Wiring Extractor Fan

Jamster · Post by **Jamster** » Tue Nov 23, 2021 8:29 pm

Hi everyone

Hoping someone can help me figure this out.

Trying to install a new extractor fan. Had qualified electrician in for a few jobs so he attempted this. He took out old extractor switch from outside the bathroom and fitted a new pull chord in the bathroom. But when fitting the extractor, he said it wouldn’t work. He double checked wiring, said it was reading fine, with voltage across the extractor, but nothing. He tried switching a couple of the wires around, but still nothing. He was adamant the extractor was faulty, so told me to order new one, told me which wires go where and that it’s a simple job...

Well...managed to get another new extractor to replace ‘faulty’ one, wires up as he said (brown to L, Grey to LT and Blue to N, leaving Earth taped), but still nothing!
As you can see in the pics, I too had a 240v reading across the extractor, both with the brown in L or LT...and nothing.

Have we both missed something really silly? It’s my understanding that I can bypass the timer function by just using the brown and black wires...but either way I tried all manner of wire combinations and the bloody thing refuses to work. I’ve even had it connected to spare plug (brown to l/lt and blue to n), put it in a socket and still nothing (can’t be another dud extractor can it?).

The extractor fan is a HIB Breeze and I’ve included as many photos that I though may help, including circuit diagram.
If anyone can help that would be great, I don’t want an unnecessary and expensive call-out for anything simple.

Thanks.

Someone-Else · Post by **Someone-Else** » Tue Nov 23, 2021 9:12 pm

The fan will never work because it has never been told to run.

Try it again with a flex and plug (As you said you did before just to test it) but this time add a link from L to LT (or LT to L) since you are just testing it will not matter. oh, and Neutral to N

I will twiddle my thumbs while you do it, but DON'T rush

Jamster · Post by **Jamster** » Tue Nov 23, 2021 9:21 pm

Update...after watching a video saying the wires should be...brown to L, black to LT and grey to N...I’ve still had no luck.

Please any help guys?

Someone-Else · Post by **Someone-Else** » Tue Nov 23, 2021 9:26 pm

Jamster wrote: ↑Tue Nov 23, 2021 9:21 pmPlease any help guys?

Read my post.

Jamster · Post by **Jamster** » Tue Nov 23, 2021 9:30 pm

Someone-Else wrote: ↑Tue Nov 23, 2021 9:26 pm
Jamster wrote: ↑Tue Nov 23, 2021 9:21 pmPlease any help guys?
Read my post.

Just tried this (see pic) and the fan works.

So any idea what’s wrong with the wiring?

Someone-Else · Post by **Someone-Else** » Tue Nov 23, 2021 9:36 pm

Yep.

But I am on tea break. (back soon)

Neelix · Post by **Neelix** » Tue Nov 23, 2021 10:14 pm

Are you 100% sure which is the live, the switched live and the neutral?

Someone-Else · Post by **Someone-Else** » Tue Nov 23, 2021 10:22 pm

Nice tea break. (Ok, it was coffee)

Jamster, try this.
Brown into terminal L
Black into terminal N

Put that wago on the white one.
Now connect your meter to Black and White. What do you get ? (Picture nice, but you can type it)
Put the meter down
Now pull the pull cord ONCE
Connect the meter to Black and White. What do you get ? (Picture nice, but you can type it)

It is taken as read you isolate the mains while connecting/disconnecting wires.

Jamster · Post by **Jamster** » Tue Nov 23, 2021 10:30 pm

Wife’s made me give up for the evening...turning mains downstairs lights on and off all evening has done her in...and me to be fair.
I’m having my tea break now.

Il have a go at those instructions in the next couple of days and get back to you, thanks for the advice so far.

And as for knowing 100% anything...I have no idea...the rainbow of coloured wires in this house are ridiculous, and the pull chord have different colours too.

Thanks

Someone-Else · Post by **Someone-Else** » Tue Nov 23, 2021 10:37 pm

When you can, do as I ask, and let us know. We need to take it one step at a time. Oh, do have a biscuit, I did.

Jamster · Post by **Jamster** » Wed Nov 24, 2021 4:28 pm

Someone-Else wrote: ↑Tue Nov 23, 2021 10:37 pm When you can, do as I ask, and let us know. We need to take it one step at a time. Oh, do have a biscuit, I did.

Managed to follow your instructions...

First Reading across White and Black - 55.5v (pull chord was on)

One pull of chord

Second reading across White and Black - 1.09v (pull chord was off)
Pics attached.

What’s next?
Thanks

Neelix · Post by **Neelix** » Wed Nov 24, 2021 5:19 pm

call a "proper" spark?

Someone-Else · Post by **Someone-Else** » Wed Nov 24, 2021 5:41 pm

It has definitely got a connection issue, so this will not be an "instant fix"

Undo the pull cord and take a picture of the connections. (You might also want to take the wires in the pull cord out, and remake the connections, there should be more than 55v on the white (In your case) when you operate the switch.)

Jamster · Post by **Jamster** » Wed Nov 24, 2021 6:18 pm

Someone-Else wrote: ↑Wed Nov 24, 2021 5:41 pm It has definitely got a connection issue, so this will not be an "instant fix"

Undo the pull cord and take a picture of the connections. (You might also want to take the wires in the pull cord out, and remake the connections, there should be more than 55v on the white (In your case) when you operate the switch.)

Thought you might ask that, and was dreading it, as in the pull cord makes zero sense to me.
Here’s a photo of it all...il do my best to describe what I see too.

As you can hopefully see:
- 2 earth cables correctly earthed
- 2 blue neutrals looped using terminal
- brown cable entering pull cord
- red cable with brown sleeve on other size of pull cord
- then the mystery yellow cable with brown sleeve terminating nowhere.

From what I can see, these colours are coming from:
- one grey two core wire (blue looped, brown in pull chord and earth looped)
- one grey three core wire (red with brown sleeve in pull chord, blue looped, earth and mystery yellow with brown sleeve hanging).

Hope that all makes sense, in a way?

Neelix · Post by **Neelix** » Wed Nov 24, 2021 7:08 pm

Given the inconsistency in the colours and the lack of proper test kit I would suggest you find a proper spark and get them to do some dead tests - for a person with competence, proper test kit and years of experience fault finding something like this isn't hard