Condensation in bathroom

I'm suffering from similar problems but we don't have a fan at all so thats my first port of call. Will likely go with the strong inline fan mounted in the ceiling but I don't want it to run off the lighting circuit.

I'm assuming it would be possible to have it wired up so it is on its own switch/pull cord in the bathroom and have the fan set to stay stayed on for X mins?
 
R.O.S.S.I said:
I'm suffering from similar problems but we don't have a fan at all so thats my first port of call. Will likely go with the strong inline fan mounted in the ceiling but I don't want it to run off the lighting circuit.

I'm assuming it would be possible to have it wired up so it is on its own switch/pull cord in the bathroom and have the fan set to stay stayed on for X mins?
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I have the CV2GIP installed in mine same as one of the earlier posters, it's always running slowly and pretty quietly, and speeds up when you turn the light on.

Works pretty well, so I'd consider something like that if you can, running 24/7 but going faster on demand.
 
R.O.S.S.I said:
I'm suffering from similar problems but we don't have a fan at all so thats my first port of call. Will likely go with the strong inline fan mounted in the ceiling but I don't want it to run off the lighting circuit.

I'm assuming it would be possible to have it wired up so it is on its own switch/pull cord in the bathroom and have the fan set to stay stayed on for X mins?
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You can but I don’t know why you would do that.

Replacing a ceiling mounted fan with loft based inline fan means they are near silent. The really good ones have humidity sensors so they don’t over run unnecessarily. That said a decent fan shouldn’t need much overrun time as they’ll clear the room in the time it takes you to squeegee the shower and dry yourself.

Edit: Running the fans are useful at other times as it provides ventilation to the property and gets rid of smells associated with using the toilet.
 
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norm said:
Keep your bathroom warm, so that when you go to have a shower the moisture doesn't condense on the otherwise cold surface of the walls, this will make a big difference.

Also have the fan run for at least 20 minutes after the shower.
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that's an excellent tip,
pretty much turn radiators on in bathroom, half an hour before typical shower time - also warming towels .. otherwise radiator is running.
 
If you're in a modern, well insulated house, and the walls are soaking in moisture by the time you finish a shower, then you have two options:

1) Take shorter, or cooler showers
2) increase the temperature of the walls

Once the walls are dripping in water the extractor isn't going to do diddly.

i'm in a non-insulated 100-year old terrace with cold walls, a simple radial extractor, and an always on heated towel rail that's the TRV-free part of the heating system. It's very easy to manage the moisture, open window, run extractor for 30mins+ after a shower.
 
b0rn2sk8 said:
You can but I don’t know why you would do that.

Replacing a ceiling mounted fan with loft based inline fan means they are near silent. The really good ones have humidity sensors so they don’t over run unnecessarily. That said a decent fan shouldn’t need much overrun time as they’ll clear the room in the time it takes you to squeegee the shower and dry yourself.

Edit: Running the fans are useful at other times as it provides ventilation to the property and gets rid of smells associated with using the toilet.
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Do you have any links to in-line extractors that have humidity sensors?

I couldn't find any when I was looking. All's I could find were timer based ones.
 
mid_gen said:
It's very easy to manage the moisture, open window, run extractor for 30mins+ after a shower.
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The key difference is weighing up what's more cost effective.

Heating your house now is very expensive, so retaining the heat and removing the moisture is cheaper than having to replace the heat that's been vented out.
 
Cheetah Designs said:
Everytime you take a shower, the walls and ceiling have lots of water on them. After the shower, some (not a lot) of water will come dripping in from the extractor fan duct onto the floor.
  • New build (recent). Very generally, it feels well built.
  • Bathroom size is ~4m * ~1.6m * ~2.1m. Considering the slanted ceiling and other bits, you can probably subtract about 20% of the volume of the room.
  • The extractor fan is mounted near/above the shower. I believe its this fan: https://www.airventventilation.co.u...axial-fan-with-timer-and-backdraught-shutter/
  • If I put a tissue to the extractor fan, it sucks the tissue up which I think tells me that there is nothing wrong with the fan, ducting or getting fresh air into the room.
  • The velux window in there has the trickle vent open and there is a small gap under the door for air replenishment.
  • I've tried increasing the underfloor heating temperature to 26*C (sensor is in the floor but the air temp will be lower) and that doesn't seem to have helped either.
  • Fan comes on when you turn the light on and stays on for 5mins after you turn the light off. By the time you turn off the shower, the walls/ceiling already have lots of water on.
  • Tried leaving the window open a little during the shower. With the air temperature outside that obviously drops the room temperature. Doesn't seem to help.
The paint is starting to crack/show signs of wear and we've only been in here a couple of months.
Surely there is something I can do here to prevent the condensation and damage from it?

I will be speaking to the builder, but wanted to be informed on possible remediation steps before I do...Any ideas?
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Do you have a shower cubicle, zone or is this just an open room with a shower?
Much easier to manage steam if you have a cubical to contain most of the steam below the extract.
Open room... good luck!

With a 7m run, I'd want a large inline extractor with the intake mounted just above the shower area and the fan placed as close to the inlet as practical.
Go for a high volume fan, these are typcialy a 6-8 inch fan with 4 inch ports so are a lot more effective at moving volume and quiet as the large fan spins a lot slower than the 3.5 inch screamer in the usual 4 inch inline duct fans.
Ours is audible, but not loud and runs for 30 mins after use and not loud enough to wake anyone, or impact sleep unless the person is really sensitive to noise.

Designed to be wired to the light as per modern regs, however as it's an old house we have it powered from a pull switch near the shower door which also operates the shower light.
 
don't believe you can dissipate the moisture, practically, without using a ventilator .. if the water has condensed onto a porous surface (ceiling) it's going to be absorbed, with mold potential.
shower apparent leaves air at 80% rel humid @ 25C that's 400g water in a 20m3 bathroom, could a civilian dehumidifier keep up.
 
I have a similar but not as bad issue and leave my fan running with the light on for at least an hour after a shower. Or i shower with the door open. My shower has no window so no fresh air but my flat is well ventilated though.
 
In winter I leave the heater on when having a shower. And after shower I close the door and leave the windows open unil the bathroom is condensation is all clear.

And even when I'm out I leave the bathroom top window cracked open.
 
1. Extractor fan isn't powerful enough. See if you can get a more powerful fan. it could also not be installed correctly. Where is it venting to?
2. House humidity is already high. Get a dehumidifer and set it to 50%. Ideal range is 40-60%.
3. Showers are too hot/long.
4. Bathroom is too cold. Ours is 21/22c and we don't have this problem.
5. Always dry bath/shower/bathroom when finished. We squeegy the water from the tiles and bath down the drain and then wipe everything down with a towel. Makes an enormous difference, takes 2 minutes and aids with keeping everything clean.
 
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Personally I'd give up on trying to use an extractor as showering is going to overwhelm even the largest extractor, even having a window wide open you'll still get condensation on the walls.

Just repaint the walls with a vinyl silk or similar paint designed for bathrooms and ventilate the room after showering, if the rooms got a window just crack it open by a couple of inches and leave the door ajar.
 
We have similar issues and a ridiculous duct run to the outside in the attic rood. Would an option be an extractor through the wall straight to the outside?
 
Ste said:
We have similar issues and a ridiculous duct run to the outside in the attic rood. Would an option be an extractor through the wall straight to the outside?
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Yes but they are noisy, very noisy in fact. Fit a big fan in line in the loft. It’s the best of both worlds, silent and powerful.
 
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