Touch lamps going on and off with ceiling fan switch

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lejos

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I have a touch lamp and a tv that is connected on the same curcuit and every time I use the dimmer on the ceiling fan it causes the touch lamps to get brighter and the tv to go on and off. I replaced the dimmer with a switch and I still have the problem. I checked all my connections and wiring and everthing looks good. I'm leaning toward the fan having a problem but i thought i ask and see if one of you guys have seem this problem .
 
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I am putting this thread on a temporary hold. This forum is reserved for members of the electrical industry. We are not permitted to provide how-to assistance to a person who is not an electrician. Your profile only declares you to be a contractor, and that could just as easily be applied to a mechanical contractor.

If you are an electrical contractor, then please contact me via private message to explain. Otherwise, this thread will remain closed.
 
lejos said:
I have a touch lamp and a tv that is connected on the same curcuit and every time I use the dimmer on the ceiling fan it causes the touch lamps to get brighter and the tv to go on and off. I replaced the dimmer with a switch and I still have the problem. I checked all my connections and wiring and everthing looks good. I'm leaning toward the fan having a problem but i thought i ask and see if one of you guys have seem this problem .
Click to expand...

I take it you are using a remote to control the fan and a remote to run the TV, or is this contradictory to what may be interpreted? The removal of a dimmer switch on the same circuit indicates there is additional control somewhere between a touch lamp, a TV, a ceiling fan and a dimmer all on a common BC.

Could you give more detail? (I.e. Same room, year installed, code cycle constructed?) rbj
 
I have a touch control on a bedroom lamp. When I turn on the closet light in another room the touch lamp comes on. They're both on the same circuit. My guess is that it has something to do with the technology, (or the lack thereof) in the touch control.
 
infinity said:
I have a touch control on a bedroom lamp. When I turn on the closet light in another room the touch lamp comes on. They're both on the same circuit. My guess is that it has something to do with the technology, (or the lack thereof) in the touch control.
Click to expand...

I have a switch box mounted motion sensor for my laundry room.
Next to the laundry room is a bathroom.
When I switch the light OFF in the bathroom, the light in the laundry comes on.:confused:
 
I can sit in my driveway and key the mic on my CB and it makes the touch lamps in the house change just as if you were touching them. High, medium, low, off. Every time I key the mic, it changes states. It works up to about 100 feet away.

I can also light up a flourescent tube with my antenna, but that's a different topic.
 
Touch control under cabinet lights

Touch control under cabinet lights

I wired a house a few years back, I came back to do the finish work and found the central Vac installer who also sold and installed the cabinets had installed low voltage hockey puck lights under the upper cabinets. He cut the end off a touch controller and used metal duct tape to connect that single conductor to the under side of the entire length. So you could touch that under side anywhere and it would light. So I being the electrical contactor was unhappy having this guy doing any electrical work. I brought this to the attention of the inspector. I had them note on the permit I didn't do this work. No one seemed to care except me, because its low voltage. Anyway. the customers move in and I get a call. the Undercabinet lights flicker. I go there, I'm looking and I set my cell phone on the counter and the lights start flickering sometimes. The customers keep there phones there to charge. LOL. I said gee I don't know maybe you need to call the cabinet guy that did this electrical work.
 
In the simple way, it is not capable of connect it on the same circuit because the motion is very sensitive with the 3 items specified. It is better if you segregate the connection.
 
100218-0833 EST

Bad dessign of the lamp touch switch.

In all probability it is sensitive to small line transients created by switching other items. A line filter to the lamp with the touch switch might solve the problem.

My son is using a borrowed heat treat oven. Set at 650 deg it holds within a couple degrees. Turn on a particular CNC machine and the oven ramps up over 2000 deg. The other CNCs do not cause this problem. Obviously transient noise from this one particular CNC, and probably no line filtering at the input to the control circuitry in the oven. Moved the oven AC source to a 240 to 120 stepdown transformer on a saw and the problem was eliminated. This is a small oven so it is powered from 120. Our normal 120 is from a center tapped winding on an open delta.

I did not try a line filter because these were at home and not the shop. A line filter would have had the same effect of solving the problem.

It is not always easy to track down the entry point of unwanted noise.

.
 
I hope this is not as simple as the TV receptacle being controlled by the switch also. Sure is odd that a standard switch for a fan turns on the TV. I would try a different fan and see what happens.
 
mcclary's electrical said:
I can sit in my driveway and key the mic on my CB and it makes the touch lamps in the house change just as if you were touching them. High, medium, low, off. Every time I key the mic, it changes states. It works up to about 100 feet away.

