A tale of repair (and cut-off jean shorts)

I love saunas.

I just don't like living in them. And sometimes during the hot season, it feels like that.

The only escape is a fan, something that will get the air moving and have a slight cooling effect. It was the first item I purchased when I arrived here last April and has served me well.

So when my fan broke down on Thursday afternoon, a repair was urgent.

Now, let me explain that my fan's demise was not immediate. It was a month-long process. It started a few weeks back when sparks started to shoot out of the fan when it was on its higher levels, but it worked perfectly on the low-velocity option. No pasa nada, right?

Well, the fan worked well for a a couple weeks on low velocity, and because I was content to have some air moving, maintenance wasn't urgent. But Thursday, it died.

My friend's brother is an electrician. I figured he would be able to give me some guidance on this quest.

And so began the road to recovery.

Well not quite. When I left my house to take the fan to my friend's, the fan was in one piece. By the time I got there, it had broken into several pieces. I wasn't worried. From what I have learned from reform programs, we break ourselves down before building ourselves back up again. Maybe it's the same for my fan and this was just part of the process.

So I arrived at my friend's temporary house with the blades in one hand and the base and cord in another (I say temporary because recent flooding has forced my friend to evacuate her house and live in a local preschool).

My friend's brother answers the door in a ripped polo short and uncomfortably revealing cut-off jean shorts. I can't actually tell if they were cut-off jean shorts made shorter of cut-off jeans made into cut-off jean shorts (Bio Dome, anyone?). He said that he'll take a look at it.

He took apart my fan on the floor, inspecting the various pieces and trying to explain it in technical Spanish. It kind of went over my head. From what I understood, it was a cheaply build Chinese fan, so it's not surprising that it broke. There must have been a short circuit some where because all of the wires looked like they were burnt. He spent forty minutes correcting this problem and putting the fan back together before realizing that there was a blown fuse.

He looked around the preschool for a fuse but said he didn't know where he put them during the move. I would have to find one and come back in the afternoon. Don't worry, he told me, there are plenty of electronics repair joints in town. You shouldn't have much an issue finding one.

So with the fuse in hand, I went to the store that he said would definitely have it. They said that they don't carry that product but the motorcycle shop down street carries them.

So I went there. They told me that they didn't carry them, but that the hardware store next door should have them.

They didn't. They told me that the audio system store down the street sells them.

They didn't. But the car electronics store around the corner is known to carry that gauge fuse.

They didn't, but they knew who does. There is a guy who lives three blocks away named Don Napoleon, his nickname is Maestro Piojo (Mr. Lice). I finally found his house and asked for Mr. Lice.

He does, they told me. (Finally, my quest had come to an end. It only took me five places but I have finally found what I'm looking for.) Unfortunately, he is in the hospital and won't be out until Monday. They don't know where he keeps.

By now, it was lunch time. I needed to regroup. At this point, I was without a lead or lunch.

After three peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, I was refreshed and read to continue. I returned to the first hardware store I went to. When I went there earlier, the son was working. Maybe the father would be back and might give me another lead.

The father was in and told me that he had a used fuse I could have, but that it still worked. He sent me to another hardware store on the other side of town that he was confident carried that kind of product.

They didn't. But they told me that a motorcycle repair place a block away would surely stock them.

They didn't. But the auto repair place a couple of blocks away is known to sell the product.

They didn't. But the electronics store three blocks away will definitely carry the fuse.

They didn't. But a place near the market will have it. No doubt.

They didn't. But he tried out the used fuse the other guy had given me and said that, while it's not recommended to use a used a fuse, it could maybe work.

Well, I didn't think there were any other electronic/motorcycle/car repair/obscurely nicknamed electronics repairmen left in town, so I headed by to the electrician with the used fuse.

I dropped it off. He called me an hour later and told me the fan was working. I went to his house and through his open roof I heard the magical humming of the spinning blades.

I brought it home. And as I am writing this, a gentle breeze is flowing through the house, really creating a calm, soothing environment. I'm pretty sure you can feel it through the computer screen.

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I dedicated an entire day to getting my fan fixed. I visited twelve different stores in search of a new fuse. Luckily my schedule is flexible and I can take off of work whenever I want. I can't imagine how someone with a 9-5 job would get there fan fixed. Then again, how many people in town have 9-5 jobs?