Where do I start

[jtaunton]

I have just installed a ceiling fan and light in my conservatory, using existing wiring, though I think it is the first time it has actually been wired up to anything.

I purchased the fan in France and, though it does not have any rating info on it, it is on a fused spur with a 3A fuse, and I am happy that the cable is meaty enough to handle this.

But......I am getting a rubbery smell at the other end of the conservatory whenever the fan is running, and I really think I ought to investigate.

Problem is that I have no idea where to start. Conservatory is built on a dwarf wall and has a tiled floor, but no evidence of where the cable run goes. Is there any 'standard practice' for running cables in conservatories ?

 

[mapj1]

No - usually the line of minimum effort -pretend to be the electrician, looking at what was there when it was built, and how would you make it easy for yourself. Failing that buy a cable tracer, but beware they don't find deeply buried cables or those shielded by metal structures.
Sorry to be negative, but you may well need to do some dismantling to see where things go.

 

[jtaunton]

Thanks Mike,

I managed to trace the wire and it had indeed gone the route of least effort - Down the conservatory extrusion, out the back wall, round the back of the house in a trunking and then back in to the downstairs ring Anyway, the wire is cool as a cucumber so I'm a bit less worried now.

My best guess is that it is still some burn-off of the grease from manufacture, so I am giving it a good extended run to see what happens.

My only other thought is that, given that it is French, it may be carrying marginally more current through the motor than it was designed to do, and something is happening to the insulation on the windings, but I can't really believe it was designed that close to the line. It came with English instructions too, from Brico Depot, so would guess it is fairly suitable throughout Europe.

 

[mapj1]

By pan-european agreement, both France and Britain use 230V, just they tend to be low, nearer 220V and we tend to be high, nearer 240V, as in reality all that has been re-engineered is the paperwork..
I imagine we will lower our volts when we run out of north sea oil..