Discuss Regs and extractor fan switch in the Electrical Wiring, Theories and Regulations area at ElectriciansForums.net

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The switched connection unit for the kitchen extractor fan and the lower part of fan is now behind a larger fridge, so the fan can't be operated without climbing onto a worktop.

I would like to replace the fan with a Manrose LP150STC, which has terminals for a switch on the live line, and bring the switch wires out of the front grille of the fan housing and connect them directly to a covered 2A side action pull switch fixed to the tiling. The pull cord can then be operated by threading the cord through a small eyebolt on the wall next to the fridge.

I couldn't find a similar 5A switch, so I would also replace the 3A fuse in the connection unit with 1A as the fan only draws about 0.1A .

Can anyone tell me whether the wiring regs would have any objection?
 
I think you are confusing things the 'switch on the live line' is a trigger to switch it on it then runs over when the power is removed.
Maybe what you are referring to is suggested in the attached booklet page which came in the box. The diagram could form part of a triggering system, but with no explanation it doesn't seem to be a requirement and is not much use without knowing the internal circuitry of the fan and nothing is mentioned about a trigger circuit on the webpage, leaflet or booklet.

What I meant is that the switch is connected between the live and switched/live terminals on the fan as the attached leaflet from the Screwfix website shows. My red arrow simply indicates moving the switch to just outside the fan but electrically this should be identical to fans where the switch is inside the fan housing and the pull-cord emerges underneath it.

As I see it, the fan remains on while the extra switch is closed, until you open the switch, at which point the timer kicks in, stopping the fan after the preset time. If you did not want an extra switch, you would just short the live and switched live terminals. This is a simple and logical circuit design and I can't think of any reason why any kind of trigger would be needed in a domestic kitchen installation.

Still it is clear that the world gets ever crazier and if this trigger you mentioned is relevant to my fan model, please explain why and don't be deterred by thinking I won't understand a technical explanation. I had to retire from seagoing work as ElectroTech Officer 20 years ago due to injury and haven't been involved much in electrical since then, but I have 30 years experience, with City & Guilds marine electronics, comms and navaids technician subjects up to an Engineering HND, including 440V power generation and distribution etc. so unless I'm getting feeble-minded or something 😟 I should be able to understand.
 

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As this is a kitchen, it sounds as though a new fan with a drawstring switch might be worth considering?
You may well have a point - now that you mention it, I could have put a small eyebolt underneath such a fan and threaded the pull-cord through to another more accessible eyebolt. Unfortunately though, the lower half of a fan like that would protrude as much as the current one, where the lower half of the fan is blocked by the back of the fridge and moving the fridge away further is not an option.
 
Can anyone tell me whether the wiring regs would have any objection?
As long as the 'wires' you bring out exit through a suitably protected hole (eg grommet) and are sleeved flex (not just single insulated), your external switch is designed for this sort of use, and it's in the manufacturers housing, and the workmanship is done to a satisfactory standard, then I don't believe the regs 'object'!

But you take full legal responsibility for the consequences of modifying a commercial product. In other words, in the (highly unlikely!) event of eg this catching fire and burning your house down (due to your modification), no insurance payout!
 
As long as the 'wires' you bring out exit through a suitably protected hole (eg grommet) and are sleeved flex (not just single insulated), your external switch is designed for this sort of use, and it's in the manufacturers housing, and the workmanship is done to a satisfactory standard, then I don't believe the regs 'object'!

But you take full legal responsibility for the consequences of modifying a commercial product. In other words, in the (highly unlikely!) event of eg this catching fire and burning your house down (due to your modification), no insurance payout!
Many thanks for that - I thought the circuit addition/modification issue might be a bit of a grey area and presume this wouldn't need a Minor Electrical Works certificate, as it is an extension of the fan itself.

Anyway, happily an electrician came round this morning with a much better idea and suggested a humidity fan which he will do next week with no need to cut into tiling or the ceiling and I can avoid doing it myself 😄
 
Is humidity the main reason for switching on a kitchen fan? It's one of the reasons, but not the only one.
Our kitchen is quite small and without the fan we get quite a bit of condensation on windows, tiling and a glass door, as my wife is in it for much of the day, and slugs have moved in behind MDF units under the sink and trek all over the place at night. I intend to replace the MDF with wooden framing and shelves so that they can't hide!

Short-term I want to eliminate condensation as the reason we are getting slight dampness at the bottom of a wall, before the wall is patched up and long-term we want to remove steam from cooking.
 

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