I've spent the day helping a friend move into a newish (15 months old) house. We've sorted out the mysteries of the central heating system etc. but we are puzzled by two 'islation switches'. One is above the door of the downstairs cloakroom and the other above the door of the upstairs bathroom. I've not come across these before. Please can someone explain what they might do?
TIA, Nick.
They will more than likely be for extract fans.
There may be carcass wiring in place for bathroom appliances like electric razors and extractor fans. Can you get details from the builder/developer?
They completely isolate the extractor fan in the room. They are unusual because they are triple -pole Neutral - Permanent live (for delay timer) - Switched live
Nick L coughed up some electrons that declared:
If it looks like:
HTH
Tim
Thanks to all. Both rooms have extractor fans - which for some reason had been left isolated. Both are working now.
Nick.
And you can bet will be switched off again inside the week - there's nothing more irritating than a fan running pointlessly for hours on end.
Why can't someone work out a proper solution to these (a one shot pull cord for example) instead of the now standard nonsense of wiring it to come on with the light?!?!??!
But they usually run for a few minutes after the light is switched off. then stop. Your solution is doomed because as everyone should know, you can't smell your own shit!
Like the one I fitted at my parents downstairs toilet. Momentary push button on the wall for a 10 minute run on the fan.
Adam
I replaced our bathroom light switch with a 2 gang gridswitch with a normal SP switch module for the light and a push switch module with the fan permanent live wired through the normally closed contacts. If the room's not smelly or steamy then we just prod the push switch after turning off the light on the way out to cancel the timer, otherwise leave it to run on the timer.
It suits us to cancel the fan when not wanted but it would be simple to wire the push switch to supply the fan switched live instead using the normally open contacts so that you prod the switch to activate the timer when desired.
What switch did you go for? Only ever seen ones with a little bell symbol on!
You make it sound like it's not hugely irritating.
Except that of the 892 trips per day into our windowless shower room, very few require the fan to run (bypassed the £$%^&* timer in here!)
Hi Scott
I fitted this
Adam
You'd think they'd make a switch with "SHIT" engraved on it, or "SMELLY". They do a lot of other wording.
Owain
Indeed.
It would stop visitors using the toilet asking what the switch was for.
"Do Not Press" would be a better idea and then they would press it and find out without asking.
Adam
Oooh, ta. I shall bear that one in mind when I get round to re-doing the bathroom. Previous owner had the sense to have the fan put on a pull cord but you can end up not being sure if its been unpulled. I could bypass the timer but I like the idea of keeping it!
The windowsless shower room has the same unit and I had to rip out (well bypass) the timer on that as the damn this got so irritating running for ages afterwards we took to just not using the loo in there for ages!
Adam
Now that's interesting. I'd thought of an emergency pull but the only ones I've ever seen have had red bodies too.
Your only other option is to use a double pole pull cord with a neon light to tell you if it is in the on or off position. It means getting a neutral to the switch. It is not a bad method as when you go for a shower you can turn it on and have it running whilst you have the shower and if you cannot remember if it is in the on or off position after getting dried you have a visual indicatior. eg
Adam
Now why didn't I think of that?!??!?!? Bungalow so an easy run for a neutral. Prefer the one shot idea though - I like to steam the bathroom up and only zap it after I've got out.
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