Extractor fan (kitchen, external wall) - Piglet John, please?

[JeffreySadsacIsUnwell]

The extractor fan (standard Manrose) needs replacing, it's making alarming noises. It's incredibly noisy and flaps like crazy when it's windy outside. Any recommendations for a nice quiet one? Can you get humidity ones for kitchens or only bathrooms?

what size is it?

might be 100mm (too small) or 150mm, but could be 200mm or 250mm

Manrose is a budget brand.

If it has a plastic external cover with multiple flaps like a venetian blind, throw it away and buy a cowl vent. The flaps will fall off anyway in strong winds.

PJ - we have flappy vents on ours, ensuite one (which we hear flapping a lot) came off a couple of weeks ago. I've never heard of a cowl vent and having read your reply have googled and will now be replacing with one rather than putting the old one back up. Thanks.

Thanks, yes, we knew it was budget . Put in by some crap builders 15 years ago, we fired them before they got much further but pretty much everything they did or bought needed redoing/replacing. TBH I'm surprised this one lasted so long, it is indeed Venetian blind style. The 'alarming noises' are separate from the flap noises though - I assume it has a motor in for the fan which has now died - and finally DH has agreed to spend money. Def from the 'if it ain't broke, I ain't paying' school.

It's a 200mm square one - whilst a smaller one would be nice, we redecorated the kitchen earlier this year so I don't fancy filling/repainting if we can avoid it.

Off to look up cowl ones, but any suggestions gratefully received!

It's the size of the hole that matters. It might be round or square. You will see if you take off either the fan or the flappy vent.

Kitchen fans are usually built to a higher standard than cheap bathroom fans. This is a brand with a good reputation for low noise. A bigger one is better. Search for "wall fans." There is a calculator for fan power:room size, so see how many cubic metres per hour you need. A quiet one can be left on for long periods, especially if it is 2-speed, but speed controllers are expensive.

If you are able to fit an extractor hood over the cooker, it will be better for cooking smells. You can get a Core Drill from a tool hire shop for the duct.

Lots more here but read the reviews.

here are some more

Thanks PigletJohn! Will check out the links tomorrow. I realised after I'd posted that you may have meant the hole rather than the fan, sorry - but I'm not going outside now to check!!

We have an extractor hood over the cooker but just a filter, rather than vented extractor (don't know technical terms here...) - we can't install a duct pipe to outside as the cooker is on the opposite side of the kitchen from the window, against an internal wall. Not much choice due to small room size and positioning of door/window/drainage, sadly.

"We have an extractor hood over the cooker but just a filter, rather than vented extractor (don't know technical terms here...)"

A cooker hood that doesn't extract is called an "ornament" since it fulfils no useful purpose. It is possible to run ducts above or inside wall cabinets, but moving the cooker to an external wall is preferable.