" zzzipp", like a bee sting that gets worse until you let go! No worries, it's unpleasant enough that you will let go immediately. If you are unconvinced and would like to mitigate the whole nasty possibility of a shock, do the following:

1. Leave the light fixture/ceiling fan on.
2. Plug in a floor light to a wall outlet, turn it on.
3. Find your circuit box and open it up.
4. Find the circuit that is labeled "Lights" and turn it off.

When you come back into the room you should find the ceiling light/fan OFF (as well as all of the overhead lights in the house) and the floor light that is plugged into the outlet ON. If this not the case - STOP. You could have a serious wiring issue. Call me or and electrician.

There are only a few tools that you need to own that have only one specific purpose. A good wire stripper/cutter tool by Klein is one of them. They look like pliers and are about 12 bucks from Home Depot or any other hardware store. This tool will make the rest of replacing the switch A LOT easier and insure that it will work properly.

2. Light Demolition

• If you have an expensive ceiling fan/light, once you take the glass cover that covers the bulbs and metal outer piece covering the switches there should be a plastic disconnect that when disconnected will allow you to remove the whole bottom piece complete with bulbs.

• If the bottom piece (lights) can not be separated, the job is a little harder but not impossible. Since I don't know which fan/light fixture you have, you will have to remove parts until you can expose the broken switch.
  

With both scenarios above, there are two pull chains. One for the fan and one for the light. I am assuming that you have been able to expose the broken switch. Keep track of which screws/parts go where to make the reassembly easier.

3. Switch Repair:

You are now ready to cut away the broken switch. Usually, both of the wires that come from the switch are black. I don't know why this is I know it can be confusing.

• Follow each wire away from the switch. One should go to a black wire (load) and one should go to a white wire (neutral). Mark the black (load) wire (on the side that will remain after you cut it) with a small piece of tape or something.
  
• Cut the black wire first and then the white wire second close to the switch. This will give you enough of the wire needed to re-connect the switch.

Look at the picture below.

This picture should also be on the back of the packaging that held your new switch. Hold the switch as shown and mark the "load" line with a piece of tape. This will connect to the black line that was marked before it was cut.

Now it is time to prepare the wires. There are 4 wires. 2 black wires from the new switch and two wires, one white and one black, from the ceiling fan/light. Using your new wire stipper/cutter tool, find the hole with a "16" on it. This is the size of the wires. Insert one of the wires about 1/4" and squeeze. Without letting go, slid the tool away from the wire. The rubber part should slide away leaving the all the wires exposed. Do this to the remaining 3 wires.

Re-connecting the switch. Looking at the picture to the left or on the back of the packaging, place the new switch the same way as it is pictured. Switch on the left wires on the right. The top wire is the black or "load" wire. Connect it to the black wire on the ceiling fan/light fixture by first twisting the copper wires together. Then take a wire connector and twist that onto the two twisted copper wires. You should feel the connector tighten. Do the same with the other black wire coming from the switch and white or "neutral" wire coming from the ceiling fan/light fixture.

Now its time to re-assemble the ceiling fan/light fixture. I hope you remember how you took it apart!! The only left over piece you should have is the old switch!!

All back together?!?! Good job!! All that is left is to go out to the breaker box and turn the "lights" circuit on if you turned it off.

Then - TURN ON THE CEILING FAN/LIGHT!!!! You did it!! You just replaced a switch!! You SO totally rock!!! :)

Hiring a "Handyman" and Angie's List - Part III

Hey everyone, I apologize for not keeping up with my blogging. I am new to this but will do better - promise! On the upside, it's good to know it's being read!! So, here we go......

Angie's List response to my email in Part II:

"Hello Deborah,

Thank you for your email and I apologize for the delay in response. I'm sure you will be happy to hear that Angie's List is now reformatting our licensure procedures. We will allow companies on the List without a license, but we will have them flagged. If a company does have a license they will have to verify that it is current and valid for their line of work. These changes will be made in the next few months and should be seen on the List soon. If companies that say they have a valid license and do not their advertising and awards from Angie's List can be revoked. We are continuously trying to improve the List for our customers and service providers. We do realize that in the over 400 categories we offer, not all of these services have to be licensed so we cannot bar companies or service providers from being on the List for not having a license that is not required of them. We do appreciate your feedback on this concern and please feel free to contact us with any other questions or concerns you may have." Shortly after I received this email, Angie's List sent me a copy of their September issue of their magazine which is titled "Contractor Credentials What does it really mean to be licensed?"

Here is a link to the first page of the magazine: http://e-ditionsbyfry.com/Olive/AM3/ANG98/Default.htm?href=ANG98%2F2009%2F09%2F01&pageno=1&view=document

My purpose for blogging about this is to make people aware that it is important to use licensed businesses and contractors. Bottom line: the licensing protects you, the consumer.

