# Wiring for replacing a bathroom fan, heater, light and night light unit.



## tgallopbs (Oct 31, 2010)

I am replacing my bathroom vent that has a fan, heater, light and night light with a new very quiet Broan unit that does the same things. The switch has 2 toggle switches. One for fan and heat neutral position in the middle. The other toggle controls the light and night light. 
I removed the old unit which had 5 wires coming from the unit. The wires coming from the wall up into attic consists of to lines. Line one has a black, red and white wire along with a copper ground. The other line has a white and black and ground. I got to the point where light, night light, heater was working with there respective switches. Tried to add the fan into the mix and messed the thing up. All the diagrams  that come with the unit show both lines have 3 wires each. The one that seems to be the problem is the missing red wire. Any ideas on what I'm doing wrong? Thanks.


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## AllanJ (Nov 24, 2007)

Legally you cannot do it.

You need four colored (not green) wires, for fan, regular light, night light, and heater respectively. And one white wire for the neutral.

Now if the power comes to the light fixture first, you can connect the night light to the raw (unswitched) power and you have enough wires down to the switch box for the other three items. Not quite what you wanted because the night light is now on all the time.


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## tgallopbs (Oct 31, 2010)

*bathroom unit*

The original wiring was what the electrician had when the house was build.
I did get it to work but then came up with another problem described below.

I turn each function on it it works individually.
With the light on and I turn on the Fan, it doesn't go on
If the Fan is on and I turn on the Light, the Fan goes off.

With the Heat on and then turn on the light, the Light doesn't turn on but Heater stays on.

What are your thoughts?

Tom


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## tgallopbs (Oct 31, 2010)

Allen, here is what I have connected

The wires are as follows for the unit:
Blue- Light
Red-Fan
Yellow-Night Light
Red-Heat
White
White w/red stripe

I have the following connections
Line 1: Black to yellow
White to White

Line 2: Black to Red
Red to Blue and Black
White w/ red stripe to White
Both ground wires grounded

Can you tell me what I did wrong?
Thanks,
Tom


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## tgallopbs (Oct 31, 2010)

The original wiring was what the electrician had when the house was build.
I did get it to work but then came up with another problem described below.

I turn each function on it it works individually.
With the light on and I turn on the Fan, it doesn't go on
If the Fan is on and I turn on the Light, the Fan goes off.

With the Heat on and then turn on the light, the Light doesn't turn on but Heater stays on.


Allen, here is what I have connected

The wires are as follows for the unit:
Blue- Light
Red-Fan
Yellow-Night Light
Black-Heat
White
White w/red stripe

I have the following connections
Line 1: Black to yellow for the night light
White to White

Line 2: Black to Red for the Fan
Red to Blue and Black for the Light and Heat
White w/ red stripe to White
Both ground wires grounded

Can you tell me what I did wrong?
Thanks,
Tom


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## Lurlene (Sep 1, 2010)

AllanJ said:


> Legally you cannot do it.
> 
> You need four colored (not green) wires, for fan, regular light, night light, and heater respectively. And one white wire for the neutral.


I don't know about law, but he has 5 colored wires, theoretically enough for the job. 
I bet it could work, but need more info.
Tom, did you record which wire went to which color of the old unit?
Maybe you can share the manufacturers 6 wire instructions with us.


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## Lurlene (Sep 1, 2010)

The switches are a mystery too. Is it possible to get a pic of the wires on the switches? Maybe some of the more experienced folks here have seen these 2 and 3 position toggle switches you describe, but I haven't. Searching...


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## frenchelectrican (Apr 12, 2006)

Can you post us the model numbers ?? then we will go from there and is this cables is NM or BX or MC or Greenfeild { flexiable metal conduit }??

And where the power source and by the way with heater verison it have to be on it own circuit due the wattage rating. { typically required 20 amp circuit }

Merci.
Marc


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## tgallopbs (Oct 31, 2010)

Here is a picture of the switch that came with the original bathroom unit 10 yrs ago. See my previous posts to see the wiring descriptions.


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## frenchelectrican (Apr 12, 2006)

Can you unscrew the cover ?? but do NOT unhook the wires at all just leave them alone and we will figure it out from there.

Merci.
Marc


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## tgallopbs (Oct 31, 2010)

There were 5 wires going to the older unit. The new unit has 6 wires. Did you read my post on what wires I have and what I did? On the old unit there was only one White wire. This unit has 2. One plain white and one white with a red stripe. The older unit has a white to the yellow and the other white to white. Seems like that be something that could help but I don't know. I always connected white to white


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## frenchelectrican (Apr 12, 2006)

I did read it that why i *ask* for the model number of the unit so I can able give you a straight answer how to hook up and what more is this heater is on own circuit or tied to the bathroom circuit ??