I can also light up a flourescent tube with my antenna, but that's a different topic.
Click to expand...

My guess is that you are using a bit more than the legal maximum of 4 watts.

Do you know what that does to your brain cells?

If you are using over 100 watts on 11 meters you really should do an RF exposure evaluation. Call the FCC and they will send someone out to help you.

:roll:
 
lejos said:
I have a touch lamp and a tv that is connected on the same curcuit and every time I use the dimmer on the ceiling fan it causes the touch lamps to get brighter and the tv to go on and off. I replaced the dimmer with a switch and I still have the problem. I checked all my connections and wiring and everthing looks good. I'm leaning toward the fan having a problem but i thought i ask and see if one of you guys have seem this problem .
Click to expand...

Please, a bit more detail.

Some 'if, then' statements will help all of us. For instance...

IF I turn the switch to the on position, THEN the fan starts and the TV goes off.

IF I turn the switch to the off positon, THEN the fan stops and the TV turns back on.

I would also be curious as to what happens when you change the touch lamp to a regular one. An if then statement pertaining to the function of a regular lamp in that same receptacle will help.

My SWAG is that the receptacle used to be switched for the room light and at some point someone wanted an outlet in the ceiling and did some creative wiring in the process.
 
K8MHZ said:
My guess is that you are using a bit more than the legal maximum of 4 watts.

Do you know what that does to your brain cells?

If you are using over 100 watts on 11 meters you really should do an RF exposure evaluation. Call the FCC and they will send someone out to help you.

:roll:
Click to expand...

You are correct, ther may be a few more watts than the legal limit, and I run on 10 and 11 meter, with no side effects:D
 
Dennis Alwon said:
I hope this is not as simple as the TV receptacle being controlled by the switch also. Sure is odd that a standard switch for a fan turns on the TV. I would try a different fan and see what happens.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but if you unplug a touch lamp it will go off and it won't come back on just by plugging it in.

I don't know what happens when you open and re-close a neutral, though.

Cycling requires a change in capacitance at the lamp housing. Besides touching it, RF can do it as can impositions on the conductors.

See my post about taking the touch lamp out of the picture. Do you think it makes sense to at least try that?
 
mcclary's electrical said:
My radio is straight out of the box, if it's illegal, I'm unaware of it. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Click to expand...

To transmit on 10 meters without a license is illegal.

To transmit more than 4 watts on CB is illegal. (Unless it is SSB, then you get 12 or so)

To transmit outside any band you are authorized on is illegal.

The FCC treats possession as use. If you are caught with an illegal radio you will have to prove that you did not use it, which will be tough since I assure you they will have recordings and results from direction finding analysis.

Now you know.

Nonetheless, if you are using more than 75 watts on 10 or 11 meters and you are in close proximity of your antenna, an RF exposure evaluation should be performed. The way to do it is based upon NEC calculations and is outlined here:

http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Engineering_Technology/Documents/bulletins/oet65/oet65b.pdf

This is NOT junk science, either. If you exceed your limit to RF exposure you most certainly do stand a chance of a health hazard, the worst of which may not become obvious for some time to come.
 
K8MHZ said:
To transmit on 10 meters without a license is illegal.

To transmit more than 4 watts on CB is illegal. (Unless it is SSB, then you get 12 or so)

To transmit outside any band you are authorized on is illegal.

The FCC treats possession as use. If you are caught with an illegal radio you will have to prove that you did not use it, which will be tough since I assure you they will have recordings and results from direction finding analysis.

Now you know.

Nonetheless, if you are using more than 75 watts on 10 or 11 meters and you are in close proximity of your antenna, an RF exposure evaluation should be performed. The way to do it is based upon NEC calculations and is outlined here:

http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Engineering_Technology/Documents/bulletins/oet65/oet65b.pdf

This is NOT junk science, either. If you exceed your limit to RF exposure you most certainly do stand a chance of a health hazard, the worst of which may not become obvious for some time to come.
Click to expand...

I only listen to ten meter radio, and talk on 11 meter. Since I only have one antenna, and it's tuned for 27.205 mhz. And I'm well within your 75 watt limit. I ran power years ago, but not anymore. And the FCC is severely underfunded and are not as enforcing as you make it sound. Turn on 27.225 and tell me I'm wrong.
 
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