It sounds as if Angie's List is stepping up to take a harder line with unlicensed "handyman" types and contractors. Only time will really tell if they are really committed to the cause. One thing in the email response above that I did not like was the statement: "We will allow companies on the List without a license, but we will have them flagged." Personally, I do not think any company or individual should be allowed to be on any List or be allowed to advertise without a valid license - PERIOD. Maybe then, they will get a license and be legit.

In the magazine article they give a lot of time (space) and a picture to a fella named Pat Stone, owner of Door Dr. in California. He is quoted as calling licensing a joke and he says that very few of his customers care that he is unlicensed. He is also quoted as saying that he works alone, so any injuries he suffers would be paid for by his own medical insurance. He adds that he is careful not to take jobs that are too dangerous and that he is very cautious.

THIS MAKES ME ANGRY!!! WHAT A LOAD OF BS!!!!

Anyone who hires him and his company is crazy!! He walks onto your property, you pay him to do anything and he becomes your employee. You, the homeowner, are liable for his work, his safety and for the safety of everyone else on the property. EXAMPLE: He thinks he is alone in the house and is routing out a door for hinges. He gets a telephone call and goes outside to talk. He has set the router down next to the door and your five year old daughter, who is having a play date with another little girl, walks into the room because they are curious about what's been happening in her room. She picks up the router to show her friend and...... For the sake of everyone's mind, I won't go any further. Will his own medical insurance pay for that? Will you, the homeowner, have any recourse? I think the first thing SWIFT should do is knock on Mr. Stones door.

Mr. Stone should have a C-6 license which is a Cabinet, Millwork and Finish Carpentry Contractor. All he needs to do is go take the C-6 test to prove that he is competent in his profession, get a bond and some insurance. It is not THAT difficult. He'll get a pretty little card he can carry around and show all his buddies! Look what I did for Mr. Stone - I just increased his job description - he can add cabinets and finish carpentry to his skill set and make more money!!! Hmmm, it seems that I have also given Mr. Stone WAY more space than he deserves.

Lastly, the real point to all of these blogs is: Angie's List and other advertisers are only part of the problem. It was really simple for me to set up my company and open a checking account for my business. Matter of fact, I did it before I had a my general contractors license. Construction companies, "handyman" businesses or any other business requiring a license by the State of California's Contractor's State License Board should not be able to open a business, get a bank account or even advertise unless they have a valid license. Make them get the licenses, bonds and insurances before they can do anything else and they will.

Problem solved.

Hiring a "Handyman" and Angie's List - Part II

Well, their email response just pissed me off.

"It is the states job to monitor and punish contractors who are operating illegally, we are not a policing force. If you have evidence or specific examples of companies on our list who are operating as licensed and are not, we will gladly take a look at these companies and take appropriate action."

WTF???? No, they certainly ARE NOT a policing force. They just allow paying members to refer illegal, unlicensed contractors on their web site which is a free and wonderful advertising tool for the illegal, unlicensed contractors!! Lovely!!

Evidence or specific examples??? How about 90% of the entire "Handyman" category which I am sure SOMEONE is in charge of the listings at Angie's List! There's even a little box, put there by Angie's List, to check: Licensed or Unlicensed. Of the one's that were checked "Licensed"; I checked the CA State Contractors Board and more than 1/2 were not actually licensed. They simply put in a number knowing it would not be checked. Nice!!

So, I did respond to Angie's List and it is as follows:

"Thank you for responding to my email. I agree with you statement that it is the states job to monitor and punish illegal contractors. In my limited contact with SWIFT, I do believe they are doing their best to crack down on illegal activity. I also suspect that they will contact you directly due to the fact that your website represents "advertising" for these illegal companies.

The "hands off" approach you refer to in your email would be fine for a service such as "craigslist" which does not charge for postings for services and allows almost anyone to post to the web site. One knows not to expect too much with that sort of advertising web site. However, my issue with Angie's List is that you company is a respected and seemingly honourable company that is paid (by the consumer) and represents free advertising for businesses. If you truly strive to "keep honest companies on your list", I believe that Angie's List should make a point NOT to allow advertising (or recommendations) for unlicensed contractors thereby protecting the consumers who pay for the trust of the recommendations on this web site.

As a legal and licensed contractor, I would certainly be more inclined to refer my clients to your service if I felt that Angie's List was a place where my clients would be protected from unscrupulous contractors. Who knows how many other contractors feel the same way I do? As a customer, I would also be more likely to use your service because I would see that Angie's List is actively protecting me against illegal, unlicensed contractors. Thereby protecting my greatest investment which is my home and not merely providing "lip service" while passing the responsibility on to another entity.

Regards,
Deborah Zsarko
DZsarko and Associates"

Hold on - there's one more round! Angie's List actually responds and it's a good one - Part III coming soon!!!

Hiring a "Handyman" and Angie's List - Part I

I know I am not the only person in construction that has been a "handyman" in the course of my life. I've had my share of being in between projects/companies and needed the work, so I got by using my knowledge and tools until I was hired by a company to build who knows what.

