How do I connect a Bathroom Fan from a Ceiling Shower Pull Switch????

POK321

Hi,
I want to put a wall ventilation fan in my bathroom. So far I have the hole in the wall and the fan is up. I have run a cable from the fan through the attic space to a point beside the pull cord for the shower ready to install a new pull cord switch independent to the shower. I now have two questions.

1. Can I take the LIVE, NEUTRAL and EARTH feed over from the shower pull cord?

2. If I do that I will then be left with Live/neutral/earth from the shower pull cord and the same from the fan. I bought a pull cord switch from homebase and it has the COM/L1/L2 points. What do I connect to what and into where?
Hope that makes sense.

Bruthal

If you want a fan independent of the light in the bathroom, it should be switched from a seperate light switch out beside the bathroom light switch, and then to a fan isolator maybe up high on the wall outside the bathroom, and it can be powered from the lighting circuit. If the bathroom light switch is a 2 gang, a 3 gang one can replace it. If its a single gang, a 2 gang can replace it, in each case, the new switch can now do the fan.

If you want to use the new pull chord for it, then this should be supplied from the lighting circuit, but should still have the fan isolator outside the bathroom. But i would swap it for a switch for outside on the wall myself along with the isolator.

Its an electricians job really, even though its a simple one.

No connection to it should be made from the shower supply.

POK321

The fan that was there previously was running off the shower switch for about 10 years. I did the bathroom up recently and changed the location of the fan and bought a new one. The main reason why I want to do this is so that I can leave the power on for the shower but if I do that the fan will run constantly so an independent ceiling pull cord switch would solve my problem. Any other suggestions rather than running back to the light switch?

Bruthal

If its connected properly to the lighting circuit, it can still be run independently of anything else. Its not a good idea to be connected to the shower circuit, even if it was for years previously.

TheBody

That's a +1 for robbies plan. It's the proper way to do it.

Stoner

you could use contactors to do what you want but it would be a bit of detailed work, the fan can't be fed from a 40 amp supply as the lads have said, plus you'd be using the pullcord isolator as a switch for the fan.

A mechanically minded person might recommend two pull cords beside each other one for the shower and one for the fan with the stings joined up, but there are few mechanically minded people here

The contactor option would be expensive and messy and you might be waiting a long time for financial payback against the fan being left on every now and then.

If you do a search here someone answered this question before with the solution included, it was pricey and difficult for a DIYer though.

Bruthal

If its required that the fan is off when the shower pullchord is off, one of them current sensors like whats ised in the priority units can be used to operate a small relay to control the fan. And then the second pull chord can be used to operate the fan off while the shower is on.

But the usual light switch and siolator and timed fan setup would seem simple and adequate.

M cebee

or the humidistat fan

maybe they should be on with light for smell's i suppose

awnow

Hi folks! I am wiring my new house at present. The way the fans are controlled is via a presence detector, recessed in the ceiling (neat!). A lightswitch could also be installed if you so wish to enable you to stop the fan from switching on automatically. I have not opted for the switch - my preference in this case.

Obviously the fan is still wired through a 3-pole fan isolator mounted at high-level outside the bathroom also.

N.B: you need an electrician to wire this. hope this is helpful!