Is my extractor wired incorrectly?

[cam123]

Hi all, wondered if anyone could advise me on the following please:

I have had a downstairs cloakroom installed, including an extractor fan with an overrun timer (with isolator switch). My problem is that the fan does not come on with the light, only when the light is switched off, and then (no matter how much i adjust the timer setting) the fan stays on indefinitely.

To me, this sounds like it has been wired incorrectly, but the guy who installed it is trying to tell me that that fan just works that way and he hasn't done anything wrong.

I don't know if it's relevant, but during the installation process, the fan was initially wired seperately to the lightswitch and simply worked via the isolator switch, until i complained that that wasn't appropriate.

I have this guy coming back to sort out snagging points in a couple of hours, so any advice would me much appreciated!!

 

[mattylad]

It's wired wrong.

AFAIK a fan needs a fused permanent live & a switched live from the light switch (does this also need a fuse guys?).

I suspect that the guy has got it wrong, perhaps put the switched live in the wrong terminal in the light switch?
That would do what your saying it does.

Is he actually a qualified electrician & part P registered?

 

[holmslaw]

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[cam123]

Thanks guys for responding so quickly.

I suggested to my "sparky" (read "dodgy builder") what you both said and he seems to think that that will not help because this is not a new independant circuit and has come from the downstairs lights circuit.

Thus 2 q's:

1) Should they have done it as a new loop to the fuse box for me to comply with Part P regs?

2) Does this make any difference to your advice earlier?

Please keep in mind what i mentioned about how the fan was initially connected entirely independently to the light switch as this guy seems to think it an important point.

Thanks again. This is very very useful.

 

[holmslaw]

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[ColJack]

1. what is the extent of the new electrical work?
2. no it makes no difference to the advice.. your "sparks" is an idiot..
he has quite clearly connected the fan to the unused terminal in the lightswitch...

 

[cam123]

It was not my choice to have the light separate to the fan as i knew this wasn't right. The problem occured though when i said i wanted "to be able to isolate the fan with a separate switch" and he took this to mean that i wanted them entirely separate. To be honest i question him not understanding this because at the time he seemed to understand perfectly what i was asking him, he even drew a diagram with them on the same circuit. I think for some reason he wanted to wire them distinct from one another for his own reasons. That's besides the point though.

The new wiring consists of two mains voltage spots and an extractor fan in a new downstairs cloakroom. Also there is an additional spotlight just outside the cloakroom which is on a different switch.

He has now been messing around with the wiring in the switch and above the lights for two hours and has blown the fuse twice.

Should i impress even more upon him that the switched live in the light switch must be in the wrong terminal?

 

[ColJack]

if the switches and lights are down now and the wiring exposed, take photo's and post and we can advise further..

 

[cam123]

He has now made a call to an electrician friend who has told him how to sort it out. I hope.

It has all descended into a row about how i apparently asked for the extractor fan to be wired separate to the light switch and how my request has caused all of these problems. Not that i made such a request.

Anyway, thank you very much indeed for your help, it makes me feel much better to have people on my side as a "daft woman" having to deal with cheapo builders!

 

[holmslaw]

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[kevindgas]

if your not happy contact trading standards as by law an electrician working in a special location (of which kitchen and bathroom both fall within) he must be Competant and Part P registered from what has been said I doubt he is either.

 

[kevindgas]

P.S.

you should have 2 switches if the job is done correctly a light switch (fan and light) and an isolator switch (fan only)

 

[cam123]

He's still at it !

He's said that he is struggling because he has to "put in a new wire from the light switch" which sounds half logical given what has been said about needing the switched live and perm live too?

Holmslaw, thanks, that's a good idea and i will check that. How dangerous is it if he has wired the live from somewhere else ? Will i need to have this changed to get building reg sign off if it proves to be done in this bodge way? I'm basically wondering if i should be warning him at this point that i won't accept it being done that way.

I do know that i should have two switches though! I learnt that lesson whilst having a "relaxing" bath with the extractor noise as background ambiance.

 

[cam123]

Hang on though, sorry, in addition to the above, he has already said that the electric supply is to the nex cloakroom is from the downstairs lighting circuit, and so the live must be coming from there and not directly from the fuse box. The switches live is from the same circuit though, hope that makes sense.

 

[holmslaw]

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