modifying a bathroom extraction fan to have a separate pull cord.

[Rob Horton]

I have a bathroom extractor fan that is activated when the bathroom light is turned on and eventually times out when the light is turned off. This is a rubbish solution in my opinion since:

(1)To get the fan to run when showering, the light needs to be turned on even when it is daylight.

(2)When I want to turn the light on to use the bathroom but not have a shower, the fan turns on. This is especially annoying when you have just got your 2 year old son too sleep who then wakes up because of the noise of the fan.

(3) There is no way of quickly turning off the fan before a fully fledged (2) develops.

The best solution to me seems to remove the fan from the light switch and give it, it's own separate pull cord switch with a neon indicator so that you can tell if the fan is actually on or in time out.

Any reasons why I can't do this or is it just a bad idea?

[Owain]

You may be required under Building Regs to have a fan linked to the light especially if the bathroom has no natural ventilation.

You should have a 3-pole isolator switch for the fan, typically mounted near the ceiling outside the bathroom door, for maintenance and cleaning. That would turn the fan off.

Or you could refit it so it doesn't make so much noise. Fans shouldn't be noisy enough to waken somebody.

Owain

[Andy Dingley]

Humidistat?

My pull-switch makes more of a "Twang! Clunk!" than the fan does.

[Rob Horton]

The bathroom has a window. Anyway, I want to be able to use the light without turning the fan on and use the fan without turning the light on.

Sadly, there is no isolator switch. This wouldn't solve the problem since to use the fan, the light would have to be turned on. A pointless waste of electricity during daylight hours.

It's not that noisy. But my sons room is right next to the bathroom and surprising things can wake him up.

[Ian White]

Any recommendations for low-force, quiet ceiling pull switches?

(Previous applicants, Screwfix and TLC, need not re-apply.)

[Lee Nowell]

How is the fan wired to the switch?

[Owain]

Try "Dimpull", it's a dimmer not an on-off switch.

Owain

[ARWadsworth]

No problems at all. It sounds like a good idea.

Strictly speaking there should be a fan isolator but I will leave that up to you.

Adam

[John Rumm]

How about?:

will control the fan based on humidity, and you can always override it with a quick (silent) twist of the knob. You ought to have an isolator somewhere else for the fan as well, but since this is not for day to day use, it can be a clunky ceiling switch type.

[Ian White]

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind although the present bathroom lights are not dimmable.

[Ian White]

I wasn't the one who asked that question.

[Adrian C]

I have the same problem (with a fussy relative), and solved it with a pull switch series wired before the fan isolator switch. This switch (inside the bathroom but away from unsafe zones) has a neon indicator that neatly shows whether the fan is powered for timeout use, or disabled for nuisance control.

[Toby]

Also sell them.

[airsmoothed]

Funnily enough I've been having problems with a noisy extractor fan ( also in parallel with my bathroom light switch) - problems are due to the cowboy installer not the fan itself. Versions with proximity or humidity sensors are also available, the manufacturer is Manrose - customer service is excellent, email answered within a couple of hours, new part sent to me for free; the likes of TLC stock them.

[Rob G]

I think I've scanned through the posts enough to be sure I'm not repeating something someone has said.

Replace the fan with one that has a humidistat and a pull cord. I abandoned the light switched variety many years ago for all the reasons you have given - and am possibly in defiance of the rules as the bathroom has a non-opening window.

Have a look at these people

the required item appears on Ebay.

Rob

[NT]

Perfectly good plan.

You can choose either an on/off swtch or you could use a momentary switch, the latter will start the fan for the 20 minutes or whatever when pressed, and won't keep it running indeifinitely. You could also, if you prefer, get a momentary switch that will fit a half inch hole drilled in the fan casing.

I'd also consider unscrewing the fan and remounting it using added cut down rubber tap washers plus metal washers on each side of the fan case. I always fit them this way, and for an extra minute's work you get a much quieter fan in most cases. Ie wall - rubber washer - fan case - rubber washer - metal washer - screw head. When using this method, just tighten the mounting screws till there's no slack, dont go too tight or the noise reducing effect will be greatly reduced.

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