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[alorac]

A ceiling fan, consisting of a fan motor and 4 compact fluorescent bulbs, is controlled by an X-10 system.  In order not to place too much load on the X-10 module, the module controls an external relay which controls the ceiling fan, a system which has worked for years.  Recently, the ceiling fan would not turn off in response to the X-10 command.  After much troubleshooting, I determined that if I unscrewed a particular one of the 4 bulbs, the system would work;  if I replaced the bulb, the system would again fail to respond to the X-10 command to turn off.  The solution seemed clear:  a defective bulb.  Perhaps the bulb was generating noise which interfered with the X-10 signal.

I then replaced the bulb with a new bulb, but it didn't solve the problem!  I tried interchanging two of the four bulbs, but it seems that whenever any bulb is screwed into this particular socket, the system malfunctions.  Of course, I could just "solve" this problem by removing the bulb and getting by with three bulbs, but I'd really like to solve this problem.

Any suggestions?

[dave w]

Interesting....

What "X10 module" are you using to control the relay? A wall switch, to avoid "dimming" the fan?
Doesn't matter except the two wire wall switch is more sensitive to noise than a Lamp Module or a three wire wall switch (neutral being the third wire, and not a traverler wire for a three-way switch).

Try putting a CFL in the bad socket and no bulbs in the other three sockets, what happens?

With the CFLs back in the good sockets, put an incandescent bulb in the "bad" socket, what happens?

[JeffVolp]

CFLs are known to cause problems for X10 signals.  I use a set of 4 CFLs myself as a noise source when testing every XTB-IIR.  In my case the CFLs all produce noise in the X10 frequency band.  The random summation of the noise from multiple CFLs causes the noise level to pulsate, almost simulating X10 signals.

If you are using a 3-wire X10 relay switch, the simple solution is to install a Leviton 6287 filter between the X10 switch and the fan/light combo.  That filter is small enough to squeeze into a deep electrical box.  It is rated 5A, and will carry the combined load of the motor and the CFLs.

Jeff