How to swap out a single light switch for a double/dual?

[OCNewbie]

I live in an apartment, and in my bathroom, there is a single light switch. When you turn this switch it, it turns on both the 4 lights above the bathroom mirror, and the fan that's in the ceiling of the bathroom. I bought a double light switch, the kind that has 2 switches, one on top of the other. I want to either disable the fan altogether, or ideally, set it up so one switch controls the lights, and the other switch controls the fan.

Can anybody tell me how to do this, or lead me to an article, preferably with a video and/or pictures that details how to do this?

I know next to nothing about electrical stuff. I have located the breaker that shuts off power to the bathroom.

Any help would be greatly appreciated... having the fan turn on ALL the time is very annoying.

 

[mfenn]

Is your landlord OK with this? You're generally not allowed to make any alterations to the unit without his/her written consent.

 

[Ken g6]

There's no guarantee AFAIK that the wires for both run to the switch. One set of wires might run to one thing, then on to the other. So to do a dual switch you might have to run more wire. Might even have to get into the walls and ceiling if there are no conduits.

Disabling the fan may be easier, but I've never done much wiring.

 

[OCNewbie]

Yeah, I mainly just want to disable the fan. I would much rather it not come on at all than come on every single time I'm in the bathroom.

 

[waggy]

i would call the landlord. you fuck it up you are going to be in some trouble.

and why would you want to disable the fan?

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

if the light and fan are wired seperately to the switch this is an easy change, but more than likely they are daisy-chained and it will be more than an inexperienced homeowner can tackle.

 

[OCNewbie]

I was able to disable the fan. I'm good, thanks for the responses =)

 

[BoberFett]

/facepalm

There's a reason bathrooms have fans. They're not just there to get rid of the stench.

 

[JEDI]

I live in an apartment, and in my bathroom, there is a single light switch. When you turn this switch it, it turns on both the 4 lights above the bathroom mirror, and the fan that's in the ceiling of the bathroom. I bought a double light switch, the kind that has 2 switches, one on top of the other. I want to either disable the fan altogether, or ideally, set it up so one switch controls the lights, and the other switch controls the fan.

Can anybody tell me how to do this, or lead me to an article, preferably with a video and/or pictures that details how to do this?

I know next to nothing about electrical stuff. I have located the breaker that shuts off power to the bathroom.

Any help would be greatly appreciated... having the fan turn on ALL the time is very annoying.

the lights might be in series with the fan.

ie:
switch -> lights -> fan

if thats the case, you need to extend the wires from the fan to the switch, thus the fan will bypass the lights.

it is easy. go buy some 14 gauge wire that matches the wires in your wall. use the ground wire (green) to pull the new wire. remember to pull an extra ground wire to replace the wire you're using as a drag line.

 

[duragezic]

Dudicle, you don't want to disable the fan. Dirty, stank mold is probably gonna grow. It doesn't seem like much for the time you are showering and the door is closed but it really helps. And old house I lived in during college didn't have any fan, and even though I had the window open as much as possible (summer) it was stank in there.

 

[OCNewbie]

It has an AC vent in there, and it runs regularly, shouldn't that suffice?

 

[pcgeek11]

I know next to nothing about electrical stuff. I have located the breaker that shuts off power to the bathroom.

having the fan turn on ALL the time is very annoying.

Not nearly as annoyed as burning the frikin apartment complex to the ground or killing yourself.

If you don't know what you are doing you should leave it alone.

Call a qualified electrician.

 

[Brainonska511]

It has an AC vent in there, and it runs regularly, shouldn't that suffice?

The fan pulls air out of the room. All the AC vent does is dump air into the room. The fan will pull the moist air out and help prevent mold growth.

Is it really that annoying to have the fan on? I don't see the big deal. It's not like you have your office in the bathroom or something.

 

[OCNewbie]

Yes it WAS that annoying. My last apartment didn't have a fan. My mom's bathroom in her house doesn't have one. I'm sure it'll be fine.

 

[alfa147x]

That's just a bad idea. Mold is not fun. Hope when you have a mold problem your landlord hands you the bill for the fix.