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Toilet extractor fan giving up the ghost, what do I need to do?

8 replies

GsyPotatoPieEyed · 07/09/2012 01:18

Apologies if this is a stupid question, but I am a bit clueless about house maintenance.
Toilet under the stairs has an extractor fan which comes on when the light is turned on. It is slowing down and now giving off a burnt dust smell (it looks pretty thick with dust). Is there anyway to just switch it off/clean it or do I need to get an electrician in?

I so wish that houses came with an operating manual.

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Naoko · 07/09/2012 01:35

I have no idea if this is what you're supposed to do, but I Hoover mine, while it's off obviously. If yours smells burnt it may be a bit beyond that though...

nocake · 07/09/2012 18:18

Switch the power off at the fuse box, not just the light switch as the fan has a constant power supply. Take the cover off then you'll be able to see how much dirt is clogging it up. Clean it then put the cover back.

GsyPotatoPieEyed · 07/09/2012 19:21

Thanks will try that on Monday morning when the children will be out of the way.

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PigletJohn · 07/09/2012 20:46

also look around to see if it has an isolating switch (it should, but might not)

As long as the room does not contain a fixed bath, shower, sauna, jacuzzi or swimming pool, it is allowed to have switches and sockets in it. Fan switches usually look like a light switch with an enormously wide "switch" part, and are most often fitted high on the wall, near the ceiling.

You will probably find the duct is thick with exfoliated skin grey dust which is easy to clean out if it is a short rigid duct, but difficult if it is a long or flexible one.

If it smells hot, it may be worn out or clogged around the motor. You may lack the skills to dismantle and clean it.

A new fan is very cheap to buy and needs only basic electrical skills to fit. As long as the room does not contain a bath (etc) it is not notifiable work. A new fan can cost less than £10, but you can get a better/quieter/more powerful one in the £20 - £200 range depending on your whim and the depth of your pocket.

Devora · 07/09/2012 23:13

PigletJohn, can I hijack the thread to ask you a bit more about this? My bathroom fan is very weak and I'd like to fit a stronger one that actually does the job. Do they come in different strengths? Are they a standard size or do I need to measure up the existing one? Does your point about notifiable work mean that in a bathroom it needs a proper sparky to fit it? How much would you recommend paying for a decent one?

PigletJohn · 08/09/2012 02:06

most bathroom extractors fit a 4" hole in the wall (usually a 110mm plastic duct) and are interchangable. There are some that go in the loft above the bathroom ceiling (of which some are very powerful) and still a few that are recessed into the wall. The minimum extraction rate of the weakest fans is usually about 80 cubic metres per hour (nominal). The extract rate is usually shown in the advert or on the packaging. You can browse some extractor fans here

Some have a timer, which needs an extra wire from the switch, which will already be present if your old fan works that way.

People talk inaccurately about Part P.

All Electrical work is supposed to be done to standard and a certificate issued. Some work is not obliged to be notified under Building Regulations.

Approved Document Part P is about electrical safety and applies to everything in or attached to a dwelling or associated buildings, gardens etc.

Schedule 4 of the Building Regulations defines what is not notifiable.
You read through this to see if any of the clauses apply to what you are doing. If and when you reach one that does, you stop reading, because the work is not notifiable. If none of the clauses cover the work, it is notifiable. There are two routes to notify; one is to submit plans to your local authoriy's Building Control Office, pay their fees, fill in their forms, get their approval and follow their processes; the other, which is usually easier and cheaper, is to engage a contractor who is a member of a Competent Persons Scheme and is authorised to submit his own documents. It is your responsibility to ensure that he does. You might make it a condition of paying his bill. As Andrex say, a job isn't finished until the paperwork is done.

Removing a faulty old extractor and replacing it with a new one appears to me to fall within 1(a) of Schedule 4 so is not notifiable. However it still has to be done under the rules of Part P. One way of satisfying Part P is to carry out the work to the regulations of a body such as the Institution of Engineering and Technology (formerly the Institute of Electrical Engineers) which are also British Standard BS 7671. These are propagated in numerous training courses, handbooks and guides, and a Competent Person will (should) be fully familiar with them, and able to look them up in case of doubt. If he chooses to carry it out in some different way, he may be called upon to prove that his alternative method met the safety requirements of Part P, for example, in court following a fatal accident. Electricians usually prefer to avoid this.

This is in England and Wales. Scotland has some differences

Devora · 08/09/2012 09:45

Many thanks, PJ. That's very helpful.

GsyPotatoPieEyed · 08/09/2012 23:06

Thanks for the info Piglet.
The house is 15 years old and I think the fan is probably the same. No isolating switch in the loo that I could see but the upstairs bathroom has one. The fan in the bathroom doesn't work at all, but has been disconnected since before we moved in. I am keeping the light off in the downstairs loo now until I can get it looked at by an electrician as it definitely smells like its burning out. The one in the shower room still works but it's probably only a matter of time. I think I may just get them all replaced at the same time.

I also have 4 identical down lighters in the kitchen, 2 of them burn out the bulbs really quickly so I'm probably best get those checked too.

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