Determining Extractor Fan Voltage

[DaveTiles]

Hi,

I need to replace the extractor fan in my bathroom, and as I want to buy a "drop in" replacement, I need to determine if the existing fan is 12v or 230v.

(I'm going to get a qualified electrician to fit the new fan, but I'd prefer to already have the correct fan when he arrives, so he only needs to make one visit).

I switched off the household power and took the cover off the existing extractor fan, hoping that I would see "12v" or "240v" or a model number printed somewhere inside the fan. Unfortunately not I did notice that there were two capacitors on the PCB rated as "270 VAC" and "250 VAC".

The rating of the capacitors suggests to me that this is a 230v fan - does that sound like a reasonable conclusion? If not, does anyone have any ideas how I might discover the voltage of the fan?

Thanks

Dave

 

[stem]

It sounds like a 230V fan, but the way to check is to see what it's connected to. A 12v will be wired to a transformer to step down the voltage to 12v. If it's connected straight to the mains supply then it's 230V.

A test with a multimeter would confirm for definite.

 

[DaveTiles]

Thanks stem.

I can't see any transformer, so it's all pointing to it being 230v.

Cheers

Dave

 

[RF Lighting]

Transformer might be in the loft.

I'm sure your electrician won't mind calling in when he's next passing to have a look. It'll only take a minute or so. I'd much rather do that and make sure I get the right fan than have a customer supply the wrong one, or an inferior super cheap ebay special, or one where the cable doesn't reach etc....