I finally got the old Otis relay in the Main Street building to stop chattering

It was driving me nuts for weeks, so I swapped out the standard 10-amp fuse for a slow-blow 8-amp one on a hunch. The chatter stopped completely, which was a nice surprise. I guess the inrush current on that old coil was just a bit too much for the fast-acting fuse. Anyone else run into something like that with the older relay panels?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_blair25d ago

That's a solid fix, and @ninasingh's story shows how these old systems can surprise you. Ever wonder how many weird fixes are out there for that same relay noise?

ninasingh25d ago

We had a similar relay hum in a panel from the seventies. The maintenance log showed three fuse swaps in two years. Turns out the mounting bracket had cracked, letting the whole assembly vibrate. Tightening the bracket did nothing, we had to weld a new piece of steel behind it. The noise stopped for good after that. Sometimes the fix isn't in the electrical path at all.