Bathroom extractor fan help please.

[StickItUpYaJumpa]

Finally getting a new bathroom (and possibly a new husband if he continues to grump about the whole thing).

Ground floor single story extension. Breeze block construction. Currently no fan.

Apparently a ceiling fan won't work. I can't get a straight answer from husband about why but he said the contractor agrees. So we have to get a wall fan.

My concerns with a wall fan are:

1. The noise! I like long baths and don't want to be trying to relax with a constant hum (or worse) from the fan. I know we can set timers and all that.
2. The draft. I don't understand how drilling a hole in a wall and sticking a fan in it won't cause drafts in our already freezing bathroom? If someone can explain this I would appreciate it.
3. Linked to 2: the shutters on the outside. It's quite windy where we are, if we have the shutters on the outside, won't they just constantly clatter in the wind? But if we don't won't there be more drafts?

I'm hoping I'm just being stupid and that extractor fans have moved on since I've had to use them.

1. Our extractor fan has a switch so you can switch it off.

2. when we had our insulation/air test on our new build, they put plastic over the fans to help the house pass the test. So they must let in cold air.

Because the ceiling fan will just waft the moist air around and a extractor ceiling fan, will extract the moist air from internal to external.

Extractor wall not extractor ceiling, flipping phone.

@Villanellesproudmum I meant a ceiling extractor fan. Sorry if I wasn't clear. :)

Ours doesn’t actually make the room much colder unless it’s on. I switch it on after I’ve had a bath or as it’s running.

@SavoyCabbage do you mean they covered it so they could say your house had less heat/energy loss?

We get bad damp in there and with it being downstairs we can't just leave a window open so we do need something but I am really concerned because it gets so cold in there anyway. We are having some insulation put on the walls but in all honesty I doubt it will make much difference.

@Haggisfish do you feel the wind through it when it's off? Do you have the shutters on the outside? Are they noisy?

Ah the only think I can think of, if it’s into the roof (Is it a flat roof as that’ll create more complications) it might be at a higher risk of being blocked or damaged, they’ll to protect it as it’ll interrupt the air flow.

I think wall fans are more efficient but someone might know differently? I actually have one in my en suite ceiling, it’s still noisy, it leads to the loft space and needs a lot of maintenance, it’s a dust trap.

The wall one in my bathroom I’ve not touched in 10 years. Works really well. Tech might have moved on from mine though.

*struggle

You can get heat recovery extractors which somehow capture the heat from the indoor air they are expelling, and pass it to the outdoor air they suck in. So you get warm air coming in not cold. You would want an MVHR single room unit, eg the Vent Axia Tempra range.

and yes you want an isolator switch for when you want a relaxing bath.

Apparently they are allowed to cover them for the test. They must be allowed because the Nan who carried it out was incredibly strict. He sent the builder out for replacement latches for the lift doors for example in case the initial ones came open one day.

I have a ceiling extractor fan in my ground floor flat. I can't have a wall fan as it's internal. The reason they do not work is the extractor only pushes up 1.5metres. In a house this is fine. Hence when it is on it just comes back down. So not a lot of good. I use a de humidifier.

1. The noise! I like long baths and don't want to be trying to relax with a constant hum (or worse) from the fan. I know we can set timers and all that.

Pah! Modern extractors of reasonable quality have ball-bearing motors and are very quiet This is an example, look at the db(A) rating and don't buy anything noisier. This one is about 80 cu.m/hr extract rate, which is adequate for a room with a bath but insufficient if you have a shower. If you haven't had the hole in the wall made yet, get a 5 or 6 inch one which will be more powerful.

If you are a person who likes to turn extractors off you will get condensation, damp, and mould. Do what you want, I don't care.

1. The draft. I don't understand how drilling a hole in a wall and sticking a fan in it won't cause drafts in our already freezing bathroom? If someone can explain this I would appreciate it.

Assuming you don't live in a submarine, your rooms are not air-tight. Steam is lighter than air so rises towards the ceiling, where the fan sucks it outside. Air enters the bathroom to replace it through the gap under the door. It stratifies, lying in a layer of fresh air under the steam. It is not blowing hither and thither causing a draught. If you put your bare foot next to the door you will however feel fresh air on it.

1. Linked to 2: the shutters on the outside. It's quite windy where we are, if we have the shutters on the outside, won't they just constantly clatter in the wind? But if we don't won't there be more drafts?

Get a cowl vent. This has a sloping-roof like cover to prevent the wind blowing against the flap. There is just one large flap, that does not constantly rattle irritatingly like the ones with multiple flaps like a venetion blind. The little flaps soon break off in the wind and then stop rattling

www.screwfix.com/c/heating-plumbing/air-vents/cat840496?producttype=cowl_vent

You can get an extractor in the ceiling, if you remember to have the duct put in before the ceiling is put up. Extractors above a ceiling can be quieter and more powerful than ordinary extractors, but they are bigger and unsightly. This doesn't matter if they're in a loft.

Ah PigletJohn you have fixed my extractor fan problem 😍. DH removed the little flaps long ago to stop the rattling noise but there is a draft which I hope the cowl vent will mostly stop...?

more modern fans often have a slight anti-draught flap on the back. And you can get a shutter that will fit inside the duct, if you have one.
www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/BG4BS.html
I think you would have to take the duct out and cut it, which can be difficult.

Thanks, I think the one we have is this one. Why would we need to cut the vent, sorry if I’m being dumb?

if you want to put that additional shutter into the duct.

I elected not to fit an extractor fan in our bathroom - I just open the window instead! It clears the steam pretty quickly but can be cold in the winter!