What’s more effective - extractor fan or open window?

[NemophilistRebel]

For removal of steam from cooking or showering in bathroom / kitchen what is more effective?

Is there an official answer?

A window will be better that a crap extractor fan. Or both would be good. I have had both and prefer window to be honest

Not having detractors, I just open the windows!!

Extractors...I am sure I have detractors!

Both. My builder recommended opening the window slightly to let air in, which lets the extractor fan to be more efficient at taking air out.

Dont you need an extractor fan in a bathroom for building regs?

Technically it depends which is higher than where the vapour is being produce - an open window above a bath will take out more steam than an expelair on the opposite wall . A cooker hood above a hob will extract ( as long as it's pretty straight run to outside) better than an open window a few feet away etc . So it's basically circumstantial.

Old bathroom no extractor just a window open = v v cold and steamy
New bathroom, new extractor fan, = v v warm, steam green bathroom.

I have and exreactor that vents to the outside, works great, no need to open the window in cold weather as it gets rid of all the steam and smells.
Only the rubbish ones that don't vent outside don't get rid of the moisture.

We never had an extractor, would open window. Everything steamed up and wetness everywhere. Fitted new bathroom and put an extractor above the shower..... sooooo much better. No steam, no wetness!

an effective extractor. When using a fan, keep the door and window shut because the warm, damp air will rise towards the ceiling to be sucked out, and dry air will be drawn in from the house through the gao under the door. The dry air is heavier so will stratify under the damp air.

If you haven't already got a hole, the inline ducted fans can be fitted above the ceiling in the loft if you have one, and are quieter and more powerful that ordinary wall fans. The duct must exit the house. Steam must not be blown into the loft.

If you're making a new hole in the wall, a 6-inch (150mm) fan is quieter and more powerful than a 4-inch (100mm)

We had an extractor fitted in our bathroom in our old house. We were always windows open but got a lot of mould. The extractor made a massive difference to the whole upstairs with reducing mould. (3 bed end of terrace).

Thanks all.

How much might it cost to get an electrician to install one in the bathroom?

if you don't already have a hole in the wall? Likely to be at least a day. S/he would need a core drill to make the neat round hole. It's rather dusty. The brickwork on the outside will be rather chipped, but without scaffolding it would not be safe to work from the outside. Best position is directly above the shower or bath, and furthest from the door of the room, provided it can be at least 2250mm above floor level.

If you have access above the ceiliing in a loft, it will be easier than taking up the floor above. If there is no access to the lighting circuit the person will need ingenuity to run the cabling, and this may limit where the fan can go.

If you have loft access and open access through the eaves or soffit, an inline fan would be a good solution.

I recommend a fan of at least 180 cu.m/hr throughput, maybe 240 cu.m/hr if there are several showers in a day.

Cheap builders fans are usually around 60-80 cu.m/hr which is not enough.

Thank you.
No hole in wall currently.

There is small loft access above and easy access there to the lighting circuit.
Would be going out the rear of the building where the old Victorian brickwork is a bit messy so shouldn’t be too muvh of a problem

Thanks for the advice

if you can put a ducted fan in the loft, something like this is very good
www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/SLTDK160T.html

if it has to go in the wall, something like this
www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/SLS200CRZ.html
is powerful enough (it will need a larger hole cutter than most bathroom fans)

When choosing, look aty the noise raing, in db, and the air throughput, in cu.m/hr (some quote in ltres per minute but you'll find online converters)

Cheap fans are annoyingly noisy. Better ones have ball-bearing motors.

There are a few two-speed or controllable models at extra cost.

We have hugely thick walls, and just open the windows when necessary. I think you'd end up breaking drill bits, (as the guy who installed my oil fired range did when he had to widen a hole for sufficient air circulation), if you tried.

As for building regs, they weren't in when my house was built, and I suspect the bathroom was initially installed in the 40s/50s, before building regs, or if in the 60s, then a fan wasn't needed.