Bathroom extractors

[HaplessHousewife]

I know, not exactly fun on a Friday night!

So, my builder reckons you have to have one that comes on with the light ? really annoying in the middle of the night but my pil have been told they don't have to have one at all as they have an opening window (as do we).

I'm quite happy to have one but want it controlled independently (which is how we have it at the moment) so that we can just put it on when showering.

Does anyone know what the regulations are because I've googled and can not seem to find the answer!

[Fizzylemonade]

I had them fitted retrospectively at my last house. I had a large switch put over the outside of the door for the bathroom one but for the en-suite I had a pull switch fitted so that at night we could turn it off.

I had a new consumer fitted at the time as there was no space on the consumer unit for the electric shower and I had a full certificate given which complies with building regs etc so I can't see why you can't have the pull switch too.

[nocake]

I don't think your builder is right. I've just looked at the building regs and it doesn't say anything about the extractor coming on with the light. However, for more accurate advice you could call your local building control dept.

This assumes your work needs building control approval. If it doesn't then you can do whatever you want.

[Pannacotta]

My electrician (who is very well up on all the regs as he also teaches) told me it is fine to have a fan which is controlled separately, ie by a switch outside the room.
I also didnt want one coming on in the middle of the night.

[HaplessHousewife]

Thanks for the replies, sounds positive. At the moment we're just having the bathrooms done but will be having an extension later in the year so building control will be involved at some point I assume. I'll try calling them and see what they say.

In our old place we had a fan that came on with the light and I just never turned the light on when I had a shower so it defeated the object anyway ? in this place I use it every time because it's not connected to the light!

[schloss]

We have fan which comes on with the light, however there is an isolator switch outside of the bathroom just for the fan. For building regs to be passed the switch was on so fan came on with light. Isolator been switched to off ever since! Bathroom also has a window so never need fan! HTH!

[SwedishEdith]

We have isolator switches outside bathrooms and hardly ever turn them on. All passed Building Regs