Do you recommmend a bathroom extractor fan?

kona786

kona786

kona786

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I'm having my bathroom redone and am in two minds on whether or not I should get a fan installed. At the moment I have a basic vent/grill and leave the window and door open when showering. Steam is minimal in the summer and more pronounced in the winter.

In the One year at my new place I don't have any mould in the bathroom after the repaint. 2 occupants.

I have space for a 100mm/4inch fan. Bathroom has a decent size 1.2mx1.2m window - T Opening. Bathroom is 1.6mx2.0.

Should I go for one? Does a 100mm fan actually extract much?

The reason I don't want to is I think they are unsightly and the added cost/noise.
 
you can get ones that don't look too bad - and run silently.
It is most definitely a good idea to have an extract fan in a room which produces as much moisture as this
 
As I understand if you have an electrical fan installed in the bathroom (regulations) you will have to have the fan connected to a main on/off switch outside of the bathroom as well.

i.e switch draw string turns on fan inside bathroom and lights. Outside bathroom main switch to turn off and on.

As I understood from an electrician who wired my bathroom the "kill switch" was the term he used is now regualtory and if you do install the fan (electirical installation) the electrician will have to notify the local council as electrical work/ fan installation has beeen carried out. (It is regulatory due to electrical wiring and has to be certified by the actual electrician) The reason is fire ect and if insurance companies ect ect want to see if any exisiting electrical works have been carried out in the event of payout ect ect

if you are installing a window extractor (non electricity) then the above would not apply.
 
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Do you need one? Perhaps not, door and window open does an OK job as you've discovered :) But it is a good idea for reasons others have mentioned. I had one fitted to the ceiling last month, and opted for the cheapest possible model (think it was around £15). The problem with the cheapest ones is fan noise, it's like with computer case fans I guess. If you pay a bit more and get one with a quality ball bearing fan it should be pretty quiet, I am slightly regretting not going for one of those...
 
Thanks for the replies.

What I really want to know is - does a 100mm fan actually do much?

From experience, what have you guys found?

I will still leave the window and door open even if I get a fan.

The fan I have seen is £30 which is fine. Extra electrical works is probably £50-£100.
 
The size of the fan would be dependant upon on the size of the bathroom. Any decent DIY such as SF should be able to advise as to size required

I still leave my bathroom windows slightly ajar even with fan running through habit.

My bathroom fan is 120mm (my bathroom is (LxW) 13'x 8' and is more than adequate at the task.
 
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Does it do much? That depends on the size of the bathroom and how cold your house is. On a warm-ish day like today, with bathroom doors and windows closed and in a fairly small bathroom, my fan definitely does not remove ALL steam/moisture. But it does remove the vast majority of it...
 
kona786 said:
The fan I have seen is £30 which is fine. Extra electrical works is probably £50-£100.
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As a suggestion to offset costing due to electrical work. Change your bathroom lights over to LED and install a PIR (LAP @ £15.00 ScwFx) Automated lights sensor switch. Place the fan on a seperate switch from o/s bathroom so activated simple on/off switch when showering. LED will be both cost effective and energy efficient. LED save £££s

Or alternativley you can have both lights and fan running from the PIR. PIR requires a ground wire to operate properly. bathroom wiring tends to be live and neutral. Electrician can easly run a ground wire from juction box to source.
 
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You leave the window and door open in the middle of winter? Surely this just lets out all the heat in your house? I wouldn't even consider a bathroom without a fan, ideally I'd get the fan in the roof space with just a grill in the ceiling as you can a get a better fan and b it's much quieter if you decouple it from the ceiling!
 
Dont bother with the small units you want a proper unit located in the attic using duct, also gets round the part P nonesense and the need to have it professionaly installed. A standard fan extracts about 85m3 an attic one does about 400 on average, can have multiple exraction vents as well, and you duct out via a vented brick replacement so no drilling.
There also quieter as there hidden away mounted on anti-vibration mounts and no unsightly fans to be seen.
 
Yes I will be getting an LED light fitting. Fan wise I'll be getting a pull cord one if I do.

Yes I leave the door and window cracked open in winter, not as open as I do in summer.

I also have a bathroom fan heater which I forget to mention (use it in the winter), and I have a p shaped bath with 2 doors for full shower enclosure.

Flat is electric only, no gas.
 
CyZMyAssBaby said:
As I understand if you have an electrical fan installed in the bathroom (regulations) you will have to have the fan connected to a main on/off switch outside of the bathroom as well.

i.e switch draw string turns on fan inside bathroom and lights. Outside bathroom main switch to turn off and on.

As I understood from an electrician who wired my bathroom the "kill switch" was the term he used is now regualtory and if you do install the fan (electirical installation) the electrician will have to notify the local council as electrical work/ fan installation has beeen carried out. (It is regulatory due to electrical wiring and has to be certified by the actual electrician) The reason is fire ect and if insurance companies ect ect want to see if any exisiting electrical works have been carried out in the event of payout ect ect

if you are installing a window extractor (non electricity) then the above would not apply.
Click to expand...

If you're clever about it then you install the fan in the ceiling void and the switch either automatic or outside the bathroom. That way there is no wiring in the bathroom and no notification, certification, or any other nonsense of that sort.

I have a centrifugal in the loft, the fan duct is in the ceiling, the vent is in the air brick in the loft, the switch (I like to be able to switch it on independently) is on the hallway wall outside the bathroom. No wiring in the bathroom whatsoever. Job done.
 
A fan will run off your currently lighting ring an is not notifiable as long as it's switched outside your bathroom. I have recently installed one in my bathroom (3mX2m) 120mm centrifugal from screwfix. As my bathroom is downstairs the fan is mounted between ceiling and floor and vents out the side of the house, makes a huge difference in what was a very steamy room with lots of condensation.
 
Lopéz said:
If you're clever about it then you install the fan in the ceiling void and the switch either automatic or outside the bathroom. That way there is no wiring in the bathroom and no notification, certification, or any other nonsense of that sort.

I have a centrifugal in the loft, the fan duct is in the ceiling, the vent is in the air brick in the loft, the switch (I like to be able to switch it on independently) is on the hallway wall outside the bathroom. No wiring in the bathroom whatsoever. Job done.
Click to expand...

That is good to know. Will keep in mind for future reference. Cheers
 
As of 2013, the requirement to notify modifications to existing circuits in bathrooms is redundant unless it's within the Zones, this won't be.
It will only need notifying if it's a new circuit, I'm pretty certain that you will be running the fan off the existing lighting circuit so don't worry about what the Electrican told you as he's reading from an old book ;)
 
Forget fitting a 4" fan it's pointless, the recomendation is not relevant anymore. fit a 6" fan, much better airflow will help with the condensation.
 
Loving the idea that you have an electric fan heater on and the window open no wonder energy consumption in the developed world is so ridiculous! Get a decent extractor shut the window and save some money!
 
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