Have you ever read Stephen King’s novel Christine? It’s about a car – yes, an automobile – that is evil and is pretty much impossible to kill. That’s the what this DewStop Condensation Fan Control (Humidity Sensor) with Countdown Timer has become to me. In fact, I’ve named the damn thing “Christine”.
I’ve written at length on this blog about my shower remodel and this sensor and timer switch seemed like a good idea. It wasn’t. It sounds great that the exhaust fan in the bathroom will come on when needed, do its thing, and then shut itself off after a certain interval determined by me. What’s not to like in that idea?
Well, the notion is great – the execution, not so much. The fan turned on waaaaay too much so my son adjusted it to be as insensitive as possible. Now, since spring is here and it’s warmer, the switch runs ALL THE TIME! I’m not exaggerating when I say that. I can cut it off and it turns back on before I walk out of the bathroom! It runs night and day. Did you ever see the movie The Shining with Jack Nicholson breaking through the door with an axe to get at his family? That’s me, only I’m after the Dewstop switch, rather than my innocent family.
At the moment, it’s off but only because my son put tape over the humidity sensors, which are those four little slits at the top of the panel. Of course, he took off the cover first so you can’t see the tape from the outside. Is that a good solution? No, but at least the poor abused fan isn’t running.
Another thing I don’t like was mentioned by a reviewer: “My only issue with it is that the tab to remove to get at the settings dials has a fiddly tool that I think would get lost easily… additionally, you have to remove the cover plate to get at it. It took a couple of goes to get the settings right, and was a bit of a pain to have to take the cover plate off to make the change, then reassemble.” Agree 100% except that we could never get the settings “right”.
This switch might be great in a musty basement but in a frequently-used bathroom, it’s a really bad idea. a TIMER is a great idea. A sensor – at least this one – sucks!
Grade: F
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