So,
I went back downstairs to turn off the breaker, climbed back up the ladder, and
I re-checked all of the wires to make sure that they were still connected. Everything was fine. I tried switching the wires just in case the
electrician had gotten them backwards.
Made no difference. I took the
switch plate off the wall and made sure that the wires were actually hooked to
the switches, and they were. I plugged
in a wall lamp just to make sure that the room was getting power, and it lit up
fine.
I
was stumped. So, I decided to break down
and call my father for advice. He
patiently walked through every single thing that I had tried myself, and then
he paused. After several seconds, he
said, “Did you pull the chain on the fan, because it comes from the factory in
the ‘off’ position?”
I
instantly felt a wave of embarrassment come over me. I had just had the ceiling fan equivalent of
an IT helpdesk call. “Is the computer actually
switched on?”
Of
course, it would be the simplest, most-obvious thing. I was just over-thinking it. As I always tell my associates when they are troubleshooting
an issue…always check security first. In
other words, start with the easiest solution and work toward the more
complicated. I should heed my own
advice. I was just schooled by a ceiling
fan.
