Hello, Everyone,
My husband and I just bought our first house 4 months ago. It was built in 1996 and we are having strange issues with the lighting and ceiling fans. I do not know that much about electrical wiring or the proper terminology to use, so please bare with me. :) We think the issues may have started when the owners replaced the GFCI outlet for the pool pump right before we bought it. We asked them to do so when the general inspector recommended it, because it wouldn't trip. Once we moved in the "new" outlet stopped working within the first week. Now at least once a week or so, I will flip a switch and hear a pop - the light bulb will be dead. This has happened in the bedroom (ceiling fan light) twice, office (ceiling fan lights) several times, the living room (ceiling fan lights), the vanity in the master bedroom (had 8 bulbs in a line - I switched the bulbs out and it still won't work), the master bath, master closet (twice). I have tried the "long-lasting" energy-saving bulbs and it doesn't matter - they all keep dying randomly.

Also, last week, I wanted to turn the fan on in the office, I reached for the metal 'string' to turn it on and sparks started flying as it was hitting a screw on the ceiling fan.

Besides the fact that we are forced to stock up on light bulbs (and are constantly changing them), I'm worried that there may be faulty wiring or one of us may get hurt.

Anyone have any clue what this could be? Is a circuit just overloaded or something? Oh and the breakers never trip when this happens. Anyone have any suggestions?

Thank you in advance for reading this and for any information you may have! :)

Christina

Electrical problems can be pretty tricky. Since you only bought the house 4 months ago, is there still some kind of warranty on it? Often, the companies will include a short-term "wall-to-wall" warranty on newly purchased homes.

Check with them and see. If not, then find out who did the electrical work and see if they stand behind their work.

I'd hate to advise on an electrical problem over the internet, without seeing the problem myself.

Yeah, contact the realtor and go over the contract, the seller should still be responsible for outstanding problems such as this. If it was a problem within the first week you were in the home it was most likely a problem when the house was sold and before.

I know less about law than electricity. Still, I would dig into the law before the wiring. Maybe start with the real estate law forum here. Warranty or no warranty, I think the plumbing, heating, and electrical have to be in working order at the time of possession.

Fixing the problem may mean mucking about in the main panel, not a good starter project for a DIY.

Certainly not if you can have the top licensed contractor in the area do it at somebody else's expense.

The sparks, where were they coming from on the ceiling fan?

This is a serious problem, that is difficult to explain as there can be several reasons.

This needs to be checked and repaired now.

Have you called in an electrician?

This will not get better on it's own, and there is a serious hazard of shock and fire.

You can work out the legalities later, please get this repaired ASAP.

Hi, All - thank you for the advice. I called an electrician, who will be out here on Friday. The house was "in working order" when we did the walk-through and we signed off on it. The issues did not start until a week or two after it was purchased, but we will track down their real estate agent to see if anything can be done (there is no warranty on the house). More importantly, we just want the issues fixed and don't want anyone to get hurt. :) Thanks again everyone!

~Christina

''their real estate agent'' Better your lawyer, if you had one.