Extractor fan query

motherofstudents

I'm hoping someone can decipher what we have been told by two different electricians.
We had an airflow icon 30 extractor fitted in the bathroom, zone 2, about 3 years ago. It stopped working so we got an electrician round.

He tested it and said it was working so it must be the transformer that needed replacing but as that would be sited above the ceiling, he would have to cut a hole to access it.

This was just before Christmas so I said leave it for now. Last week we had another electrician to fit a light fitting and while he was here asked him to look at the extractor. He said it does not have a transformer and he could replace it quite easily. I said I'd get back to him.

We don't have the receipt but I was almost sure it was the 12volt selv which does have a transformer. Why would we get two different opinions on this ?

Could we just buy a new extractor, without transformer, and get that fitted. I would actually prefer a more powerful one as there is no other ventilation. It is very awkward to access the loft above the bathroom (bungalow) as there is a wall with only a few inches available to view. The spotlights were fitted before the ceiling went up. I hope that makes sense.

Can anyone shed some light on this please ?

sevenhills

motherofstudents wrote: »

Could we just buy a new extractor, without transformer, and get that fitted.
Can anyone shed some light on this please ?

I assume its 12v due to regulations relating to it being fitted in a bathroom full of damp air.
So maybe 240v are not allowed; I am sure someone will post more info soon.

Warwick_Hunt

sevenhills wrote: »

I assume its 12v due to regulations relating to it being fitted in a bathroom full of damp air.
So maybe 240v are not allowed; I am sure someone will post more info soon.

You’re allowed 240 volts in a bathroom, what do you think your lights are?

Head_The_Ball

I don't know your specific extractor but most bathroom extractors are self contained units. Any transformer is within the fan casing.

They are normally designed to turn on and off in conjunction with the bathroom lights.

There will normally be a two or three core 230 volt power supply.

A two core supply will be live and neutral. This is for fans that don't have an overrun feature.

A three core supply will have an extra live supply. This is required for fans that have an overrun feature. The fan can be set to run on for maybe 1 to about 20 minutes after the light is switched off to clear remaining humidity. The overrun time is usually user adjustable with a rotary control.

Replacing one should be straightforward.

Isolate the power, remove the faulty one, identify it if has an overrun feature or not and replace with a suitable alternative.

Please note that the above is a simplification. The electric wiring may be different. There may be more than 3 cores. There may be a separate switch for the fan, usually high above the light switch, so please make sure whoever does the job knows what he/she is doing.

Head_The_Ball

sevenhills wrote: »

I assume its 12v due to regulations relating to it being fitted in a bathroom full of damp air.
So maybe 240v are not allowed; I am sure someone will post more info soon.

I think that you are confusing the rules on the placement of 13 amp sockets, light switches etc in bathrooms.

There are detailed regulations covering what is and what isn't permitted but bathrooms can have equipment using 230 (or 240 volts) volts in them, in fact most do.

Lighting will be 230 volt far more often that not and electric showers and electric heated towel rails for example will almost always be 230 volts.

motherofstudents

Thanks everyone, appreciate the replies. That's interesting about the transformer being inside the casing. I'm glad I didn't let the first electrician saw through the ceiling !

Browntoa

Icon do a 3 year warranty , is it still in warranty ?

sevenhills

motherofstudents wrote: »

Thanks everyone, appreciate the replies. That's interesting about the transformer being inside the casing. I'm glad I didn't let the first electrician saw through the ceiling !

Sounds like he knows less about bathroom electrics than me

Head_The_Ball

I've just read some reviews of your fan here.

It appears to use a non standard hole so you may have problems finding a different model to replace it with.

It also appears to be very expensive at £80 to £90 plus.

Last year I bought a Primero fan with overrun for about £15. It is reasonably quiet and efficient.

motherofstudents

Some mixed reviews there. I found it reasonable and not noisy. We have it surface mounted on a 100mm hole where the previous fan was so I don't think it would be difficult to replace. We do have a lot of condensation so I really didn't mind paying a bit more if it worked and it did work better than the previous one. I'll certainly do a bit more research.

Not sure if it's still under warranty as, stupidly, we have not got any record of where we bought it from or when. Got receipts and warranties for everything else of course !

Browntoa

I expect it's an easy straight swap using the existing housing

Email icon support

https://www.airflow.com/contactus

Then Hunt round for cheapest price