Electrical or Ariel problem?

[Deleted User]

Whenever, the bathroom light is switched on, I lose signal to 90% of my tv channels. This means that whenever someone is in the bathroom, no one can watch the telly until the bathroom light is switched off again. I’m not sure if I need an electrician or an Ariel specialist to sort it out for me. 

The bathroom lights are leds and it also turns the bathroom fan on. It started happening since a couple of weeks ago, but it was fine for four years since we moved in. 

Any advice/ideas of what’s happened? Do I need an electrician or an Ariel specialist to come take a look?

Any help appreciated as it’s starting to get really annoying

Thanks 

Section62

Deleted_User said:

Whenever, the bathroom light is switched on, I lose signal to 90% of my tv channels. This means that whenever someone is in the bathroom, no one can watch the telly until the bathroom light is switched off again. I’m not sure if I need an electrician or an Ariel specialist to sort it out for me. 

The bathroom lights are leds and it also turns the bathroom fan on. It started happening since a couple of weeks ago, but it was fine for four years since we moved in. 

Any advice/ideas of what’s happened? Do I need an electrician or an Ariel specialist to come take a look?

Any help appreciated as it’s starting to get really annoying

Thanks 

Possibly electrical noise from either the fan or the LEDs (or both) causing a problem with the signal.

You could go either way - either a TV expert to improve the protection the aerial system has, or an electrician to try and stop the 'noise' at source.

Do you know if you have a TV aerial amplifier (e.g. in the loft)?  If so, is it wired into the same (lighting) circuit as the bathroom lights and fan?

[Deleted User]

You could go either way - either a TV expert to improve the protection the aerial system has, or an electrician to try and stop the 'noise' at source.

Do you know if you have a TV aerial amplifier (e.g. in the loft)?  If so, is it wired into the same (lighting) circuit as the bathroom lights and fan?

No amplifier in the loft.

I did have an electrician in for something else more urgent, and I mentioned this problem but he just thought it was strange but didn’t really have clue why it was happening. 

So what would I ask an electrician to do?

Section62

Deleted_User said:

So what would I ask an electrician to do?

Step 1 - check and tighten all electrical connections on the bathroom light/fan circuit and see if the problem goes away.

Step 2 - Swap the fan and LEDs for a different make/model and ditto.

A crude approach, but without spending a lot of money on an electrical noise specialist there aren't that many alternative options.

[Deleted User]

This Ariel thing is downstairs in the lean to. The bathroom is directly above 

Section62

Deleted_User said:

This Ariel thing is downstairs in the lean to. The bathroom is directly above 

Having aerial equipment that close to mains wiring is not a great idea - but unless that socket is on the same circuit as the bathroom light/fan it probably isn't the main source of your problem.

[Deleted User]

Step 1 - check and tighten all electrical connections on the bathroom light/fan circuit and see if the problem goes away.

Step 2 - Swap the fan and LEDs for a different make/model and ditto.

A crude approach, but without spending a lot of money on an electrical noise specialist there aren't that many alternative options.

Ok,  I will try this thanks 

Bendy_House

Does your TV have a signal-strength meter on it - very often found under the 'tuning' menu?

I suspect your 'ok' signal - ie currently enough to give you reception - is borderline, so anything that might interfere even slightly with that could tip it below 'usable'.

(I'm not going to say anything about the seemingly quality of these coax connections...)

This started happening a couple of weeks ago - did anything, ANYTHING, change at that point? A bulb replaced? Anywhere?

A simple check to carry out is to turn off the fan's isolator switch (on the wall outside the loo?) and see if the bathroom lights on their own still causes this.

rob7475

Is the issue only when you are watching "normal" TV? If you have Sky or cable, are these affected? It may be worth checking if any work is being carried out on the TV mast for your area - it could be just enough to affect your signal.

It could be that amplifier in the lean to that's on it's way out. If you power that off, do you lose signal?

[Deleted User]

Hi,

just for clarification,

this ariel,

this is aerial,

Rodders53

THAT is a masthead amplifier power supply unit.  https://cpc.farnell.com/c/audio-visual/aerials-satellite/amplifiers-distribution/masthead-amplifiers?brand=sac
Powering off the mains to that supply box WILL lose all signal (as the amplifier stops working).

The brown coax cable IN is bent too sharply and may not be as well screen-connected as it ought to be... may be worth a re-make?  It seems to be old-school single-screened coax, too.  

LED lamps are the more likely culprit for the interference source (when they go faulty) ... whether by radiation into the ether and picked up by aerial/cabling (especially if not double screened) OR by conduction into the mains wiring.  Noting that lighting MCB/fuse connects to Sockets MCB/fuse at the consumer unit providing a path for such interference.
Fan motors have the potential to cause interference too and suppression circuits are built in to them to stop that.  Rarely such components fail. 

Eliminate by removing the lamps one at a time... or all of the lamps to prove it's the fan motor suppression components that have gone faulty.  It might be possible to get new suppression components for the fan or fit a new one.  {NB some bathroom fans are not 230V but 12V ac aka SELV and have a separate control box / transformer where the suppressors live.}

Elimination of interference at the source (faulty items) is ALWAYS better than having to try to stop it getting into an aerial installation (especially one that needs to be amplified).