Bathroom fan- yes, - another one.....

[ledonster]

we have recently moved into a 15 yr old house. The downstairs cloakroom has a silavent extractor fan which has not worked since we moved in. There is a blanking plate next to the light switch outside the cloak room. I removed this to find 2 sets of red, yellow, blue and earth isolated on 2 separate terminal blocks. I connected them together and the fan works fine but it is independent to the light and needs a switch. I am wondering what the blanking plate would have been. Could it be turned on from an isolator switch or would it have also been wired to the light switch next to it. I want to make use of the Fan but really don't fancy paying £40-£50 for an electrician to do such a small job. Any ideas would be brilliant.

 

[Echo the husky]

Would probably have had a 3 pole fan isolator, the wiring suggests the fan should operate when the light is switched on, then run on for the time set in the fan, after the light is switched off. The timer could be faulty or the fan wiring at the light/switch could have been altered.

 

[Taylortwocities]

As husky boy says. If your blanking plate is in an easy to reach place, then you could put a fan isoltor switch (they are 3-pole) there and robert's your mother's brother.

The wires may have been disconnected for other reasons (eg the fan is cream crackered). A few minutes work with a test meter will tell you that, but it needs some knowledge to do.
Unfortunately Norwich isn't on the way to anywhere, otherwise I'd pop over..

 

[EFLImpudence]

Unfortunately Norwich isn't on the way to anywhere, otherwise I'd pop over..

Great Yarmouth ?

 

[Taylortwocities]

Funny you should mention that. my grandparents used to live at Gorleston, and we went there for every school holiday. But they went to the great golf course in the sky 20+ years ago, so no East Anglia for me now.

Anyway, I've had another thought, is there really electricity up there now? Blimey!

 

[flameport]

Suggest you open the fan and check the wiring inside - possible that the line and switched line have been reversed, causing it to run continuously. Or it has no timer and has been connected to permanent line instead of switched.