I would like switches for extractor fan / possibly electric shower / lights in the bathroom. I don't want strings (too many) or switches outside (kids etc can switch them off when you're in there - its great fun !). Best solution - air switches or low volatage switches and relays ? Which is the best / most likely choice ? Or, I suppose a DIY mechanically isolated contraption. (Like a rope around a bicycle wheel or something). Any ideas ? Simon.
How many is too many? I can see you will only need two in you bathroom with a fan isolator outside the room.
Regards
Stephen
Air switches are preset time ie push and about and 30? seconds they switch off?
You can get a double pull switch whereby it can operate the light and a second pull operates the fan.
Our extractor fan switches itself on and off automatically, it's controlled by an humidistat. We're delighted with it!
We leave the shower unit switched on all the time, the shower itself is then operated by the button on the unit.
I wonder if something like the switch for some lavatory flush systems can be bought - the ones where you simply pass a hand over it without contact. Is that an air switch?
Mary
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I beleive that provided the IP rating is adequate you can use non-pull-cord types. A suitable one would be an outside MK membrane type.
On 26 Mar 2006 10:52:53 -0800 someone who may be sm snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com wrote this:-
If they are far enough away from a bath or shower then you can use ordinary switches. Whether people want to do this with a light switch that is frequently operated, in a room that will often be damp, is up to the designer. I wouldn't.
As others have said, the fan and shower don't really need switches that are operated regularly.
Those are the pneumatic delay types for staircase lighting.
You can also get air operated switches which have a pressure pad / bellow and a hose to a switching unit.
They used to be used in petrol stations to ring a bell when you drove over them, so the attendant could come out and serve you with your petrol.
Owain
You neglect to mention the size of the bathroom. However you can have ordinary switches if you prefer as long as you can place them in Zone 3 (or outside the zones althgether if it is a big room). Same applies to the fan isolator. Note that it should not really be placed outside the room with the fan unless it is a type that can be locked off.
If you are concerned about high levels of condensation on the switches then choose one witn a suitably high IP rating.
We were looking at a house the other day, with a retrofitted en-suite shower. The neon on the pull switch was not lit, and it had been mounted on such a high ceiling that the mechanical ON/OFF indicator was difficult to see.
For this sort of reason I dislike (distrust?) these pull-pull switches, so had a mild search for wall-mounted alternatives. There are a number of heavyweight wall-mounted rotary switches, meant for industrial use in wet areas. They provide a nice easy_to_see indication of ON/OFF.
Are such switches defined as acceptable in wet areas in the domestic situation?
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