Pete Verdon wrote:
Hi,

Currently, my bathroom has a fan which switches along with the light and
stays on on a timer afterwards. Most of the time, this is unnecessary -
if I fill up a glass of water before going to bed I don't need a fan
waking up everyone else in the house.

As part of my bathroom refit, I'm planning to disconnect the fan totally
from the lighting, and instead switch it via a flow switch on the shower
supply. I also want a manual button strategically positioned next to the
toilet flush :-). This would be a momentary switch so that the fan
starts and then runs-on on the timer.

My question is how to handle the wiring of this switch. I currently have
a nice brushed-steel button that would look the part. It happens to be
rated to 250v/5a, but AFAIK is not IP-rated. I also have a relay that
will switch a mains supply from a 6-12v signal current. One approach
would be to have the relay in a suitable enclosure in the roof space
above the bathroom, with the button controlling the low-voltage side
from below. This keeps mains out of the bathroom, but is it acceptable
from a regs point of view? I'm confident that I can built it safely, but
these aren't quite the same thing :-)

Alternatively, I could buy an IP-66 button (eg MP0031, http://is.gd/fdko
) and wire it directly. Would this be OK? The back of the button would
be inside a substantial piece of boxing-in, effectively a stud wall.
This would have access points in it, but not routinely openable (ie
require cutting sealant).

Cheers,

Pete

I went for 2 pull cords. One (with a shorter string) controls the shower
light and the fan, the other controls the rest of the lights. This
system has been in use now in both bathrooms for several years and has
been very successful.

Dave
Dave