My question has to do with the on/off switch to the whole system. Can you repair the switch yourself if it is not working, by buying a new switch and replacing it. Or do I need to have an electrician since it is a major applicance?
When I opened up where the switch is located it made a spark and then nothing else happend, did the switch burn out?
Please help!
Thank You.
Gas, electric, heat pump?
Most AC elctrical switches will spark when turned off and sometimes a spark can be seen when turning it on. If it sparks when switched it is probably OK and there's something else causing it to not work. If you don't know how to safely troubleshoot your system or don't know where to look next, you should call a repair service. Whether it's electric or gas, oil or any other system, you can be injured or damage or destroy your home if the system is incorrectly serviced. As always, if you smell gas leave the house immediately without switching lights on or off and call the fire department from a different location.
snipped-for-privacy@aol.com wrote in news:1164294597.995724.139640 @j44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:
From the level of knowldege about elecricity evidenced by your question, I would strongly recommend that you have a licensed repairman fix it.
I know of cases where the homeowner was electrocuted while trying to fix such things, and one case where a licensed air conditioning repairman was electrocuted while working on an air conditioning system.
If you knew more about what you were doing, the answer might be different, but it sounds like you have no idea what is going on.
-- bz 73 de N5BZ k please pardon my infinite ignorance, the set-of-things-I-do-not-know is an infinite set. bz+ser@ch100-5.chem.lsu.edu remove ch100-5 to avoid spam trap
There are often multiple points at which current enters an HVAC system. Be careful.
-- The e-mail address in our reply-to line is reversed in an attempt to minimize spam. Our true address is of the form che...@prodigy.net.
Sure you can replace it yourself, however from what you've said here, it sounds like with your level of experience you should call an electrician, or at least get a book on home wiring. This isn't something to be poking around in blindly.
if you do not know how to replace a standard wall switch, CALL A QUALIFED SERVICEMAN!
else,
if it is the main emergency on/off switch (usually in a red box covered plate), then
FIRST, find the main circuit breaker for the furnace/heater at the mains box, shut that circuit OFF
then replace the emegency switch with an exact replacement, consult with hardware store guys abt this.
LAST, evacuate your home of alll valued possessions and living creatures, then turn the circuit back on.
next, test the new switch, if system remains non-functional, CALL A QUALIFED SERVICEMAN!
if you dont know what you are doing, CALL A QUALIFED SERVICEMAN! it is cheaper than explaining to the judge how you blew your house and neighborhood up.
Hi!
Most of these systems are pretty straightforward in operation. It would help to know what you have...brand, type, model, etc.
Also, where is this switch? Is it on the thermostat or somewhere else? I've seen furnaces that had a light switch wired inline on the AC supply in order to facilitate turning the furnace on or off.
Be sure to be careful! Turn the power, gas and anything else supplying your furnace off before you work on it. If you don't think you can work on it safely, call someone to do the work for you.
William
if you do not know how to replace a standard wall switch, learn how to do it first. Its very simple. Any person of normal intelligence can learn to do it easily.
how on earth is replacing a switch going to blow the neighbourhood up? If you've found some clever way, you best go into hiding before the terrorists find out.
NT
You don't know how clever some people can be!
is
news:alt.binaries.e-book.technical ASST NEW MTLS B 22 NOV 2006 --- "The Complete Idiots Guide to Electrical Repair - T. Meany (Alpha, 2000) WW.pdf"
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