Installing bathroom extractor fan

[stinkwheel]

Going to fit a SELV type bathroom extractor. Supposedly it needs an isolator (I'm unclear exactly why).

So, where to fit the isolator?

Does it go in the 240V side or the DC side?

Does it go inside the bathroom or can it be up in the loft/outside the door.

Seems stupid to take 240v into the bathroom when there's no need to so I'd preferr to either have the isolator on the DC side inside the bathroom OR on the AC side up in the (floored) loft.

Part P blah, blah. Whatever. It's my house. It was like that when I got here. etc. If it was that much of an issue, how come someone managed to fit non-fireproof, unsealed, 240v halogen spots in the bathroom ceiling then sell the house to me?
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[faffergotgunz]

Usual practice is to mount the isolator outside of the bathroom on the 230v side. In a place where it can be reached.

The regs have changed in recent years to allow sockets in a bathroom. Provided they are in the correct zone (basically not in the area vertical of the bath/shower or sink) AND they are circuits protected by a RCD upto 30ma. Most households have rcds nowadays. So in you could mount the isolator in the bathroom if you needed to.

I used to mount the isolator and transformer next to each other, directly outside of the bathroom, high level (cables straight from the loft). Then run a 1.5mm cable to the 12v fan in the bathroom (via the loft).
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[faffergotgunz]

Edit: 230v sockets can be installed 3m from zone 1

Here's a drawing with the zones for you:
https://www.lyco.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Bathroom-Zones.jpg

(Been out of the domestic game for a while)
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[janner_10]

Just pull a live feed from light ceiling rose (or the switched live if you want it to come on and off with the light only), through said isolator and onto the fan.

You can fit isolator above the door on the outside, easy to fit with no dicking about if you have a plasterboard wall.

As mentioned, "It's been there since i moved in"
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[Wonko The Sane]

if it's any help, the extractor fan isolator in houses I've rented was usually above the bathroom door, 50/50 as to which side of the door it was above
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[stinkwheel]

Outside the door it is.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[hmmmnz]

as an electrician myself,

i say do what the fuck you want, wire it straight to the light, easy as pie, and its dead when the light is, safe as houses
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Wiring Diagrams BIDNIP it bitches

[J4mes]

As an electrician who fitted my own extractor fan despite never being involved in house bashing....

Isolator in the loft. It has to be close for maintenance of the fan unit, sowhere better than right beside it (I have a 240v fan as the original 12v unit I had couldn't suck a piece of bog roll against the grill, whereas the one I have now could hold a bowling ball)

Fed off the lighting circuit with a 3amp fuse.

Didn't bother with any of the timed bollocks, it's fed straight off the switched live from the light. Light on, fan on, light off, fan off.

[Ste]

But then you have to leave the light on to clear the stench of death.

[J4mes]

[stevo as b4]

I'm upgrading my bathroom extraction fan this weekend and sorry to jump on stinkwheel's thread. But a question though,

I want to fit an in line anti back draft flap valve in the loft in the 4'' duct. What do I do with the outside grille vent then? Can I replace my broken flappy shutter vent with just a meshed grille, or are you supposed to have one of those cheap crap plastic flap vents fitted on the outside wall as well?

The issue with replacing it is that it's high up on the wall, and hard to reach with ladders. Any new plastic flap vent will be cheap and crap enough to fall apart in a few years, and I don't want to get back up there ever again, so I'm thinking a plastic mesh vent would be a better option?

[stinkwheel]

[stevo as b4]

Cheers stinkwheel!
That looks ideal for what I need on outside wall and being Stainless it would match the porch exterior light too.

Good luck core drilling the 4'' hole though, I used a 700w drill to core drill a 50mm waste pipe though a double skinned garage wall, and that bloody struggled tbh! I reckon a hard wall and a 4'' hole would need a monster of a drill to get through it though!

[Raffles]

Anyone installing/replacing a bathroom fan should not consider fitting anything other than a timer version*. They're not just for removing turd stench, they're also very good at removing the steam generated by bathing/showering.

*Unless of course you don't mind condensation and mould on your walls and ceiling.
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[J4mes]

3 years no mould.

Just leave the window open while you have a shower and get dried.

light on, fan on, window open, plenty of ventilation, room clears fine.

[Monkeywrenche...]

[stinkwheel]

Opening the window is fine if you like a howling gale while you're having a shower. Also takes a long time to clear the condensation, letting expensive heat out.

Draughts = bad. Air flow = good.

The one I'm fitting has a smart humidistat. So it triggers with a sudden rise in humidity rather than the absolute level. Also doesn't come on if you're up for a piss in the night.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[J4mes]

Well you either leave the bathroom door open and get ventilation that way or leave the window open for ventilation.

If you rely on the fan to draw air through the gaps around the door it will take a month of Sundays to clear the air.

If you leave the window open without a fan there is not much force to move the air, so it takes longer to clear.

Obviously I don't mean leave it open as in fully open like you might if it was summer and 40*c inside and out. I mean leave it open enough to allow the fan to pull fresh air in to the room. We have a "top light" window and leave it open about 2 inches.

Works for us.

[stevo as b4]

Also most UPVC double glazed windows have those trickle vents built in, and I always leave them open. The fact that on a cold windy day you can feel a blast of air strong enough to move the vertical blinds, to me means that theres enough ventilation to let the fan do it's job?

I am another window open in the shower individual though, but hopefully with my new 260 square metre/hour fan I won't need to much longer?

[stinkwheel]

[J4mes]

Sealed my trickle vents because they sounded like a fucking Kazoo in the wind!

[Ste]

Isn't the lack of ventilation if you tape them up going to cause problems?

[stinkwheel]