A larger diameter hole (stated in the instructions) is drilled in the ceiling above the shower, bath etc.

When it comes to electrical work in the bathroom, as this is regareded as a “special location” by the regulations, any electrical work can and should only be carried out by a Part P registered electrician so that it is ensured the circuit is installed correctly and to regulations standard, can be fully tested once complete and finally a minor works certificate can then be issued to sign everything off. Although the above guides look at the installation from start to finish, all the information to swap out your broken unit can be found also.If this is in a ground floor bathroom, you may need to pull up some floor boards to access and wire up. Despite this, if you are unfamiliar with working on and around electricity then you are better off getting the pros in to do it for you! In this guide we take a look at how a timed fan unit or extractor fan with a built in timer is wired up, read on to find out exactly how. As we have stated above, if an extractor fan is being installed from scratch then this will need to be done by a qualified Part P registered electrician. As with the steps above, either a shower isolator switch is used that is normally installed outside the bathroom above the door or it’s possible to use a 3-pole pull cord switch that is usually installed in zone 3 inside the bathroom.

Also, for timed unit extractor fans, as there is an extra cable you can use 3 core and earth, however if wiring a standard fan with no timed switch, 2 core and earth is fine. There's a very good reason electrician's training takes so long and is strictly regulated by the IEE et al. Firstly the supply from the 3-pole isolator switch should be connected in to the junction box using a suitable 1mm or 1.Also, ensure that you do actually use a 3-pole isolation switch as they are much more complete than a standard switch as they isolate all 3 wires that need isolating; permanent live, switched live and the neutral.

As it’s in a bathroom, although it’s not required, the belt and braces approach is to fit a 3-pole isolation switch so that all potential live points; permanent live, switched live and neutral are isolated when the switch is turned off. This means pulling out the fuse or turning off the MCB for the lighting circuit the bathroom light is getting power from. Strip both ends of the cable to suitable lengths (manufacturer should state this in their instructions, if not see our stripping cable project here) and connect the switch end cable to the correct terminals. If you are installing an axial through the wall type fan then you may need to run a short section of pipe between the inner and outer sections so that it bridges the cavity as you don’t want to be pumping moist air down into your empty cavity as this will cause untold amounts of issues. A 4-termial junction box is required to connect up the fan, 3-pole switch and the pull switch, and is wired similarly to a ceiling rose or light junction box, utilising connections for earth, neutral, (permanent) live and a switch-live.For completeness we will also cover how a standard bathroom extractor fan is wired up to it’s own switch and not an existing light switch. This briefly covers the 2 main different types of extractor but for a full and detailed run down, see our types of extractor fan project here.

If you haven’t created any chases, ensure that any cables are clipped up correctly, pipework is secure and the fan unit fixed securely to a flat surface. If you are using an extractor fan isolation switch, these are generally installed outside the bathroom above the door. Some people on this forum (who dont get paid for it, mind) have taken a lot of care to put together guides to help with the more commonly asked questions.The 3 pole switch ensures complete disconnection of supply to the fan so that maintenance can be carried out safely, without the need for a qualified electrician to disconnect the wiring (N. We can all take cheap shots in life, breezer et al, but your credibility will be judged on how you judge others. The blase 'read the wiki' or 'god help us you're a moron' approach isn't condusive to encouraging people to post. Finally once all connected up the power is turned back on and the electrician then tests the installation fully to make sure all is well and correct and also that the timer turns the fan on and off for the set amount of time.