The ceiling light in my bedroom had not been working for awhile so I decided to change the light switch and the ceiling light. However, after installing them fuses continually were blowing (still use screw fuses). I unwired everything and just capped off the wires and made sure nothing was touching but fuses keep blowing or they are screwed in but there is no voltage coming through, as I tested with the voltage detector. What could the problem be?

 

Just a guess, but a house old enough to have fuses most likely has also old, brittle, cloth-covered wires. Check to see if one of them has cracked and is grounding against the box.

 

If the light previously wasnt working, and then you put the fan in and it blows fuses . . . are you sure that the problem was the light originally, and not the wiring? The fact that there is no voltage to the wires pretty much confirms this. You replaced the switch, check the wiring there. Check to see if there is voltage there. Make sure you put electrical tape over the switch terminals to be sure they're not touching the metal box.

When you had the fan installed, and the fuses were blowing, did the fan/light work before they blew?

Another question: when you cap off the wires, do the fuses still blow?

There are so many factors here. The problem is somewhere between the breaker box and the outlet box. It could be bad wiring, or a bad connection, or . . . something's bad in there. If you're even the slightest bit uncomfortable with troubleshooting this, call an electrician. You're dealing with things that can burn down your house.

Lastly, when you get any problems outside the fan itself straightened out, make sure the fan is wired correctly.

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