More info the better it will help your situation.

The key item due I can able look up the manufacter wiring diagram to show the proper connections so I can help you with it quicker.

Merci.
Marc


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## tgallopbs (Oct 31, 2010)

Here are the pictures on inside the switch plate.

The Fan is Red to Red Romex
The Neutral is Black To Black to other Neutral Black
The Heat is Blue To Black

The Light is Brown to Black
The Neutral is Black
The Yellow is Night Light to White

Then there is a White to White inside the box


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## tgallopbs (Oct 31, 2010)

Hi Marc:

The new unit is a Broan QTX110HL very quiet fan .9 Sones

The old unit was also a Broan or Nutone that had a fan, heater, light and night light.

The switch is from the old unit. Since it was doing the same functions, I thought it would work with the new unit.
Like I said, each function works individually as the switch implies.
It's when I add the other switch function is where I have problems.
Thanks for your help. Isn't this a challange!


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## frenchelectrican (Apr 12, 2006)

Give me a minute I will come up the connection diagram { I have to change it from French to Engish in here }

Merci.
Marc


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## frenchelectrican (Apr 12, 2006)

Ok found the PDF file on this one and scroll down to thrid page it will show the connection diagram.

And by the way the white and white with red strip that is netural so double check that one.

Voila le link.,

http://www.broan.com/ImageLibrary/broan/pdf/InstallGuides/99043413.pdf


Merci.
Marc


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## Lurlene (Sep 1, 2010)

Super pictures of the switches, Tom, Thanks!

So we are working with switches from the old installation,
and romex from the old installation,
but a new light/heat/fan unit.
The manufacturer calls for 6 wires, but we only have 5.
The tough part will be that yellow connected to white in the switch on the right. It looks like the other white wires, but must be switched because it is wired to the switch. It is a puzzlement

Well thanks to Marc we have a diagram of the new unit, Thanks Marc!
Whoops, here's a slight inaccuracy: Tom says the heater wire is red where it comes out of the unit, but the instructions say the heater wire is black. Hmmm. On the bright side the diagram says the white wire and the white/red stripe wire at the unit should be connected to the white wire from the power source, aka neutral. They could be both be wire nutted together, eliminating the need for the 6th wire.

What do you think?


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## Lurlene (Sep 1, 2010)

Oh, scratch that color inaccuracy, I read the posts again and the diagram and Tom agree that the heater wire at the unit is black.


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## Lurlene (Sep 1, 2010)

Our story so far...


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## AllanJ (Nov 24, 2007)

In your latest diagram, if you connected the wires in the left to right order shown (3 whites in the middle as one bundle), it should have worked.

White from below to yellow night light.
Black from below to blue main light.
White from below to both white and white/red neutrals of light/fan set.
Black from below to black heater.
Red from below to red fan.

I am guessing that the separate white neutral and white/red neutral was to give you the choice of putting the heater on a different branch circuit from the light. When things are put on different circuits, the neutral for each thing must connect only to the neutral that accompanies the hot wire being used. Alternatively some models of heater/fan units may have a 240 volt heater in which case black and yellow on one side and red/white on the other side would be the 240 volt connections.

However the leftmost white from below is what is not legal as a switched or unswitched hot up to the night light. Had that wire been a different color (but in the same place) then things would be perfect.

Nitpicking follows.

If the heater was 240 volts (and the fan 120 volts) you could not have the same single pole (with single common terminal) switch select heater versus fan.

The 6 wire "requirement" was probably mentioned because cables usually come with two or three wires as opposed to four or five. A correct way of wiring this is to have two three wire cables. The white wire in one cable is connected to the red/white wire of the fan unit with black to the main light (blue) and red to the fan (red). (Neutral and corresponding hots in same cable).


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## tgallopbs (Oct 31, 2010)

OK Thanks for all your Help.

So it looks like I will do the following:
R to Red (Fan Vent)
B to Black (Heat)
W to Yellow (nite Lite)

B to Blue (Lite)
W to W and WR

Do you agree? Thanks


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## Lurlene (Sep 1, 2010)

Yeah, but so far I don't see a way to tell which white romex goes to the night light. Or which black goes to the heater, for that matter.


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## frenchelectrican (Apr 12, 2006)

I am seriously advise you get a coloured electrical tape and remark one white conductor so you know that is used for nightlight connection so you don't get mixed up with the real netural is.

Merci.
Marc


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## AllanJ (Nov 24, 2007)

Ah yes, remark both ends of the white wire for the night light yellow wire, better yet cover as much as the exposed white as possible. Makes it look better although it still does not meet code. You may also mark one of the black wires to distinguish it from the other. You could use red or blue tape for both.


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## tgallopbs (Oct 31, 2010)

Thanks all of you for all your help. I will let you know how I make out when I make these changes.


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