(Gripping subject alert) - recommend an extractor fan?

[Dollywilde]

When we renovated our bathroom 4 years ago, our builders put in a lovely quiet extractor fan, but it’s crap. Doesn’t seem to whir hard at all. We’ve taken the casing off and it’s moving but seems to have prioritised silence over effectiveness and our bathroom as a permanently damp feel in the air even long after a bath or shower.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a really good extractor fan, preferably one I can track down online? DH and I have made our peace with not getting in anyone until after lockdown but I’ve got a few jobs to book a man for for when things have been relaxed to allow tradespeople in the house again, and I’d like to have it ordered up ready to go. I don’t mind a little bit of noise (although avoiding Heathrow runway style noise would be a major plus) but I really need an extractor fan that - yknow - extracts.

I have a greenwood one in my en suite. There’s no windows in there so it’s set to run slowly all the time (it’s silent) when I turn on the light or when the humidity increases, it automatically comes on. I’d highly recommend it, I’ve not had any problems with condensation or bathroom paint flaking and the room clears really quickly.

www.greenwood.co.uk/product/153/unity-cv2gip

I think this is the one I have.

Ooh, thanks @TDL2016, that sounds like a great solution - I didn’t even realise you could get them to run when the light’s off. Will look into it. Thanks!

I expect your fits a 100mm (4 inch) duct. This is the minimum usually used by builders. It is very "economical." Enlarging a hole in the wall for a bigger fan is dusty work.

Does it vent straight through the wall, or via a duct above the ceiling?

4" fans usually have a nominal extract rate around 80 cubic metres of air per hour, which is adequate for a WC, or a bath if you leave it running for long periods, but insufficient for a steamy shower. The loft type can be much more powerful (and quieter)

Please show a photo of your existing fan and I will see what can be done.

It is "normal" to have bathroom extractors wire to the light so that they come on as soon as the light is turned on, and it is best to have them wired so that they have a timer and run on for 20 minutes or so after use. If yours was not wired like this it will need an extra connecting wire. It is fairly easy if you have access from above the ceiling, e.g. a loft.

Some people have an aversion to ventilation, or wrongly think that the cost of electricity to run a fan is perceptible, or have a fan which is old and worn out and assume that all fans are noisy.

Oooh yes gripping indeed. :) Will flow with interest as I think we should replace our ceiling/loft extractor when we get a shower in to replace the bath.

Ventaxia have always had a good reputation & do some quiet extractor fans.