Extractor fan?

[Sunnidayz]

Can anyone advise on the above please?

Bathroom keeps getting black mould on the ceiling. Shower is very hot and steamy and walls get v wet and drippy. Open window but it doesn't help much and takes ages to dry.

Asked family member who has an extractor fan and was told they're mostly good for removing smells! But I'm sick of the soaking walls and having to get step ladders to wipe off the mould.

Any recs? Can I purchase one and just ask an electrician to fit it or do they usually provide their own? Thanks.

I’ve had a constant operation fan with humidity sensor and boost function installed. I chose the fan (after lots of research) and my electrician installed it. It was a replacement for an existing fan though so all the ducting and wiring was already in place.

I would do my research and either buy my own or contract an electrician to supply and fit a specific model. There is a massive difference between fans in terms of the amount of air they will shift, so check the specs carefully.

Get a centrifugal fan, not an axial flow one, as they're much more effective and less prone to grinding to a halt when they get clogged with dust.

And you definitely need either one that comes on with the light but then had an overrun timer that keeps it on for a while afterwards (ours stays on for a good 20 minutes or so) or even better one on a humidity sensor as a previous poster recommended.

We had this problem and fitted a Vent Axia Svara in place of the old fan. It does trickle ventilation and then speeds up when it detects a rise in humidity or if the bathroom light has been on for more than a couple of minutes. Completely solved our problem.

Thanks for the information everyone! I had no idea there's so many different types. Need to do some googling.

We have just got one of the axia silent fans (my daughter is scared of the noise most fans make). We have got the humidity sensor one and it also overruns when the light has been on etc...... pricey for a fan but amazing. Very quiet and seems to extract well.

We've just moved and are going to put in a fan. In our last house we had the fan come on every time the light was on and had bathroom paint on the walls, we never had a problem with mould. I miss my old bathroom!

most extractors are wall-mounted, blowing through a 100mm hole bored through the wall with a core-drill that builders, plumbers, and some electricians have. They typically extract around 80 cu.m/hr

This is adequate if
you do not have long steamy showers
you turn on the fan every time the bathroom is used, and it has a run-on timer to continue about 20 minutes after you have left
the bathroom is well insulated, and warm enough to have little condensation

(mine meets those conditions)

Connecting the fan to the light switch is the usual way of ensuring it is used.

If not, you need something more powerful. It's possible to get a larger wall fan, but I usually recommend a ducted inline fan (looks like a jet engine) which is usually concealed above the bathroom ceiling, in the loft. It has one or more grilles in the ceiling (steam rises, so will naturally be sucked out) and an airtight duct that goes out through a wall, eaves gap, or (if you have a competent roofer) through the roof

A modern, good-quality fan with a ball-bearing motor is very quiet. I can hear mine, softly, but not if I close the bathroom door. A small good small fan uses around 8w of electricity (will run continuously for more than 8 hours for a penny), and a ducted one around 20W (will run for over 3 hours for a penny) so is negligible.

I particularly recommend the ducted one.

The best brand I know is Soler & Palau and the TD250 Silent inline ducted has the power of about three small fans (note trade price shown excludes VAT). You will also need ducting, elbows, cable, grilles and (preferably) a competent electrician to fit it. If it is in the loft it is not subject to electrical anti-splashing regulations.

Rigid duct is preferable to flexible hose, which can droop and trap condensation.

For a small fan, in a WC or a non-steamy bathroom, the S&P Silent 100 T is very good, but it is sold at a lower price under the "Environment" brand (their UK subsidiary company). In the bathroom it has to be placed where it will not be squirted or splashed, and can be put above the bath if height is 2250mm above the floor (usually achievable) or otherwise in permitted zones.

If you have an exceptionally large or steamy bathroom or wetroom, or can't duct through the ceiling or wall, I can perhaps find something else.

If you are extremely rich you can get specialist or custom-made installations.

I have no connection with any of the companies or brands mentioned.

ENVIROVENT the little one

curse you spool chucker

retails about £33 I think

Get someone to come round and supply and fit, if something goes wrong with it you aren't stuck between a rock and a hard place of getting it sorted. They are often linked to the light switching on and off, if you go down that route see if it's possible to get one which will stay on for a long time after the light is switched off. Ours only stays on for about 5 minutes after the light is switched off which is no where near long enough so we end up leaving the light on just so the extractor continues and that's not very environmentally friendly.

