Wiring in separate bathroom fan switch

[Bendmac]

Greetings!

SWMBO is a little on the vertically challenged side...ok, a lot! In our 2016 Jayco 24 FBS, there's only a single light switch in the bathroom; she has a hard time reaching up into the overhead fan area and flipping the switch to turn the vent fan on.

So I thought about trying to wire in a second switch, under the existing light switch on the wall, to control just the fan, even with the light switch off. Problem is, I'm a complete doofus when it comes to wiring and electricity.

Some photos attached:

The first photo shows the existing wires that are in the ceiling with the A/C vent removed. There's a purple, a pink and a white.

One leg of the pink goes down the wall to the switch; the other end loops back across the ceiling elsewhere. A purple wire also goes down the wall to the existing switch (second photo). No white wire goes down to the existing switch.

The third photo shows the fan area, where the existing switch was. I took the existing switch out and was able to connect and fish two wires across the ceiling and down the wall, coming out where the pink and purple switch wires are (third photo).

Photos 4 and 5 are of the single on/off switch I'd like to patch into to control JUST the fan. The existing pink and purple wires are tucked into the wall behind the existing switch, and the two new black and white wires to the fan motor are hanging out the bottom.

Obviously, if I patch into the two existing light wires (pink and purple) with the new black and white wires from the fan, the light stays on and the fan runs, but only at about 1/2 speed.

Soooo....given all this, any suggestions how I should wire this so that, with two separate switches, one controls the light and one controls the fan? I can't quite figure out Jayco's wire coloring system. It's certainly not automotive style where red is usually hot, black is ground, white is "neutral", etc.

It appears, with my limited knowledge, that I need to wire in a couple of jumper wires from the primary light switch wires to the secondary fan switch terminals...but I can't quite figure out wat goes where...

Any suggestions or diagrams to make this work would be GREATLY appreciated!

[Grumpy]

White doesn't go to the switch since it is a ground. You have to get the black wire from the fan down to the new switch and back..

[Bendmac]

Thanks, Grumpy...

So that said, which one of those existing wires (pink or purple) do I wire back to the fan motor?

One is obviously hot in, but with switch off to light, no power. Once switch is flipped to on, that's power out to the lights. Seems I should use the "always powered" side vs. the switched powered side? Otherwise, fan switch would only be powered when that light switch was in the on position?

Cheers,

Bendmac

[Grumpy]

Neither. You use the existing power to the fan. Cut the brown feeding the fan splice wires on to those and run from the fan down to the switch and then back up.

[AKRUEBBE]

While you're going through this re-wiring, you may want to consider replacing the fan at this time. Ventline makes the worst fan on the market.

[CAG]

Originally Posted by AKRUEBBE

While you're going through this re-wiring, you may want to consider replacing the fan at this time. Ventline makes the worst fan on the market.

Or you can do like a bunch of us did and replace it with a remote operated Maxxfan. There is a thread with a bunch of info.

https://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f...ote-75765.html