Can Vents 100 MTHK Humidistat Extractor Fan be wired to normal plug?

[EFLImpudence]

Yes, I saw that, but that does not mean a bodge is good.

Fans do not prevent condensation.

 

[JohnW2]

Yes, I saw that, but that does not mean a bodge is good. Fans do not prevent condensation.

True. I think the greatest issue with what the OP is proposing might be that the fan may well just suck even more humid air ('steam') from his kitchen into the utility room.

Kind Regards, John

 

[EFLImpudence]

Exactly.

 

[kuss]

Hey guys, thanks for the responses.

Just to clarify, there is already a fairly decent working cooker hood in the kitchen, but a lot of condensation still finds its way to the adjacent utility room, probably because it's a cold unheated room next to the usually warm kitchen. I suppose the moisture will always find the coldest room to condense in.

Also, maybe i should have clarified it a little better, I want the fan to come on with the humidity sensor and to stay on for whatever length of time, about 30 mins or whatever, with the timer.

So, a 3 core flex running into a standard plug should do it?
I guess I'll connect the lives at whichever end of the cable is most practical if it doesn't make any real difference.

Then I'll just run it up the corner of the wall in one of those plastic cord covers.

All good? Appreciating everyones advice as I suppose its a simple enough little job IF you know what you're doing and I just wanted to be sure.

 

[EFLImpudence]

I want the fan to come on with the humidity sensor and to stay on for whatever length of time, about 30 mins or whatever, with the timer.

So, a 3 core flex running into a standard plug should do it?
I guess I'll connect the lives at whichever end of the cable is most practical if it doesn't make any real difference.

The fan will never stop.

 

[JohnW2]

I want the fan to come on with the humidity sensor and to stay on for whatever length of time, about 30 mins or whatever, with the timer. ... So, a 3 core flex running into a standard plug should do it?

Whether or not that is possible, depends upon the fan. I cannot find the 100 MTHK on the Vents website, so I suspect it may be discontinued, and I therefore cannot find any information about it.

Kind Regards, John

 

[rsgaz]

I cannot find the 100 MTHK on the Vents website

There is a generic PDF for all of the M range which states...

The fan equipped with a timer and humidity sensor is activated by the control voltage supplied to LT input or in case of exceeding
the preset humidity threshold value adjustable from ~60% to ~90%. After the control voltage is disconnected or as the humidity level
H drops below the set threshold the fan continues operating within the time period within 2 to 30 minutes according to the timer
settings. The turn-off delay time and the threshold humidity level are adjusted by turning the control knob of the respective
potentiometer T for timer and H for humidity sensor clockwise to increase and counter-clockwise to reduce the set value. To set the
maximum humidity level (90%) set the potentiometer control knob for H max position.

So don't connect the switched live at all, just the permanent live, and it ought to do what you want.

Gaz

 

[JohnW2]

There is a generic PDF for all of the M range which states...

Thanks for finding that.

So don't connect the switched live at all, just the permanent live, and it ought to do what you want.

Indeed - that's what most of us have been thinking/suggesting - so 3-core flex (2C + E, to a plug) would be OK for that.

However, as TTC has said, if one wants to be able to over-ride the humidistat in the sense of switching the fan on manually (when it wasn't on because of the humidistat/timer), then one would need 3 core (plus E) cable from fan to a switch, and then 2C+E from there to the supply (which could be plug/socket).

Kind Regards, John

 

[rsgaz]

Indeed - that's what most of us have been thinking/suggesting

Yeah, I was correcting myself from earlier, as I had said to link the live and switched live together in the fan. I wasn't thinking straight, as EFLI says, it would just run continuously. I was mixing up the 'more normal' scenario where someone who only has 2c+e at the fan position has bought a timer fan by mistake, but doesn't care about the timer feature and just wants to hook it up and make it work with the light.

Gaz

 

[kuss]

Ok, now it's all making even more sense, I can ignore the switched live, as that would only be for it coming on with a bathroom light or separate switch as mentioned above. That makes it even easier.

I've heard that humidistat fans can be a bit tricky with the setting of the humidistat requiring a bit of patience for some trial and error with readjusting.

I also have a separate in-line backdraft shutter, as the one that came with the fan had mixed reports on amazon, hopefully one of them helps keep out humidity from outside triggering the humidistat. Also one of those flapped outside covers.

I can keep the switch method as a back up plan haha

I'll hopefully get time to do this project this week and might even report back here.

Didn't expect this thread to get this big,
Thanks for your input guys!

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Am I the only one here who thinks that an extractor fan powered by a flex dropping down the wall to a plug into a socket is a horrible, ugly, cheap, nasty, couldn't-care-less bodge?

 

[JohnW2]

Ok, now it's all making even more sense, I can ignore the switched live, as that would only be for it coming on with a bathroom light or separate switch as mentioned above. That makes it even easier.

That's correct.

I've heard that humidistat fans can be a bit tricky with the setting of the humidistat requiring a bit of patience for some trial and error with readjusting.

Indeed. I have no personal experience, but have heard many reports of them being difficult to adjust and/or so unreliable/unpredictable as to be pretty useless.

I can keep the switch method as a back up plan haha

As I've said, if you find that the humidistat can't be persuaded to turn the fan on when you want it on, then a switch (maybe just a 'momentary action' press switch) would, if switched on and then immediately off (which is what would happen with the 'momentary action' switch), the fan would then come on just for the set timed period. If, on the other hand, the fan was coming on (due to humidistat) when you didn't want it on, you would have to switch it off at the socket (into which it was plugged) - but you would then (a) have to be around to notice the problem and (b) remember to turn it back on!

Kind Regards, John

 

[JohnW2]

Am I the only one here who thinks that an extractor fan powered by a flex dropping down the wall to a plug into a socket is a horrible, ugly, cheap, nasty, couldn't-care-less bodge?

It's only a utility room, and the OP intends a somewhat neater arrangement than you are suggesting ....

Then I'll just run it up the corner of the wall in one of those plastic cord covers.

In any event, it's essentially only a matter of aesthetics, and it's up to the OP to decide what is acceptable to him.

As discussed above, my greater concern would be that it very probably won't achieve what the OP hopes of it.

Kind Regards, John

 

[stillp]

Am I the only one here who thinks that an extractor fan powered by a flex dropping down the wall to a plug into a socket is a horrible, ugly, cheap, nasty, couldn't-care-less bodge?

No you're not, but the proposal has the advantage that it'll be easy to undo when he realises it isn't going to work.