@TheTeenageYears

your timer is very likely adjustable. usually up to max of 20 minutes, sometimes more

do you know the model, or can you post a pic?

[quote PigletJohn]@TheTeenageYears

your timer is very likely adjustable. usually up to max of 20 minutes, sometimes more

do you know the model, or can you post a pic?[/quote]
It's an envirovent Silent 100 which looking it up appears to be adjustable - just no idea how.

easy

turn off the power to the circuit (the light switch does not cut the power)

inside the cover is a small plastic tool looking rather like a spade, but is a sort of screwdriver

on the bottom edge (if it is upright) is a sort of plastic button, you press this in and the front hinges up from the bottom.

pull out the plastic spade from its clips

in the top right hand corner is a sort of triangular cover. This hinges open (I can't remember if it has a catch)

inside you will see an oval white rubber cover. Pick this open with your fingernail. Inside is a screw head, and you will see "turn" arrows and numbers beside it. Using the plastic spade screwdriver, rotate the screwhead towards the higher numbers

press the rubber cap back

shut the triangular cover

clip the spade back

shut the front (fit it at the top first)

that should be it.

there might (should) be a 3-pole fan isolating switch for maintenance close by

Has a very wide paddle.

Might not be labelled

rather like

www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/CB4017.html

it cuts all power, both switched and unswitched, to the fan

An ordinary light switch doesn't

Following, we have a bathroom which is on the ground floor (can't be ducted through roof/eaves) and the only external wall is taken up almost entirely by a window which is above the end of the bath. We get round the steam by having the window open a lot and having a dehumidifier outside the bathroom in winter but I would really like an extractor - are there any options?

@TheTeenageYears

i just had a look in my Fans crate

the plastic button is on the vry similar Airflow.

On my Soler & Palau, there is a tiny hole in the bottom of the cover.

You insert a Special Tool, Steel Bar, 0.5mm diameter, into the hole, and press upwards to release the sping latch.

Have you got this Special Tool?

If not, I can send you one for £1

it comes folded for safety, you unfold the long end while using the remainder of the Special Tool as an easy-grip handle.

Luckily, I have a box of about 500.

The Special Tool looks like this:

0.5mm diameter steel bar, BZP, folded, for precision engineering and business purposes

@EverythingDelegated

if you have access to the room above. lift the floorboards and run a duct (even an elbow) from the ceiling of the bathroeem, between the joists, and out through a hole drilled in the wall.

You can also have a glass-mounted fan, fitted to a hole in the window.

If double glazed, you will have to order a new glass unit to be made. preferably find your local Double Glazing Repairperson or glazier to measure and fit it. If it is not double glazed a glazier can do it (your nearest glass merchant probably has a display board of busness cards, or your windowcleaner wil know one.

I would go for a 150mm hole as this will take a more powerful fan.

Thank you, sadly we don't have access to the room above, however having looked again tonight there is just about room on the wall next to the window (window itself is only about 6" wide panes but very tall so a bit small too). However the bit of wall is over the bath which IIRC possibly brings in building regs issues.

I have also thought of another possibility, the reason there is only such a small bit of external wall is an extension, there will soon be kitchen wall cupboards on the wall behind (kitchen refit starts soon), we could duct into the top of the corner cupboard and out through the kitchen wall at 90° that way. Also easier for wiring because it would be in a straight line from the light fitting and not over the bath. I will ask our builder. Thanks again.

If it will pass through the top of a kitchen cabinet, you can use a powerful ducted fan. The cabinet enclosure will help muffle the hum, though the one I linked is very quiet. Often people put rubber mat or carpet underlay on both sides of the mounting board to prevent vibrations passing through (this is more often when it is just fixed to a ceiling).

Thanks for all the info @ItsSnowJokes and @PigletJohn, lots to think about. My bathroom is very small, no bath only a shower but does get very wet and steamy so would need something that can handle that. A quiet fan would be good. It could perhaps be fitted in the loft, would need to look at options. Will get someone in to fit it once I've looked at options. Much appreciated thanks again!

Thanks @PigletJohn and thanks for starting the thread @Sunnidayz.