Type of light switch?

[Lber657]

Hi, the rocker switch on the front of this bathroom light switch has broken, I need to replace it. Could someone please confirm what type of switch this is?
It is a single switch, the only terminal that has power going to it is N1. All the others have no power going to them now that the light is off. With the switch turned on power only goes to N1 & N2, L1 & L2 are both dead.

Could i convert this switch to a smart switch using N1 as the live and N2 as the switched live. Both the L1 & L2 would then need to be terminated in a insulated terminal block?

Thanks for any help on this.

 

[Jurassicspark]

You will need an intermediate switch.

 

[plugwash]

The markings on the switch indicate that it is a double pole switch.

Double pole switches have a couple of uses, they can be used to switch both live and neutral of the same thing, but they can also be used to switch two independent things. This is useful when you want to have some items controlled by their own individual switches, while having another item or items that turn on when any of the switches are turned on.,

My best guess is that the "N" pole is being used to switch the light, when the "L" pole was used to control a fan shared between two or more bathrooms. The fact that you aren't detecting a voltage on that side suggests that the fan wiring may no longer be in use.

You will need an intermediate switch.

No he won't.

 

[Lber657]

There is a fan that is in the bathroom that I currently have turned off from a different isolator. The fan is turned on when the light is switched on. But to be fair, i'm not fussed about the fan.

 

[plugwash]

When you turn on that "different isolator" do you see any voltages on the "L" pole of the switch? if so then that would confirm my suspicions.

 

[Lber657]

your suspicions are bang on! I'm not fussed about the fans that a circuit controls in my 2nd bathroom and my kitchen. The isolator for the fan has been turned off since i moved into my apartment, too much unrequired noise with no benefit
I have previously had a electrician install a smart switch in my kitchen that controlled two sets of lights and the overhead fan. Looking behind the switch he installed, he's isolated the fan circuit meaning that it can't be turned off from a light switch anymore.
So i want to just bypass the fan and installl smart switches as planned. Grateful for the tech heads up! Respect!!!

 

[ericmark]

You will need an intermediate switch.

No he does not. He needs a double pole switch which look very similar. @plugwash is correct, the idea was if a two pole switch is used for the fan a second timed push switch or PIR can be used to turn on fan when lights are not in use. This was a requirement at one time for a bathroom with non opening windows. But since been dropped.

The Tapo (TP-Link) smart switch two gang switch will allow two outputs one for fan and one for lights, but only has one input, if the inputs are linked that's fine, and since it uses a battery the load on the switch does not need to be there for it to work, so should switch the fan on/off fine, most others not requiring a neutral will likely not work very well with a fan.

If you have a neutral at the switch then their are loads of switches that will likely work.

There is a count down timer that can be set with phone, but see nothing about if the off time can be set so there is the 15 minute delay. Never tried to set it.

 

[robinbanks]

No he does not

Plugwash already said it; why repeat it, highlighted? What purpose the emphasis? Should we all crowd round finding ever "louder" ways to proclaim JS's statement incorrect?

Not very civilised..

 

[Taylortwocities]

Plugwash already said it; why repeat it, highlighted? What purpose the emphasis? Should we all crowd round finding ever "louder" ways to proclaim JS's statement incorrect?

Not very civilised..

Look back at JS’s other posts. With respect to him, many of his posts are less than correct.

 

[Lber657]

Thanks for your guidance on this. I originally paid a local electrician to install a smart switch that controlled my kitchen ceiling & hob lights. The old switch would have been wired the same as this switch. So what he has done is to join the two wires that control the extractor fans in both the kitchen & my bathroom. I took the kitchen switch off the wall last pm ansd sure enough, there is a connector block behind the switch with the corresponding fan circuit's wiring. Upshot is that only the on/off switch in a wall cupboard can turn the fans off & on.

I wish that he had told me that he had done that, but because the fans are always turned off in the cupboard, i would never have noticed what he had done.

So I guess then i could repeat his wiring in the bathroom switch and join the two L wires with a connector block.

Grateful for the replies all.

 

[ericmark]

Yes you could, I have found this house no need for the bathroom extractor, and also in mothers house, but in my last house in Mold there was a lot of mould appearing. I realised all down to the glass panel and door around the bath, which encouraged the chimney effect and caused the moisture to be distributed around the room, where with mothers it was a wet room so no glass panels, and here no bath so panels seal at bottom.

The problem is the building regulations require a fan in a bathroom without opening windows to run on 15 minutes after being switched off, with mothers as soon as the inspector walked out of the door, the fan was turned off, but easy enough to switch back on if there is likely to be an inspection.

It seems the pneumatic switch complies it does not need to be connected to the lights. But I can't think of a reason why LABC inspector would ever return to see if the fan works, so can see no reason for repairing the fan.