wiring extractor fan problem...

[pwoody]

help!

recently had my bathroom taken out and my old leccy shower replaced by one running off the boiler. I have used the wire that was connecting the shower to the mains to connect to my new extractor fan. It won't work. A multimeter says that it has substantially less than 240v at the switch and i am unsure why.

I am going to check the in conection fuse i have put in as per the fans instructions, but other than this i'm not sure what esle to do.

Am i best scrapping using that wire and run it off the light supply?

 

[Spark123]

OK, just to make sure you have got a fused connection unit in there!
What sort of a fan do you have, is it a timed variety?
Can you post up some photographs?

 

[sparkyspike]

You'd have been better off using the lighting circuit in the first place as you say, and I would still do this if I were you, but you probably want to know why the old shower circuit doesn't work. Was the shower working before? Have you changed the breaker? What have you wired the shower cable into? An fcu? Have you checked all the terminal connections?

 

[pwoody]

the shower cable comes direct from the consumer unit, which previously had a 30 amp fcu in it, but the intructions said to change it to a 13amp (at least that what it seemed like it asked me to) so i changed it to a 16amp one as the closest i could get.

will try some pics tonight.

the fan is a timed fan with a live, neutral and a switched live.

the terminal connections are fine for what i have checked, but i have to check the fused connector tonight.

shower worked up until removal about 2 weeks ago.

the fan is one of these:

http://www.wickes.co.uk/Fans/Fan-with-Light-Pack-and-Timer/invt/713002

the instructions are typical wickes instructions ie rubbish. It didn't give me a list of what i needed to fit it, so i've been reading it, trying to fit it then realising that i can't fit the light wire anywhere, so i've got to get a junction box!

i think i'll change it to the light circuit tonight... i've put it on a switch which i intend to keep as i have a hole in the ceiling from the previous shower switch, so hopefully i'll get on ok.

 

[sm1thson]

the instructions are typical wickes instructions ie rubbish. It didn't give me a list of what i needed to fit it, so i've been reading it, trying to fit it then realising that i can't fit the light wire anywhere, so i've got to get a junction box!

connecting to the old shower circuit is unconventional, but i think could be done with some extra work (eg an FCU), but as you wish to (correctly) also have a feed off the light circuit then there may be further issues of having two supplies going to the one device, its probably just as easy to do it off the lighting circuit anyway given you need a feed off it.