Decora In-Wall Humidity Sensor for Bathroom Exhaust Fan Control Switch, 1/4 HP, Residential Grade, Single Pole, White

Switch for the bath fan is located far away from the shower area, so I often forget to turn it on, and would prefer not to have to turn it off. So the switch really makes my life a little easier. I did go through the instructions to change the humidity level higher than 50%, as it will go on too often and too long in my part of the country. Takes a little doing but it’s not a difficult process and generally you only have to do it once. The installation is pretty straightforward and they have a good diagram for helping you know which wire goes where. As for how it will work long term, I will have to rely on the good reputation of Leviton for that, as I have just installed it. But I have to say I do enjoy not having to remember to turn the fan off and on.

The kids are horrible to leave the fan off in the guest bathroom when taking a shower. It is a smaller bathroom and the steam is ridiculous. It is so bad that the door hinges have rusted over time. Picked this up as I felt it would be a good way to control the fan without them having to think about it. They can just use the restroom as normal to get ready and it will kick in as needed. You can set the mode and the time it runs once it kicks on. Installs just like a normal switch. Don't forget to get a wall plate. I had to get a wall plate with 2 toggle and one decora.

This humidity sensor/fan controller is a slick way to make a basic on/off fan a "smart" fan. By installing this in place of the on/off switch for a bathroom fan, I was able to set it up to turn the fan on when the humidity reaches a set level (great for when somebody doesn't turn the fan on for a steamy shower.) It also allows the fan to be set to run a set amount of time and then turn itself off (great for when somebody leaves it on and leaves the room.) It can also be set to run in cycles, a preset amount of time every hour which can be useful in a damp basement, for example. This one came with two front faces which are easily traded to be either white or light almond color. I needed the white face so that's the one I have on the switch. In my use (bathroom fan, marine climate, house dehumidifier set to maintain 50% relative humidity) it was pretty easy to set the switch to operate in bathroom mode, 20 minute run time and 65% humidity shut off.

• Why did I not install one of these before? How many times have you walked into one of your bathrooms—especially after guests have been around—and found your exhaust fan running? This switch potentially solves that problem. I plan to use the bathroom fan mode where it comes on automatically when it senses high relative humidity and shuts off when humidity drops to a preprogrammed level. • Another mode of operation is to ventilate a space—say a basement or crawl space—when the humidity raises to a preprogrammed level and run for a preset time period. The third mode is an air circulation mode where it turns a fan on every hour and then runs for a preset time. • Installation is fairly simple if you already have a standard switch in a single (or double) gang box. The switch controller does require a neutral and/or a ground wire to function. This usually requires that power has been brought to the box through the switch and on to the fan. In my case, the switch shared a double gang box with an outlet, so I was pretty sure there was a neutral and ground in the box—and I was right. • The switch comes with leads (not screw terminals) that need wirenuts or the equivalent toe connect to the supply wiring and ground. No wire nuts are provided. The device is larger than a standard switch so it will take up most of the box. The switch comes with a pre-installed white face that can be swapped for a light almond trim. This needs to be performed before the cover plate is installed. When installing the cover plate, I encountered something that slowed me down a bit. The hole for the upper screw is not pre-threaded so it is necessary to form your own threads through the plastic; the lower hole has a metal threaded insert for the screw. • The biggest challenge (for me) is the mode programming and setting humidity and on times. Carefully read through the instructions before starting. Once programmed, the selections are stored even with a loss of power. You can also change modes and settings in the future so save the instructions. I put mine in the j-box which requires removal of the cover plate for access—which may or may not be a good idea. • The country of origin is China.

I should have got one a long time ago! It has 4 different timing settings. You use the bottom to change the timing. This is exactly what I needed. I no longer have to remember to turn it off after the shower. It comes with two different colored covers. One white and one almond cover. It is easy to replace the cover if you want to swap out the color. The instructions are easy to follow and makes it easy to install.

