A PIR-controlled extractor fan with a timer now starts automatically when staff enter a Bulwell office bathroom.
A quick summary of this project
This job was at a commercial office building in Bulwell, Nottingham. The bathroom extractor fan was on a manual switch, so staff had to remember to turn it on.
We installed a PIR sensor and an extractor fan with a timer. The fan now starts automatically when someone walks into the bathroom and keeps running for a set time afterwards, so staff don’t need to touch a switch.
What the customer's situation was before we got involved
The office bathroom’s extractor fan was operated by a switch. Every time staff used the bathroom, they had to remember to turn the fan on, and often to come back and turn it off again.
In a busy workplace, that’s easily forgotten. The fan either doesn’t run when it’s needed or is left running when nobody is there. The business wanted something simpler: an extractor fan that works on its own as soon as someone walks in, with no switch for staff to think about.
The work carried out on this job
We were asked to make the bathroom extractor fan at the Bulwell office building work automatically.
To do this, we installed a PIR (passive infrared) sensor in the bathroom. A PIR sensor detects movement by picking up the body heat of someone moving within its range. When a member of staff walks in, the sensor detects them and switches the extractor fan on straight away.
We also installed the extractor fan, set up on a timer. When the bathroom is empty and the sensor no longer detects movement, the timer keeps the fan running for a set period before it switches itself off. That gives the fan time to clear moisture and odours after someone leaves, rather than cutting out the moment they walk out of the door.
The manual switch is no longer needed to run the fan. Staff simply walk into the bathroom, and the PIR sensor and timer take care of the rest.
The result is a bathroom that ventilates itself automatically, every time it’s used. Staff get the convenience of not having to think about a switch, and the business knows the extraction is running whenever it’s needed.
Common questions about this project
A PIR sensor detects movement by picking up body heat. When someone walks into the bathroom, the sensor switches the extractor fan on automatically. With a timer, the fan keeps running for a set time after the room is empty. In this Bulwell office, it means staff no longer need to use a switch.
The timer, sometimes called an overrun timer, keeps the fan running for a set period after it would otherwise switch off. That gives it time to clear moisture and odours once someone has left the room. On this job, the timer works alongside the PIR sensor, so the fan runs on after staff leave the bathroom.
Yes. A fan that runs from a switch can often be changed to automatic control using a PIR sensor, with a timer for run-on. At this Bulwell office, we installed a PIR sensor and an extractor fan with a timer, so the fan now starts as soon as someone walks into the bathroom.
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