The difference between what I have done in the past and the ads I am seeing on craigslist and most recently on a website named "Angie's List" is that I did not go out and start an unlicensed, uninsured business. I merely took my knowledge and tools and charged a more than fair rate for my time to be at someone's house repairing something that needed to be repaired. I am the sort of person that had I broken anything or if I had botched a repair, I would have worked for free to make it right or paid for someone else to make it right. Thank goodness that I never needed to do either.

For now, I am only going to write about Angie's List. For those of you who don't know what Angie's List is, it is a website where as a member(yes, you have to pay) are able to find a company and/or contractor based on reviews from people that have used this company and/or contractor in the past. Once a company has several reviews they get a grade and a ranking which is either good or bad depending on the service provided and the written review. In a nut shell: this is free advertising for companies and a way to get repeat and referral business.

So me, being me - I thought to myself, "Cool, this could work for me!" and started to look into the website. What I found immediately was that approx. 90% of their Handyman Service section were company's listed on the site but were not licensed. I know this because some said so and I went onto the Contractor's State License Board of California to check. These were not people "in between" jobs. These were people (and company's) who take visa and mastercard.

Ok, so what's the big deal?? These people probably know what their doing and have the right tools, etc... Well, the most important "Big Deal" is that a self-employed handyman working without a license puts the home owner at risk. Let's say you hire Sam, the Shingle Man to fix a leak in your roof and he is not licensed, or bonded, or insured. You've given him a sizable deposit and Sam is up on your roof fixing the leak. Oh darn, he slips and falls off the roof. Now, for sake of this example he's not dead or even seriously injured but he can't finish the job and you now have a big hole in your roof that will DEFINITELY leak. What do you do?? You have no recourse with Sam. He's long gone with your deposit by now. You could try suing him personally and/or invoke your homeowners liability insurance. The sticky part is: you allowed him on your property, you allowed him to climb up on the roof and by doing so you have just become his employer. You could also be liable for workers comp and even payroll taxes. Worse than all the above, Sam could turn around and sue you for all of his medical bills etc... YIKES!!!

Here are the facts:

• It's illegal for an unlicensed person to perform contracting work on any project valued at $500 or more and materials.
• Besides being illegal, unlicensed contractors lack accountability and have a high rate of involvement in construction scams.
• They are also unfair competition for licensed contractors who operate with bonds, insurance and other responsible business practices.
• Organization called SWIFT (StateWide Investigative Fraud Team) that has been set up by the CA State License Board to monitor and combat illegal activity.

I contacted Angie's List with my findings and concerns as stated above. Four days later I received a response as written below:

"Hello Deborah,

Thank you for your email and sorry for the delayed response. Angie's List is a service for consumers where a person can go on our list and look at other people's past experiences that have had with contractors and decide whether or not they would also like to use them in the future. It is the states job to monitor and punish contractors who are operating illegally; we are not a policing force. If you have evidence or specific examples of companies on our list who are operating as licensed and who are not, we will gladly take a look at these companies and take appropriate action. If SWIFT were to contact us and inform us of companies on our list who are unlicensed and operating illegally we would gladly assist them as well. We strive to keep honest companies on our list, and if a company operating illegally, then they are not a company that we want to offer to our members."

Hmmm...

Check back for Part II where Deborah responds!!

Water Heater Issue

Customer Issue:
Pilot light will not stay lit. It will light and heat up the water in the tank but will not stay lit.

Visual Inspection:
There are several issues with this water heater which were pointed out to the home owner and they are as follows:

• Water heater is not strapped properly to prevent it from falling in an earthquake.
• The gas line decreases from 1/2" to 3/8" after the shut-off valve to the control valve.
• There is no sediment trap in the gas line.

Recommendations:
Recommendations are as follows:

1. Re-strap the water heater properly.
2. Correct the gas line sizing so that it is 1/2" all the way to the water heater control box.
3. Replace the water heater control box.
   
4. Install a sediment trap.
   

To sum up:
While the first issue above is disconcerting it is easily corrected. The other two are by far the most serious and are probably the cause of the issue.

• It is very important that the size of the pipe be correct. It has to to do with the "demand capacity" of each appliance figured with the length the pipe has to travel from the gas meter. The difference in size of the three foot of flex piping from the shut-off valve to the control box CAN constrict the gas flow to the water heater. It makes the control valve work harder to regulate the gas to the heater.
  
• The control valve has been compensating for the reduced amount of gas for as long as that water heater has been there. Because of the next item, it is probably clogged. It is a $93.00 part. Better to replace it now and see if it can be salvaged and used as a spare down the road.
• The sediment trap: "Dirt or contamination in the gas line can block the control from operating creating a risk of explosion, injury or death," according to the instructions for installing the water heater control valve. Gas and gas lines are not clean by any means - "stuff" is inherently in the line.

It's negligent that the person who installed this water heater did not install a sediment trap and reduced the gas line; these are both required by plumbing code. Since it is not required to pull a permit for changing out a water heater, it certainly was not city inspected.

In the end it is worth saving a few bucks if the alternative is "...risk of explosion, injury or death" - is it?

Remember to THINK before you hire and be safe!!