I’m not sure how else to find an answer to this question: Googling is proving useless. Backstory below, with detailed question in bold afterwards.
We’re in an old house, and just had an energy audit. The standout “WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU” moment came when the auditor saw the big dehumidifier we keep in the bathroom because our ceiling vent fan doesn’t do the job: apparently those dehumidifiers consume an enormous amount of electricity.
So I’m looking into replacing our vent fan/light combo unit. Two contractors didn’t even come out, just quoted a standard price. The third dude is awesome: came out twice to look at everything, including going into our crawlspace and up on our roof.
Turns out that part of the problem is that our current fan doesn’t vent to outside: it just vents into the crawlspace, because the previous owners were apparently drunken monkeys with a DIY fetish. The handyman can fix that. But the other problem is that our switchbox doesn’t have a neutral wire, and the replacement fixture I bought requires one. He said he can’t run that wire, but would be happy to install a different fixture that doesn’t require one.
So then, the question: How can I identify a good bathroom light/vent fan combo that doesn’t require a neutral wire in the switchbox? Better yet, if you have a particular model you’d recommend, I’m all ears!
See if the fan requires this or it’s the people doing the electrical work requiring it. I think switch loops (with only the hot wire) may not be up to code anymore. If that’s the case, it’s just a matter of finding someone that’ll do the work.
Does the fan come with it’s own wall switch? Some wall switches require a neutral wire. If it has a built in timer or sensor or the switch is lighted, it’ll require a neutral. If it’s just an on/off switch, it shouldn’t matter (electrically speaking).
Good question! It’s the fan. The handyman quoted the manual:
“The switch included with this ventilation fan requires a dedicated neutral wire connection. If a neutral line is not present, one must be run by a qualified electrician.”
Apparently because the switch has an LCD panel, it continuously draws low power at the switch itself.
The one I got is this one. It’s got a great Consumer Reports rating, but we’ll be happy with anything that’s reasonably powerful and means we don’t need to run the dehumidifier.
You need to find a fan without the fancy integrated stuff that requires a special switch. Most ‘dumb’ fan/lights will operate with a regular light switch. If you can control your current fan and light separately, from two switches, whoever installs the new one should be able to set it up the same way. But without that extra neutral wire, you’re not going to be able to do more than just turn them on and off.
Correct. The NEC was changed about 10 or 15 years ago or so to require a neutral in every switch box, specifically because of smart switches like what the OP wants to install.
There is no requirement to update old installations.
You have two choices. You can find an old fashioned fan that doesn’t require a fancy shmancy switch and will run just fine off of an old-fashioned switch loop (as @Joey_P suggests), or you can have an electrician run a new wire over. Depending on the layout of your house, the latter can be fairly simple or fairly expensive.
Not quite–a fan and light is all we want, not just a fan.
I think tomorrow my wife and I will have a hot date at Lowe’s and ask the folks there. Browsing their website it’s difficult for me to tell which ones will need a neutral wire and which ones won’t.