YELLAHEEP
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Littleton, Colorado
Was sitting here about 1 hr ago reading some tech posts when my wife wakes up hollering for me to get into the bedroom quick.
Normally, that'd be intriquing...... but I get into the bedroom and it smells like something is burning. Very irritating/burning to the nose and back of the throat. I go throw open the windows and turn off the TV/satellite and start checking all the outlets and fixtures.
Nothing's hot, no smoke coming from any particular area, but the smoke is getting thicker toward the ceiling. I turn on a flashlight and the smoke gives it that light saber effect...... so I battle an imaginary Darth Vader for a second and get back to the smoke investigation.
The attic access is in our closet and I run out to get the ladder. I poke my head up there and I get the same light saber effect. I put aside my urge to do more battle with Vader and haul my tired ass up into the attic. I'm trying not to kick up all that nasty blow-in insulation and get itchy..... but I can see a faint column of smoke coming from above the bedroom..... I get a bit closer and see that it's coming from the junction box for the ceiling fan/light.
I come back down from the attic and hop up on the bed and sure as shit... there's a strong odor of an electrical something burning around the fan. The fan is slowly spinning down as if the power had been turned off to it. It had been working a minute ago before I climbed into the attic. I kill the power at the switch and head out to the garage for tools. When I get back, there's thick white smoke pouring out from all over the fan. The smoke is so thick it's dropping like a slow waterfall..... kinda cool to look at but disturbing all the same.
Figuring that maybe the power wires had chaffed in the metal junction box, I pull the fan down, remove the wires and check with the flashlight. I see no arc spots, chaffed wire..... all seems fine. Wires aren't even hot.
The center of the fan is hot near the motor, but the top above the motor isn't. I pull the 3-light housing apart and DAMN! The smell goes from bad to horrible. There's a 2"x2"x1" black box that's hot as hell and the side is blown out/melted and a white/gray chalky blob is coming out of it.
Dunno what that box is, but it sure put out a helluva lot of smoke and fouled up the bedroom ........and gave us a scare.
Normally, that'd be intriquing...... but I get into the bedroom and it smells like something is burning. Very irritating/burning to the nose and back of the throat. I go throw open the windows and turn off the TV/satellite and start checking all the outlets and fixtures.
Nothing's hot, no smoke coming from any particular area, but the smoke is getting thicker toward the ceiling. I turn on a flashlight and the smoke gives it that light saber effect...... so I battle an imaginary Darth Vader for a second and get back to the smoke investigation.

The attic access is in our closet and I run out to get the ladder. I poke my head up there and I get the same light saber effect. I put aside my urge to do more battle with Vader and haul my tired ass up into the attic. I'm trying not to kick up all that nasty blow-in insulation and get itchy..... but I can see a faint column of smoke coming from above the bedroom..... I get a bit closer and see that it's coming from the junction box for the ceiling fan/light.
I come back down from the attic and hop up on the bed and sure as shit... there's a strong odor of an electrical something burning around the fan. The fan is slowly spinning down as if the power had been turned off to it. It had been working a minute ago before I climbed into the attic. I kill the power at the switch and head out to the garage for tools. When I get back, there's thick white smoke pouring out from all over the fan. The smoke is so thick it's dropping like a slow waterfall..... kinda cool to look at but disturbing all the same.
Figuring that maybe the power wires had chaffed in the metal junction box, I pull the fan down, remove the wires and check with the flashlight. I see no arc spots, chaffed wire..... all seems fine. Wires aren't even hot.
The center of the fan is hot near the motor, but the top above the motor isn't. I pull the 3-light housing apart and DAMN! The smell goes from bad to horrible. There's a 2"x2"x1" black box that's hot as hell and the side is blown out/melted and a white/gray chalky blob is coming out of it.
Dunno what that box is, but it sure put out a helluva lot of smoke and fouled up the bedroom ........and gave us a scare.
