Bathroom Fan

[Scott'n'Wendy]

Anybody run wires down the wall and mount a switch for the bathroom fan in a place more accessible for when you are, uh, sitting down?
Just wondering if fishing the wire down the wall will be a clear shot or if there are things in the way.

[Jlawles2]

It may be a straight shot since the thermostat is in that wall along with the overhead light switch for the bathroom door.

[KSC_Travels]

Anybody run wires down the wall and mount a switch for the bathroom fan in a place more accessible for when you are, uh, sitting down?
Just wondering if fishing the wire down the wall will be a clear shot or if there are things in the way.

Scott'n'Wendy I'll let you know. I will be attempting this one next week - just received the switch yesterday. As Jlawles2 says - it SHOULD be pretty straightforward.

[Scott'n'Wendy]

Scott'n'Wendy I'll let you know. I will be attempting this one next week - just received the switch yesterday. As Jlawles2 says - it SHOULD be pretty straightforward.

Cool. Will look forward to your findings. I wasn't going to try for a couple more weeks yet.
Did you buy a two gang switch or another single?

[KSC_Travels]

Cool. Will look forward to your findings. I wasn't going to try for a couple more weeks yet.
Did you buy a two gang switch or another single?

Just a single. I thought about doubling up the existing switch (i.e. 2 gang) - but that looked like it might be a more complicated fish for the wires and I chickened out. So I am going to just place it on the other side of the doorway - where it is more "accessible"

Will let you know how it works out!

[acoleman43]

Maxxair fan with remote

[Scott'n'Wendy]

Where did you get your switch. GD?


Maxxair fan...sometimes you might want to have max air movement..lol

[Jlawles2]

Everyones favorite camper supply store https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I have one just waiting for a LED install. Just trying to figure out where to steal the power from. Thinking the Radio circuit and run the lights around the back of the trim for the slide.

[KSC_Travels]

Where did you get your switch. GD?

Or in my case... Amazon.ca with the north of 49 markup - https://www.amazon.ca/JR-Products-12...%2C214&sr=8-10

They also have doubles and triples - if so inclined.

[KSC_Travels]

Scott'n'Wendy Well I managed to get the bathroom fan switch installed. It wasn't particularly difficult, but the wire fish was a bid tedious.

First I removed the wall switch for the ceiling light over the stairs to confirm nothing in the way of the new switch (there isn't - the wall is hollow with luan panels on each side).



I then removed the inside bathroom vent housing (4 screws) which opened up "kind of" a view into the ceiling. There is fibreglass batt insulation and also had to contend with the AC ducting. However, from that view, it was pretty clear that the ceiling panel(s) runs continuously over top of the door and wall (i.e. it's not open to the inside). Fortunately, I could see an existing penetration for some OEM wires that ran down into the wall from the ceiling (likely AC control and the aforementioned ceiling light - not that it really matters). The attached picture sort of shows the view from the fan area into the ceiling towards the doorway wall. You can just see the OEM wires coming through the hole below the AC ducting. The black wires were the ones I fished through - If you look closely you can sort of see the white and orange OEM wires coming through there as well (sorry - couldn't get the phone camera into the cavity).



Now the tedious part... Took me a few attempts, but I was able to bend the end of a steel fish tape in just the right way to get under the AC ducting and then down through that existing hole - making sure no sharp edges so as not to damage the existing wiring. Needed about a 60 degree bend right at the end and if you maneuver it just right it will run up against the OEM wiring and then using them as backing, slide down into the wall. Sounds harder than it was - only took me about 10 minutes of fiddling. Once into the wall cavity it was pretty easy to feed down the wall to the opening for the existing hallway wall switch. Then just pulled a loop of wire back up through that wall to the vent opening.

Now that I had the wires run, I cut the opening in the bathroom wall (sharp utility knife - it's just thin luan) for the new switch. Didn't want to do this until I knew I could run the wires! Then fed the new wires back in from the hallway side to the bathroom side and connected the wires to the new switch (blade connectors). At the fan end, I removed the wires from the existing switch (also blade connectors) and then connected the new and existing wires together. Doesn't really matter which is which - the fan switch just interrupts the 12V negative ground side.



After checking for the on position of the new switch for proper orientation I attached it to the wall (2 x #8 screws). Put all the rest back together. Works great and now much more accessible while seated



All told, about 2 hours I think.

[Scott'n'Wendy]

Wow!
Thanks very much KSC_Travels

[StephenO]

Nice work KSC_Travels, not going to lie, reading your post makes me glad that our Imagine had this switch already and is reachable from the throne!

[Jlawles2]

KSC_Travels The magic question now is how to you get the vent open when it's closed and you are seated?

[KSC_Travels]

KSC_Travels The magic question now is how to you get the vent open when it's closed and you are seated?

Lol...Right?!

Luckily we pretty much leave ours open - has a vent cover on it. Otherwise - see post #6 I guess

[Yoda]

Anybody run wires down the wall and mount a switch for the bathroom fan in a place more accessible for when you are, uh, sitting down?
Just wondering if fishing the wire down the wall will be a clear shot or if there are things in the way.

The issue is getting through the wall top plate into the wall. From your floor plan I suspect your vent stack is in the wall behind your toilet. If so it should be easy to get the wire down that way beside the vent pipe. Good luck