The Leviton Decora In-Wall Humidity Sensor for Bathroom Exhaust fans is an excellent humidity sensor that has solved a few problems for me. My kids always forget to turn on the bathroom fan when they shower and humidify builds up on the walls. When they do remember, they never shut it off wasting electricity. Now within a minute of running the shower the fan kicks on automatically and shuts off about 20 minutes later. This sensor works without a neutral or with one. I tested both. Adjusting the different settings is a bit tricky so I recommend you hold on to the instructions for later use. My house doesn’t have central air so it gets pretty humid. With that in mind I have the humidity sensor set to the highest humidity level and it works perfectly. When using a neutral wire remove the green covering over the neutral wire. When you don’t have a neutral available leave the green covering on and use it as a second ground. I’ve attached pictures to help any confusion.

Works great for me! The instructions are advanced, shall I say. Right off the bat, this is a wonderful automatic switch that turns on, then off, the bath fan/light combination near the shower in our guest bathroom. It is set to 65% humidity for 20 minutes once triggered, in the automatic humidity mode. It works. The instructions are clear if you have a working knowledge of home wiring; if you don't hire an electrician to install this device. While most basic switches have just a line/load wire (and maybe a ground wire) connected to them, additional wires are often located deeper in the outlet, being the Neutral and Ground wires. That was my case, so I pigtailed off each to connect Leviton's device to Line, Load, Neutral and Ground. (If you do not have a Neutral, I would check with an electrician or your town for local electrical code requirements, sometimes your insurance can be voided with illegal connections. Don't risk it: check.) Programming is challenging as you need to determine colors and blinking counts nearly at the same time - which auto cycle on you. Once I had figured out the colors and blinks for the three settings, I programmed the humidity switch. I thought I had it right, then the fan starting running at 50% humidity, it was to be set at 65%. Back to programming mode, and the second time was a charm, although I would say I did exactly what I did the first time! Even in auto-humidity mode, you can push the picture of the fan on the switch to turn on or off your fixture. For me, after standard electrical connections and once the programming was stable, it works just fine.

The Leviton Decora In-Wall Humidity Sensor for Bathroom Exhaust Fan Control Switch, 1/4 HP, Residential Grade, Single Pole, White is a lower cost version of a similar product which we have used successfully in two bathrooms for about six years. Having such a switch helps remove humidity and saves electricity because you don’t need to remember to go back to turn it off (which we often forgot). The instructions are clear for wiring with or without having a neutral. I was interested in obtaining this sensor since it was advertised as not needing a neutral. However, in reading the instructions, it uses the ground wire as a neutral. Many sources say using the ground as a neutral is dangerous and possibly a code violation. The Leviton instructions do not explain why it considers doing so to be safe. For that reason, I would not recommend this sensor if you do not have a neutral wire. If you have a neutral wire, then this sensor should be OK. The programming for this unit is not as simple as it was with its predecessor. If you want a light almond cover, this unit includes one and is less expensive than purchasing a unit specifically with a light almond cover. The sensor is made in China.

Four days ago I installed this new Decora In-Wall Humidity Sensor and Fan Control Switch, 1/4 HP, Residential Grade, Single Pole. I am disappointed with the performance. I tried many times in all different settings, and it works the same way in all settings: it will trigger when the RH is 66% and will shut off when it is 62% or 10 minutes. The switch will trigger to ON again when the RH is 66%. That is not what I had been expecting when I installed this switch. I wanted RH at 35% or at least 50%, but that never happened. The sensor switch will function manually, as a regular switch.

Our family always had the problem that the bathroom exhaust fan was either not turned on before taking a shower, or it wasn't turned off again for hour or longer. The Leviton Decora In-Wall Combination Humidity Sensor & Fan Control w/Light Switch, 1/4 HP, Residential Grade, Single Pole, White finally solved this problem. Now the fan comes on when it's needed and switches off when the humidity goes below the setpoint again. The installation, replacing the existing switch with this unit, wasn't too complicated. Most people that have a minimum experience and knowledge with electrical work should be able to safely do it.