Timed Bathroom Fan

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
Here is an image of a LEVITON which also should do the job. Select your button.

Doesn't that one require 120VAC to work? Won't work on a 12VDC RV fan...

I am fussy. I demand Intermatic® Some I put a thirteen hundred watt load on for ten minutes or so, daily and they have lasted years. I used an Intermatic for my revised 80 amp battery charger and the quality of the Intermatic is so much better than a standard charger wind-up timer it is a joke. I HATE electronic switched (SCR) timers. They don't time so well after they emit the inevitable puff of smoke.

Also Intermatic makes an electronic multi-button selectable timer 2, 5, 10, 15 minute plus on and off timer with a MECHANICAL relay. Good for 15 amps.

I use a utility knife to cut an outline hole in the wall. Fit the timer, then use the cover plate. I've seen OAK plates for coax that would be pretty but I cannot remember where.

The standard bathroom light timer sold by every electrical source store (hardwares, Lowes, Home Depot, et-al) is a spring wound (Turn past 10 minutes) timer with a simple SPST switch.. It will work find on 12 volts. No problem since it consumes no power other than that which you provide by winding the spring past 10 minutes.

camperpaul wrote:

Dutch_12078 wrote:
I don't know just how long you want the fan to run, but this typw of mechanical switch should work:

GE 15-minute Auto Shut-Off Switch

First the disclaimer:
In the 1980s, I worked for Intermatic as the Chief Electronics Mfg Engineer and Chief Test Engineer.

That GE timer is almost identical to the clock-spring timers made by Intermatic. They are available in various versions with different run-times, from 5 to 60 minutes.

Because they do not require electrical power to operate they are perfect for your application.

They can be used for switching any voltage from 6 to 240 Volts AC or DC. The contacts are rated for 15 Amps incandescent, which means they will safely handle the 200 Amp inrush of a 300 Watt heat lamp.

Thanks, Paul! Saved me all that typing... :B

I had the same problem. I bought a mechanical timer, I think at Home Depot, and installed it. It has worked for several years. Here is a photo.

camperpaul wrote:

Dutch_12078 wrote:
I don't know just how long you want the fan to run, but this typw of mechanical switch should work:

GE 15-minute Auto Shut-Off Switch

First the disclaimer:
In the 1980s, I worked for Intermatic as the Chief Electronics Mfg Engineer and Chief Test Engineer.

That GE timer is almost identical to the clock-spring timers made by Intermatic. They are available in various versions with different run-times, from 5 to 60 minutes.

Because they do not require electrical power to operate they are perfect for your application.

They can be used for switching any voltage from 6 to 240 Volts AC or DC. The contacts are rated for 15 Amps incandescent, which means they will safely handle the 200 Amp inrush of a 300 Watt heat lamp.

Dang, that is one of the deeper to-the-point posts I've seen on this, or other, forums. Thanks for sharing!

Dutch_12078 wrote:
I don't know just how long you want the fan to run, but this typw of mechanical switch should work:

GE 15-minute Auto Shut-Off Switch

First the disclaimer:
In the 1980s, I worked for Intermatic as the Chief Electronics Mfg Engineer and Chief Test Engineer.

That GE timer is almost identical to the clock-spring timers made by Intermatic. They are available in various versions with different run-times, from 5 to 60 minutes.

Because they do not require electrical power to operate they are perfect for your application.

They can be used for switching any voltage from 6 to 240 Volts AC or DC. The contacts are rated for 15 Amps incandescent, which means they will safely handle the 200 Amp inrush of a 300 Watt heat lamp.

Isn't that type of switch meant for house current?

I don't know just how long you want the fan to run, but this typw of mechanical switch should work:

GE 15-minute Auto Shut-Off Switch