To expect an extractor fan to work?

[HomeCookingWannabe]

I've moved into a new (to me) house, with lots of issues.

When I shower, unless the windows are wide open, the room gets so steamy that you genuinely can't see the other side (like one of those spa steam rooms). An electrician has checked the extractor fan and says it's working and a good quality one, but that you have to have windows open when you shower.

My last 2 homes I never needed to keep the windows open to reduce steam. I did a daily open, but didn't HAVE TO in order to shower.

So..
YABU : The extractor fan will never be enough on its own and everyone always has to keep the windows open

YANBU : The extractor fan should do it's job and not be reliant on windows too.

I'm genuinely interested in the experience of the MNers.

I don’t understand extractor fans- they never seem to work. They are so slow! We use the window instead, or open the door so the steam is spread around the house.

It should be extracting at at least 15l/s. Sometimes the issue is with the ducting being too long.

YANBU. Shouldn’t get that steamy with a fan on. I usually open the window a bit later to air the room and to save the fan being on for ages, but the fan works too. Different size room? Different intensity shower? Def shouldn’t have to shower with the window open.

Where does it vent to and how long is the duct? Is it kinked or blocked anywhere? Or is it straight through the wall. Can you see the steam coming out on cold days?

Some showers seem to create a lot more steam than others - even with no extractor we don’t get anything like that much steam in bathrooms. But husbands previous flat could fill the bathroom with steam running the bath.

Extractors have different capacity ratings, so you may want to upgrade the one you’ve got. It’s also worth a look at its discharge point to check stuff is getting to the outside.

Thanks all.

Extractor is a good quality standard (so says the new electrician who was hoping to sell an upgrade). He thought it was kinked and resolved that but it's still not working, hence the window comment.

@myplace If I have the door open, my clothes in my bedroom then get soaking wet!

When I say a lot of water, it is running down the walls and dripping off surfaces.

We open windows when using the extractor fan too anyway as it's a period property and the house is subject to condensation if we don't heat and ventilate adequately.

I assume the electrician would have cleaned it too? They do get quite dusty and I have had friends in the past who complained about theirs and were then surprised whe I asked how often they cleaned it!

Some houses are just more steamy than others. In my old granite house I have a real problem with condensation and cold walls, so I have the window open and the extractor fan on when I shower. I also finish the shower with a 30s blast of cold. I then leave the window open and the fan on for 20 minutes afterwards, and also at some point during the day run the dehumidifier.

That said, water running down the walls doesn't sound good.

We have to open windows after a shower. Extractor fan doesn't help much at all.

I don't open the window until after shower and nothing in the bathroom is soaking wet, just condensation on windows and tiles. I often have towel and clothes in bathroom never mind next room and they are fine.

Is your shower very hot or very long? Seems like a lot of steam.

Just sorted two out where the duct was not connected to the fan, the fan did turn but blew teh air into the insualtion in the ceiling. So no ventilation as such. Some fans have more than one speed tha can be slected by moving a link on the control board.