Useless Bathroom Extractor Fan

[PiRQbd]

Hi Everyone

I've seen this thread which sounded exactly like my problem, except I've been up the loft and can't see the duct being torn or broke off anywhere. So unfortunately not such an obvious fix for a novice like me. Old thread about fan problems.

• I too was told that you should have the window closed. But I tried that and OMG water was streaming down the walls. So I've never done that again.
• With the shower running and windows closed, I had a look outside the house and there were no signs of any steam coming from the vent ---- should I be able to if it was doing its job?
• I've now always got the window open when in the shower, but the room still gets steamier than it should and I have to leave it open for 20+ minutes after.

So the fan has been useless since day 1.

It was the same story with my old fan. So I followed the salesman's advice to get the Airflow Aventa (said to be 187 m3/hr). He said it's so powerful it would hold up a credit card.

Turns out yes it does but only if I feed it the credit card. Even if I hold the credit just 1mm away, it falls to the ground.

So after doing lots of reading, I went up the loft and couldn't spot any tears or loose ends. And I would've guessed that the duct looked short enough and smooth enough for the fan to do its job.

I wanted to post a photo of the duct for you to see, but can't see the photos/attachments option.

Thanks

Just noticed in another post, that you can't upload pictures until 48 hours after joining Mumsnet. So maybe best to wait until then.

Thanks again for reading

Hi again

I can upload images now.

So do the experts who helped on that earlier thread, think that this duct looks short enough, smooth enough around any bends?

Thanks

You need @PigletJohn I've never seen a fan trunking with that box thing along it. Is that the actual motor? If so, it seems a bit far away from the actual shower.

I'm also curious what type of shower you have? Those showers with large heads & a megaflow can pump out a mountain of steam compared with a little electric shower

it looks like it should probably work. how, and when, is it switched on?

and how long does it run?

can you hear the motor starting?

do you know any model number, rating etc?

hold a piece of paper (not a credit card) against the internal grille.

is it this one?

in your pic it looks like you have two sizes of duct. is that true?

Thanks @PinkGlassEye and @PigletJohn for looking into this.

Yes PigletJohn that's the one.

It turns on whenever the bathroom light is switched on. There is another switch on the landing that you could flick if you wanted to have it turned off while the lights were on (which we never do).

It keeps running for 8 minutes after you've turned the lights off (or 8m 15s to be precise when I timed it just now).

By "hear the motor starting", do you mean do I hear any sound from it? Yes I do hear the fan the whole time it's on. You hear it in the bedrooms next to the bathroom too (which I guess is standard).

Re: Duct....I'm not sure.
When I had this extractor installed, the electrician didn't use the duct that came with the fan. He left it in it's package for me to keep, saying that the old duct is still good enough and is the right size so he'll stick with that.

Yes in the photo it looks like they're different sizes. Whether they really are I'd have to go up the loft again and measure. Here's another 2 pictures I took while up the loft last time in case they're any more useful a bit more zoomed in.

I've just tried it with a piece of A4 and it sucked it up to the grille if I let go of it about 1 inch from the grille.

the ducts are probaly retained onto the ends of the fan with overcentre clips like you might find on an instrument case. Loosen those and the ducts should pull off. Have a look down them both to see if they are choked with fluff, birds nests, insulation fibre or anything. You can clean grills with a paintbrush and hoover hose. Look at the connection of hoses to grilles.

If you run the fan with the ducts removed, you should feel a strong air current going in one side and out the other. Presumably it has been fitted the right way round.

there will be a control to change the run-on time, usually they can be turned up to 20 minutes. You may as well set it to max. Some fans also have a 2 or 3 speed setting. Turn it to max.

I don't know where the controls are on yours. There should be a model type and number on it, and you can download the instructions from the maker, or ask their advice.

I agree that if the ducts are not obstructed, and you leave the fan running for 30 minutes with the door and window closed, it should remove all the steam. Opening the door or window will prevent it working efficiently. Turn it on before you turn on the taps.

It looks like the ceiling vent is next to a downlighter. This might be a problem. if the hole in the ceiling is not sealed, the grille might suck air from the loft instead of from the room.

the mineral wool insulation is very badly laid. It should be in large panels or rolls, not chopped up, completely covering the ceiling between the joists.

measure the distance between the joists and buy yourself (at least) one roll of mineral wool, of the same thickness as the depth of the joists so it lies flush. You can cut it with a breadknife or large wallpapering scissors. I recommend the type treated with Ecose, which does not shed irritant dust and fibres, and is dark brown and silky. It is made by Knauf but widely sold as an own brand, and "Ecose" will be clearly marked on the packaging. If the old insulation is chopped up, or is yellow fibreglass, pack it into bin bags and tape them up for disposal;. I find it very irritant.

you can wash fibres off your skin by showering with cold water.

wear a mask, gloves, a hat, and long sleeves.

you can loosen the fan body, and put a large piece of rubber carpet underlay under it before screwing it back down, this will reduce noise transmission. If you can get them, put rubber washers, such as tap washers, under the screw heads. It must be well fixed so it cannot vibrate.

p.s.

you can get fans that are quieter, and/or more powerful, but lets make sure your existing one is running at its best first. The outside grill looks rather small to me.