Yes, the fan is blowing the right way. Yes it is wired thru a grounding relay. No there isn't a short. I performed the amazing ammeter stunt and the results are (drumroll)-----the fan spikes to 60 Amps when it comes on, then drops back to a constant 28 Amps while running. I don't really want to replace this fan, because of a ton of custom made bracketry. I think on Monday I will do some investigating to see if there is a self resetting circuit breaker that I can wire into the circuit, which will allow a temporary surge without going kaput. If I am really lucky, there may be one that will plug in where the 30 Amp fuse should go. What I really would like to know, is how many amps should a 15" fan draw.