Guys if you could help I would be eternally grateful.....

OP, are there any other wires within the switch box of the switch you're working on, which are not connected to the switch plate?

They maybe in a terminal block(s) in the back of the switch box?

Can you upload a few photos of the wires at the switch, and if possible, the wires at the light and fan too, but don't worry ablut the last two if it's a major PITA.
 
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Yeah, we like pictures!

If we can see what you're working with, it gives us an idea of what's going on!

Remind me: was the old switch a single one?

Did the fan and the lights come on together?

Did the fan stay on a short time before switching off once the bathroom light was switched off?
 
I'm thinking loop in, loop out, and switched live on the browns, and fan SL on the grey. Are you thinking the same?
 
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riveralt said:
While it would be nice for everyone to have the knowledge required for fault finding electrical circuits, the reality is that is just not the case - get over it BAS.
Click to expand...
The reality is that if people do not have the required knowledge then they should not fiddle with things.
 
When I lost my virginity, I didn't really know what I was doing, I fiddled with a few 'things' and it worked a treat :D
 
And read and re-read a book written by Dr Alex Comfort.... ;)
 
DaftPunk said:
When I lost my virginity, I didn't really know what I was doing, I fiddled with a few 'things' and it worked a treat :D
Click to expand...
But getting it wrong was unlikely to kill you or the other person, start a fire, injure someone in the future etc.
 
riveralt said:
Ignore BAS he seems to be in a different world from the rest of us at the moment. His more recent apoplectic response to the standard of workmanship just highlighted this fact.
While it would be nice for everyone to have the knowledge required for fault finding electrical circuits, the reality is that is just not the case - get over it BAS.
Waits patiently for the flame :rolleyes: Sorry admonishment.
To OP the most important lesson you have learned from your experience is that you should always photograph or write down and mark how the cables are connected before you start any work - especially on lighting circuits which seem to catch out a lot of DIYers.
Back to your problem - which you may have solved already.
Can you tell me how the bathroom light and extractor fan operated before. I.e. did the fan come on with the light and did it go off with the light. Or did it come on with the light and stay on for a few minutes after the light was turned off.

Can you also photograph the conductors in the new/old dimmer/switch and the ones in the 3 pole isolator (big switch).
Click to expand...

Hiya thanks for your reply. It used to have a slight delay/timer on the fan so it stayed on for a bit after the light was turned off.
After a lot of effort last night I gave up with a frustratingly close result.
The lights now turn on in the correct position (light switch down) but there is no fan... THis is with the setup in the attached picture. I have tried a lot of combos to get to here. Whoever installed this left it in such a mess I'm not even sure pictures would have helped me much now!!!!

A pretty decent sparky friend says there are 4 wires cause of the timer on the fan.

bathroom light with fan

bathroom light with fan

 
If the fan used to continue after the light was switched off then it will have been supplied with a live and a switched live. From your diagram are the grey and brown wires running to the fan? Are you able to check the colour of cables at the fan?

When testing your combinations have you tried any with L2 not connected?
 
diyer56 said:
If the fan used to continue after the light was switched off then it will have been supplied with a live and a switched live. From your diagram are the grey and brown wires running to the fan? Are you able to check the colour of cables at the fan?

When testing your combinations have you tried any with L2 not connected?
Click to expand...

Thanks for your speedy reply.
I'm pretty sure those are the fan live and switched live but not 100% and don't really want to start tracing them at the mo as I think that can be avoided. The brown and grey cables both enter the box from the top of it and from within the same large white cable casing. Where as the other two browns are both in their own seperate white cable casing and appear to enter the box from the bottom of it. So as the grey and brown are together they must be the fan live and switched live??
 
D

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