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Switch trips Breaker

4K views 4 replies 3 participants last post by  220/221 
#1 ·
Hi,
Working on a home I purchased last year...one of the rooms had a ceiling fan that did not work properly and also my wife didn't like its looks (so down and out it went. Before taking it down I noticed that it was controlled by only one switch however with the switch on, both the lights and the fan were either both on or both off and a humming ground noise was ever present. Since I was about to replace it, didn't give much thought and took it down.
After removing the old fan, I went on to install a brand new one. The wires hanging were the usual black, white and ground. Hooked up the black to black, white to white, green to ground and turning the switch on tripped the breaker that handled this room plus the hallway and adjacent bathroom lights. I opted to disconnect the new fan entirely and lo and behold, turning the switch on is tripping the breaker even if the wires are not connected to anything. Any suggestions at what possibly could be the problem and how to check if the switch has gone bad?
Thanks,
G
 
#3 ·
I had to replace the ceiling electrical box as the one that was up there wasn't designed to hold a fan in the first place. I am starting to think that while putting the new electrical box I somehow chewed the wire up in there. The wires are really not that old, the house was built in 1989. I took the switch off the circuit and the problem persists so now I am prety darn sure it is a wiring issue...comments welcome.
 
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