Connect Mechanical Equipment to Light Switch

[rkernPBQSM]

Can you connect Mechanical Equipment to a Switch (light switch)?  We have a bathroom fan, and would like to connect it to a switch.  Is that possible with typical Mechanical Equipment?  It appears only lights can be connected to switches. 

[piotr.bocian]

No. Only lighting fixtures can have switch system.

[bmaldonado6X2W5]

There is one possibility you could try out and see if it works for you.

• Create a dummy light fixture family with very small 3D object that is not visible in floor plan. And a small 2D annotation that can be done with symbolic lines.
• Check the "Shared" option.
• Embed family with your mechanical equipment family.
• Insert Mechanical family into project.

Now when you go edit system you can select the lighting portion of the mechanical family.

Might take a few trial and error to get it exactly how you want but that would be the only way I know to make that work. 

See screen shot for an example. 

[piotr.bocian]

I advise against, because to achieve that you need to have electrical connector in nested family. It is something that you should avoid, because it cause a lot of issues.

[rkernPBQSM]

bmaldonado6X2W5 I am willing to try this, but where do you find the "shared" option?  

piotr.bocian  Can you elaborate on your concerns with doing this?

Thank you

[bmaldonado6X2W5]

Withing the family editor, in your properties menus, make sure shared is turned on as it shows below.

[RobDraw]

Why would you want to use a light switch for mechanical equipment? You need a different family type. One can be found in the electrical devices.

[rkernPBQSM]

@RobDraw wrote:

Why would you want to use a light switch for mechanical equipment? You need a different family type. One can be found in the electrical devices.

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We are using a standard bathroom fan (mechanical equipment), typical of most bathroom fans.  Bathroom fans are typically controlled via a standard light switch.  

[RobDraw]

Yeah, I figured that was the case but Revit wants you to use an electrical device not a lighting device.

[rkernPBQSM · Accepted solution]

We ended up downloading another Revit family, from the same manufacture, where the fan included a light.  Once it had the included light, then it connected to a switch system no problem.  This is a workaround, as no light is needed.  Also was not able to figure out how to embed a shared light fixture into the existing no light version, but I am sure that is a topic for another time.  Thank you

[RobDraw]

So, after I told you how to do it, you decide that modeling it incorrectly is the solution. 

Good job!

[rkernPBQSM]

Rob,

We are not understating your comments. 

It appears to us, after close review of the Revit documentation and forums, that Revit was unable to connect a mechanical device (bathroom fan) to a typical single pole switch.  This would be typical of most real world installations of these parts.

One solution that we had come to, was to download the same mechanical device, from the same vendor, but with a built in light.  Your suggestion of finding the correct family/device, without a light but that was still mechanical device (fan) and could be connected to a switch system, did not work out.  After much searching, none of us could locate a fan that could be connected to a switch.  The solution is unfortunately a workaround, but what we are finding with our use of Revit over the last 10 years, is to complete a project, you need to implement workarounds to the limitations of Revit.   

We marked this "workaround" as a solution, in the hopes to help others looking for the same thing.

Thank you

[RobDraw]

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@rkernPBQSM wrote:

It appears to us, after close review of the Revit documentation and forums, that Revit was unable to connect a mechanical device (bathroom fan) to a typical single pole switch.

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You have gotten some incorrect information. The "typical single pole switch" that you are referring to does not exist in Revit. Revit makes a distinction between switches for lights and ones used for power even though they are the same device. Yes, like many people have stated, light switches (lighting device) cannot be used for equipment. You need to use one that is categorized as an electrical fixture. Your solution to add a light so that you can use a lighting fixture for the switch should not happen in a model and would be frowned upon in most offices. I'm sorry but marking it as solution is wrong.

[jimQJD2N]

RobDraw,

Could you direct me in finding the switch you said would work with an exhaust fan and was in the electrical devices file?  Are you saying there is one that exist somewhere online, or is there one that would work in the generic files apart of the revit download?  Would this also work for lights (ex. bathroom with lights and fan on same switch), or would I need a switch for the fan and another standard single pole or what have you for the lights? I want to do it right but cant find anything along those lines, at least I hope its not staring me in the face. 

Thanks for your time,

Jim

[jimQJD2N]

I saw a video where the guy could only wire one 3-way switch using the switching circuit tool, but he manually wired the second switch in using the wire creation tool.  If it came down to it, would that work to properly display the actual wiring need for the switch in the above scenario 

[RobDraw]

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@jimQJD2N wrote:

RobDraw,

Could you direct me in finding the switch you said would work with an exhaust fan and was in the electrical devices file? 

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There are a few switch families in addition to the "Lighting Switch" that can be found in ...\MEP\Electric Power\Terminals. The one that I was referring to is called "Switch". The difference is the category.

[jimQJD2N]

What category do I need to be in when I go to load the family? When I am
under device and lighting, the switch cannot be loaded, so I tried under
electrical equipment and mechanical equipment and even under lighting
fixture, all said they cannot be downloaded. I am sure its a simple
thing I am missing, but I don't see it.

[RobDraw]

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@jimQJD2N wrote:
What category do I need to be in when I go to load the family?

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Electrical fixture