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No extractor fan in bathroom - what are my rights?

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  • p00hsticks
    p00hsticks Posts: 14,437 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Not 100% sure , but I thought that pull cord lighting in the bathroom was not allowed anymore .


    Whereas I thought that pull cord lighting is the only sort of lighting switch that is allowed in a bathroom - if you have a standard 'rocker' switch it has to be outside the bathroom to avoid the risk of electrocution.
  • another_casualty
    another_casualty Posts: 6,506 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    p00hsticks wrote: »
    Whereas I thought that pull cord lighting is the only sort of lighting switch that is allowed in a bathroom - if you have a standard 'rocker' switch it has to be outside the bathroom to avoid the risk of electrocution.

    Thanks for clarifying :)
    I have the standard rocker switch outside the bathroom .
  • Section106
    Section106 Posts: 88 Forumite
    ...However recently our bathroom light switch (pull cord) keeps breaking. The electrician the landlady called out explained that it is very likely breaking because of condensation and he can fix the light switch but unless and extractor fan is fitted it will just keep happening.
    ....
    The landlady has told us she will look into putting a fan in but 'this is a lengthy and invasive process, so don't hold your breath' - direct quote. In the meantime she wants us to use the dehumidifier that came with the house religiously after we shower, and shower with the door to the bathroom open....
    I'm struggling to understand how "condensation" could cause a light switch cord to break multiple times in the space of a year. Usually they are a nylon-type material which is unaffected by moisture. Even if yours is a material which degrades in moisture, for it to happen regularly defies belief. Perhaps more likely the cord has been replaced with some kind of string which isn't appropriate for being pulled regularly.

    If the electrician thinks "condensation" is the cause of the cord breaking and hasn't considered using a waterproof type of cord, then perhaps the problem is with the electrician rather than the switch? An electrician with better problem solving skills should be able to find a way of improving ventilation without it being a "lengthy and invasive process".

    As FreeBear says, don't ever take extension leads into the bathroom. If you need to run a dehumidifier then have it in the room outside the bathroom. If the landlord complains then give them a copy of page 12 of this https://www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk/media/1591/how-safe-is-your-home-a5-leaflet-2014.pdf
  • AdrianC
    AdrianC Posts: 42,189 Forumite
    Eighth Anniversary 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    I assumed it to be the switch failing to operate, rather than the string physically breaking.
  • Section106
    Section106 Posts: 88 Forumite
    AdrianC wrote: »
    I assumed it to be the switch failing to operate, rather than the string physically breaking.
    Good point :o

    But even so, pull cords switches designed for bathroom use are supposed to be reasonably resistant to moisture - I still don't understand how a suitable fitting, correctly installed, could be failing repeatedly in the space of a year. Something doesn't sound right.
  • Stratus
    Stratus Posts: 254 Forumite
    Ninth Anniversary 100 Posts Name Dropper
    p00hsticks wrote: »
    Whereas I thought that pull cord lighting is the only sort of lighting switch that is allowed in a bathroom - if you have a standard 'rocker' switch it has to be outside the bathroom to avoid the risk of electrocution.

    It's not that simple.
    https://electrical.theiet.org/wiring-matters/issues/53/section-701-locations-containing-a-bath-or-shower/
  • markin
    markin Posts: 3,860 Forumite
    Sixth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    I bet the communal fan grill needs cleaning twice a year, it may even have a screen to keep the main duct clean. Or the fan has failed, hold some paper to it and see if the is any air flow/suction.
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