Down to the Last Fan

Yesterday the down rod arrived that I needed to complete the last fan install in the kitchen. I was not expecting it for a day or two. I also was playing volleyball last night so I was tempted to cancel it and just get the fan up. I didn’t.

Instead I started on the install before I left to play, getting far enough that the fan was up on the bracket before I left. When I came back I jumped right back in.

I don’t recall if I mentioned that the old fan in the kitchen was dead. I think I discovered why. The house wiring in that fixture was much longer than it needed to be, long enough that it had to have been pushed in there. I realized that one of the wires had damaged insulation. My theory is that insulation touched metal and shorted out the fan. You could tell the wire took some damage, it would also explain why the top mount of the old fan had rust on it. I cut the wires to a more reasonable length and repaired the damaged insulation with multiple windings of electrical tape.

When I got the wires connected I held my breath as I did the first fan power up. When I heard the initial “I’m alive” beep I did a sigh of relief. After I did the final finishing touches I stood back and admired the new fan. As in all the other rooms, the modern fan refreshed the overall look of the kitchen. I am now done with my part time fan installer duties for the foreseeable future.