Do you have an extractor fan in your bathroom?

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Does everyone have an extractor fan in their bathroom these days?

We do not and rely on opening the window and leaving it open after the shower but it gets quite steamy in the room.

We are thinking of having an extractor fan installed. Can anyone explain how much work goes into installing them or a rough cost if you've done the same?

Will it stop the room getting so steamed up or will it just clear quicker?

Trying to avoid ceiling going mouldy.

Pretty sure it's part of building regs now that you have to have one in certain situatoins (eg with no window). Our house was built 9 years ago and has extractors with isolation switches all over the place (bathroom with window, en suite with no window, downstairs WC and in the utility room)

A window is better than an extractor fan. Both is best.

We never used the one in the bathroom as the window would be opened, but after about 3 years the paint on the ceiling began to crack and flake off. Repainted it then made a point of using the extractor as well as the window and it's fine 6 years on

We've got a smart one that turns on at certain a humidity rather than on a timer. It also has an odour sensor that puts the fan on fast it it detects a strong smell.

We just open the window after a bath or shower and it dries out quite quickly. Not mould at all.

No. We open the window. Widow is open most of the time. Bathroom ceiling ad walls painted with bathroom paint which has antifungal in it.

We have one in our show room ( no window )
When we redo the en-suite we will have one in there too even with a window.
We did change the one downstairs so you could switch it off as the old one would run for 15 mins even if you'd just used the loo.

We do but we need a dehumidifier too because our bathrooms are small and the windows are shit so you can’t open them unless you want to invite mould.

Paid £50 to get one and have it installed by a local handyman.

Extractor fans are an absolute bugger to clean though - I need to work out how to open mine (preferably without electrocuting myself) and get rid of the muck

Yes, tiny bathroom with no window

Two new bathrooms with extractor fans to the outside, very little if any condensation. We keep the bathrooms warm with heated towel rails on 25/7 and the bathroom cabinets have heated mirror fronts

@suckingonchillidogs

Extractor fans are an absolute bugger to clean though - I need to work out how to open mine (preferably without electrocuting myself) and get rid of the muck

I use the vacuum cleaner hose wth a small brush attachment

Look for one with a humidistat so it comes on and goes off as required

We have one but it's not great. We usually open the window unless it's extremely windy out.

I have one and shower with the window open and it still gets steamy .

No mould though

We do, in the ceiling, because the bathroom doesn’t have any windows (it’s in the middle of the house between two bedrooms). To be honest, I’m not sure where the fan actually goes but we’ve never had any issue with damp.

Yes we do and I insist on it, as we didn't have one in our last Victorian semi and blackmould was a problem , until it was installed.

So get one with an isolating switch, so if you want a nice relaxing quiet bath you can switch it off until whilst you have your spa bath in peace 😃😃

@suckingonchillidogs

Extractor fans are an absolute bugger to clean though - I need to work out how to open mine (preferably without electrocuting myself) and get rid of the muck

There will be a cap covered screw on the side I give mine a quick Hoover every week 😃

We have one but don't rely on it. It runs when we switch the light on but we also open the window, and recently bought a dehumidifier. Thats more effective imo.
I agree that its a nuisance to clean. We have to wait until the bathroom is bone dry and vacuum it.

We have in one of our bathrooms, but it doesn't seem to do much. We have a dehumidifier in the other bathroom and it works much better at removing excess moisture.

I wouldn’t have a bathroom without an extractor fan.

Our bathrooms don't have windows, so both have extractor fans, these run 24 hours a day in background mode and in boost mode for an hour or two after a shower. The bathroom with an over-the-bath shower gets very steamed up and it often takes more than two hours before the condensation on the mirrors clears. The bathroom with a dedicated showed enclosure gets a lot less steamy and is probably clear within half-an-hour. No ceiling mould problems in either bathroom. (Both were painted with suitable paint when bathrooms were redone a couple of years ago.)

No - the house is old and the walls are 18" thick.

Luckily we have enough natural ventilation as the window is a Crittal and the catch has sheared off so it doesn't close properly.

YES. And in the kitchen.

The first thing we did to our 1920's house is put extractor fans in the kitchen and bathrooms.
Assuming there is an outside wall it is a relatively simple job to cut the hole, the electricity connection varies in complexity. Sorry I can't help with cost as it was so long ago.

Yes - it's part of a bigger ventilation system in a new home. I always has the window in the en suite ajar when showering/or after showering anyway.