Can Vents 100 MTHK Humidistat Extractor Fan be wired to normal plug?

kuss · 23 Jan 2017

Hi,

Just bought a Vents 100 MTHK Extractor Fan with Humidistat and Timer.
I want this to be controlled just by humidity levels.

I want to know if it can be wired to a normal plug, and how.
It's not for a bathroom situation, so it's not near any water.
It's only for a utility room that gets mould issues from steam drifting in from the kitchen.

The vent hole is already there, so I just have to do some screwing and wiring.

It would be perfect if I could just find out what kind of cable I need to buy and then run it down to a socket point that's near the floor below it. (that can be switched off or unplugged if ever necessary)

Is this possible and how do I go about doing it correctly, which kind of cable do I need to buy, (is it possible to do it with a regular 3 wire (Live,Neutral and Earth cable?) and what kind of fuse in the plug?

Much thanks, see included pictures of wiring diagram, etc, for clarity.

JohnW2 · 23 Jan 2017

kuss said:
It would be perfect if I could just find out what kind of cable I need to buy and then run it down to a socket point that's near the floor below it. (that can be switched off or unplugged if ever necessary) ... Is this possible and how do I go about doing it correctly, which kind of cable do I need to buy, (is it possible to do it with a regular 3 wire (Live,Neutral and Earth cable?) and what kind of fuse in the plug?

Yes, any normal sort of 3-core flexible cable (anything from 0.5mm² upwards) would be adequate, as would a 3A fuse in the plug.

Kind Regards, John

kuss · 23 Jan 2017

But my understanding is that it has a "permanent live" ( so the humidistat can always work) , neutral and switched live ( for the timer to switch it off i guess)

So if I use a normal 3 core cable, since there appears to be no earth connection, would I be able to use the earth wire as a second live wire, as in, 2 wires connecting to the live connection in the plug, as one is needed as permanent live and one as switched live (LT in the picture?) and then the 3rd wire as neutral. and no earth necessary?
If that makes sense!

or would I be better off just getting 3-core and earth cable with
perm live, neutral and switched live ( even though the earth cable would be no use, so my 3 core cable plan would do the same job? )

thanks for any input, as I want to run it by anyone experienced with installing humidistat fans in this kind of situation.

Taylortwocities · 23 Jan 2017

kuss said:
would I be able to use the earth wire as a second live wire, as in, 2 wires connecting to the live

NO WAY

It's an earth wire, and not insulated either. You need to use 3 core & earth cable.

kuss · 23 Jan 2017

Thanks, It didn't occur to me that the earth wire in the cable I'll buy might not be insulated.
I'll see if the local hardware has 3 core & earth cable.

But it'll be ok to run the 2 lives to the 1 live connection in the plug?

rsgaz · 23 Jan 2017

kuss said:
But it'll be ok to run the 2 lives to the 1 live connection in the plug?

That's a bit of a backwards way of doing it, ~~you can link them inside the fan unit with a short piece of brown wire.~~

edit:scrap that bit, the fan will run continuously.

rsgaz · 23 Jan 2017

Taylortwocities said:
and not insulated either

But they want flex, to go into a plug.

winston1 · 23 Jan 2017

Use normal 3 core cable and connect the live and switched live terminals together at the fan end.

Taylortwocities · 23 Jan 2017

Don't you need a switch as shown on the diagram?

Ln&e from the plug to the switch box, then 3c&e from the switch to the fan.

JohnW2 · 23 Jan 2017

Taylortwocities said:
Don't you need a switch as shown on the diagram? Ln&e from the plug to the switch box, then 3c&e from the switch to the fan.

As I understand it, he doesn't want 'timer operation', only humidistat operation. That only requires permanent L (switched by the socket) N and E (albeit there may well be no requirement for the E at the fan end) - so 3-core flex.

Kind Regards, John

rsgaz · 23 Jan 2017

Taylortwocities said:
Don't you need a switch as shown on the diagram?

No, because they want the unit powered continuously...

kuss said:
I want this to be controlled just by humidity levels.

Taylortwocities · 23 Jan 2017

The switch would provide an over-ride facility.
Which he will need when he discovers just how random the operation of humidity fans are.

JohnW2 · 23 Jan 2017

Taylortwocities said:
The switch would provide an over-ride facility. ... Which he will need when he discovers just how random the operation of humidity fans are.

True, IF it is unreliable in the sense of the fan not coming on when one would like it to. If it were unreliable in the other direction (coming on when it shouldn't), then the switch presumably wouldn't help.

Kind Regards, John

EFLImpudence · 23 Jan 2017

kuss said:
It's only for a utility room that gets mould issues from steam drifting in from the kitchen.

Probably better to fit the fan in the kitchen then.

JohnW2 · 23 Jan 2017

EFLImpudence said:
Probably better to fit the fan in the kitchen then.

Agreed, but I suspect that there are some practical considerations ....

kuss said:
The vent hole is already there, so I just have to do some screwing and wiring.

Kind Regards, John

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Can Vents 100 MTHK Humidistat Extractor Fan be wired to normal plug?

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