Fan Speed Control/Light Dimmer

[Christian and Beccy]

Right guys, help me!! This has been going on for far too long!!

I have 350w of GU10 light in my Bathroom and a 60w Inline Extraction Motor. I need to control these from outside the bathroom.

I have a single gang box in currently, I could cut it to double gang, but I would rather avoid that if possible. What I want is a faceplate that can offer me Light Control/Dimming for the Halogen and (ideally) 3 or 4 position Speed Control (Off/Low/Med/High??) for the Extraction.

I'm open to idea's, but am absolutely sick of Googling. I have been to all my local Electrical suppliers and none have been interested in helping.

It's giving me headaches!! LOL.

 

[Adam_151]

Does the extractor fan state that its suitable for use with any kind of speed control?

 

[Steve]

Take a couple of bulbs out.

And its unlikely that the fan has a seperate feed off this switch. Its more likely tapped off the junction box in the loft. So you'd have to run another cable in anyway.

 

[Christian and Beccy]

Are you serious? Take a couple of bulbs out?

Also, the fan is currently controlled with the lights, it was wired this way to test and until something more permanent could be found. However, I am finding it annoying to listen to the fan running ALL the time I am in the bathroom. For example, if I am in the bath with the door open, there is no need to have the fan on FULL speed!

Another cable can be pulled down, or replace the current T&E with 5-core or whatever.

I am even considering cutting the single gang box to double or putting a second single gang box beside the current one, but this is a mission and work I would rather avoid. Also, I would then have 3 gangs of controls in a line (the floor heating controls are there too).

 

[RF Lighting]

Is the fan wall or ceiling mounted?

 

[Christian and Beccy]

It's an Inline Motor, mounted in the loft, serving 2 ceiling-mounted grilles via a Y-Piece.

 

[shortcircuit48]

The fan installed will require to provide a number of air changes to meet with the building regulations. Im afraid fans are not tailor made for individual bathroom sizes and will run at the same speed all the time.

Is this wind up time?

 

[Steve]

Are you serious? Take a couple of bulbs out?

Actually, yes I was. Nobody needs 350 watts of lighting in their bathroom. You might think you do, because halogen spotlights create a lot of shadows, but since this is the case, you should totally re-think your lighting solution and do your bit for the environment.

For 350 watts of halogen lights, you'd need 700 watts of dimming. They dont make 700 watt dimmers, so you'd need a 1000 watt one, which only come on their own, on a full single plate.

Also, your halogen bulbs wont last as long if you dim them. The halogen cycle relys on very high temperatures to work properly. Without heat, the halogen filament is slowly deposited on the quartz capsule, blackening it and shortening the lamp life.

And the building regs statement above was correct. I have never seen a bathroom fan with a speed control. This is because they run at one speed - the right speed! And having it on a seperate control to the lighting will mean nobody ever turns it on (scientifically proved).

Replace some of the halogen GU10s with a few GU10 LED capsules. These give off some light, but not as much. It will "clean up" the deep warmth of the halogen light - LEDs are much bluer.

 

[fleming'slefthandrule]

>Nobody needs 350 watts of lighting in their bathroom.

Christian & Becky may have a ginormous bathroom!

 

[plugwash]

And the building regs statement above was correct. I have never seen a bathroom fan with a speed control. This is because they run at one speed - the right speed! And having it on a seperate control to the lighting will mean nobody ever turns it on (scientifically proved).

whereas if it's on the lightswitch the hard to reach three pole fan isolator will spend all or nearly all it's time in the off position. Especially if the bathroom has an opening window which is both quieter and move conviniant.

fan with lights seems sane if a room is only used as a bathroom but most bathrooms aren't, they are used as toilet rooms, handwashing rooms, rooms to soak a buketfull of particularlly badly stained clothes and so on. Fan with shower makes sense for dedicated shower rooms but is electrically a pain. Humidistat is probablly the most sensible option for bathroom fan control.

 

[tim_s_uk]

Humidistat is probably the most sensible option for bathroom fan control.

Our humidistat (built into the fan) is variable, but it either doesn't come on enough or comes on randomly during the night.
I'm thinking of replacing it with something that's triggered by the pipes getting hot. Then it would come on with the shower and when washing hands. Does anyone know of such a sensor?

It wouldn't help if you wanted to have a quiet bath though

 

[Christian and Beccy]

The fan installed will require to provide a number of air changes to meet with the building regulations. Im afraid fans are not tailor made for individual bathroom sizes and will run at the same speed all the time.

Is this wind up time?

What I don't understand is that my bathroom has no legal requirement for a fan, so why can't I decrease the speed at times when its not needed??

Are you serious? Take a couple of bulbs out?

Actually, yes I was. Nobody needs 350 watts of lighting in their bathroom. You might think you do, because halogen spotlights create a lot of shadows, but since this is the case, you should totally re-think your lighting solution and do your bit for the environment.

For 350 watts of halogen lights, you'd need 700 watts of dimming. They dont make 700 watt dimmers, so you'd need a 1000 watt one, which only come on their own, on a full single plate.

Also, your halogen bulbs wont last as long if you dim them. The halogen cycle relys on very high temperatures to work properly. Without heat, the halogen filament is slowly deposited on the quartz capsule, blackening it and shortening the lamp life.

And the building regs statement above was correct. I have never seen a bathroom fan with a speed control. This is because they run at one speed - the right speed! And having it on a seperate control to the lighting will mean nobody ever turns it on (scientifically proved).

Replace some of the halogen GU10s with a few GU10 LED capsules. These give off some light, but not as much. It will "clean up" the deep warmth of the halogen light - LEDs are much bluer.

I wanted a very white 'clinical' look in there and the 10 GU10 fittings originally had 50w bulbs in. I then bought 20w bulbs, but these really were not enough, so I bought 35w bulbs, which is just right. GU10's aren't efficient, I know that, but particularly the fact that all 10 fittings are IP65 rated and 'waste' alot of light in their design. This is a fact.

Whilst referring to 'doing my bit for the environment', why is it so odd to want to control my fan? Why is it SO SO hard for you people to understand that not all situations require the same amount of extraction? I could have fitted a smaller motor, granted that, but from what I have learnt since running the fan on the lower of the 2 speeds that it can be wired to achieve, that wouldn't have kept the bathroom clear during showering, which creates alot of steam.

I guess it's pointless flogging a dead-horse with this forum, all I ever seem to get in here is abrasive answers. I get more help when I post on other non-DIY forums that I use.

DIY exists and always will with what tradesmen charge, how the hell could I have ever renovated my bungalow if I had to pay tradesmen for everything that I did? I would still be in rented accomodation if that were the case and in reality, the standard of the work that we have done is equal to or better than the standard of work that I have had to pay tradesmen to do.

Sorry to those that have been helpful.

 

[sparkybird]

Oerr, who rattled your cage (or should that be fan?).

The point was made early on that most fans cannot be 'speed' controlled and you never came back to us with an answer on if yours could, so why are you moaning?

As for your blanket comment about all trades being expensive and useless, well, let's just ignore that shall we? Tradespeople give freely of their time and advice on this forum to help out people like you, and this is the thanks we get. Ho, hum

SB