Bathroom extraction

R

Random1082

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Hi I'm new to this forum and looking for some advice.
I'm currently refurbishing my house and I'm looking for advice / pros and cons of a standard fan vs something like a continuous running unit or heat exchanger. It's a 3 bed semi with 2 bathrooms upstairs and and a toilet downstairs. It's well insulated and as such suffering a bit of condensation and a small amount mould. Both are manageable with the my window vac but I'm looking for a long term solution.
Any suggestions or experiences anyone has would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
 
Random1082 said:
Hi I'm new to this forum and looking for some advice.
I'm currently refurbishing my house and I'm looking for advice / pros and cons of a standard fan vs something like a continuous running unit or heat exchanger. It's a 3 bed semi with 2 bathrooms upstairs and and a toilet downstairs. It's well insulated and as such suffering a bit of condensation and a small amount mould. Both are manageable with the my window vac but I'm looking for a long term solution.
Any suggestions or experiences anyone has would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Click to expand...

one could fit a loft dehumidifier...i contemplated one in an old bungalow which suffered from condensation owing to wet foundations...and the central heating pipes doing the nasty
i dont think they need a lot of power and just a tube to drain out to the eaves..
condensation is brought on with inadequate ventilation so check the wall vents are clear
cooking and bathing are the culprits...and closed bedroom doors when sleeping
my neigbour got cavity wall insulation put into his bungalow...and hey presto he began to get a lot of condensation...brick walls and built in 1960
good luck with that...its a menace and anti condensation paint is just a waste of money
cheers
geof
 
Random1082, good evening.

I see this is your first post, if no one else does welcome to the site.

As mrcrow post [above] cooking, laundry, and bathing are the prime source of condensation.

Depending on how much £££ you are willing [and able] to fork out there are as you suggest various ways of minimising or mitigating the free water floating around in the air in the house.

Must admit I am a dumper, meaning run an extract fan from the cooker to the outside, likewise run an up and over extract in the two upper bathrooms, and a hole in the wall in the ground floor toilet, all fitted with an over run and gravity closers on the first and last extractors, why because if [in my opinion] remove as much of the moisture laden air at source that will stop or assist in preventing the background build up of moisture in the house. dump the moist air as soon as possible

Yes there are various devices, heat recovery, Etc. and loft De-hums, as for the latter? fit eaves [or low level tile] and ridge vents, job done and no costly running [or purchase of] and maintenance of the fan and its associated bits and bobs?

Keep it simple ?

Must totally agree with mrcrow do not go anywhere near retro Cavity wall insulation.

Ken.
 
Sorry for the late reply, I've been away and lost track of time. Thank you for your input.
I've decided to keep it simple and gone for a 3 different types of extractor fans. In the family I opted to for an inline fan which is in the loft and does a great job of clearing the steam quickly. In the en-suite I've gone for a continuous running app controlled fan which allows me to set quiet times which is great as it's off my bedroom. Lastly in the down stairs loo I went with a standard timer extractor.
I found a great website that had loads of information and the staff were really helpful and delivered everything the day after i placed the order.
All in all this set me back a about £250 for the fans and bit more for the electrician to fit.
 
Random,
Sounds good.... pls tell us the website that "that had loads of information".
SFK
 
Random1082 said:
Hi SFK,
The website is www.extractorfanworld.co.uk
Regards,
Click to expand...



productTemplate

my ceiling fan, above £37 at B&Q, in the bathroom is whining a bit and i think i will buy another...perhaps from this company
however i thought i would take it down and check...its been up 3 years when i moved in and was full of dust but what was more dusty clogged and round the edges was the duct...which was there before i fitted this one which could have been years previous
so it looks like a new duct and fixings...something i hadnt considered...and an exit vent...
i looked at the site and see one which may be suitable and see one which may be better at pushing that dust though as well as the steam from multi showers...we had 4 family here for 10 days and the room ceiling is starting to show mould even over my mould resisting paint just in one spot
cheers
geof
 
Hi Geof, @mrcrow
I had similar fan but it was far from quiet and hopeless as a fan. It must have been in since our house was built.
The person I spoke to at extractor fan world recommended the silent tornado fan which was pretty much a direct replacement for the fan above but I opted for the inline version because I have loft space directly above it.
I did buy one of the silent fans with a timer for the downstairs loo.
My pipe work was also in a sorry state so I replaced it. I figured it was worth a few extra ££ to do it all at once.
All in all, I'm really pleased with the performance of all 3 fans

this is the one they initially recommended for the family bathroom and I have downstairs.
https://www.extractorfanworld.co.uk...o-hi-power-bathroom-fan-with-timer-3435-p.asp

I hope this helps.
R
 
is there a rule of thumb with regards to the extraction capability and the size of the room? (apologies for thread hijack)
 
Random1082 said:
Hi Geof, @mrcrow
I had similar fan but it was far from quiet and hopeless as a fan. It must have been in since our house was built.
The person I spoke to at extractor fan world recommended the silent tornado fan which was pretty much a direct replacement for the fan above but I opted for the inline version because I have loft space directly above it.
I did buy one of the silent fans with a timer for the downstairs loo.
My pipe work was also in a sorry state so I replaced it. I figured it was worth a few extra ££ to do it all at once.
All in all, I'm really pleased with the performance of all 3 fans

this is the one they initially recommended for the family bathroom and I have downstairs.
https://www.extractorfanworld.co.uk...o-hi-power-bathroom-fan-with-timer-3435-p.asp

I hope this helps.
R
Click to expand...

yes this is one that i spotted from your link...and i think it will be my upgrade fan soon
cheers
geof
 
Rykard said:
is there a rule of thumb with regards to the extraction capability and the size of the room? (apologies for thread hijack)
Click to expand...

i guess a fan has a air extraction rate...so the cu.metres would play some way to calculate the time the fan could change the air in the room
there is some guidance somewhere on air changes per hour in domestic dwellings...and commercial/industrial for a way to calculate the fan required in line with the efficiency of the fan as well

https://www.contractingbusiness.com/service/use-air-changes-calculation-determine-room-cfm

this is what i found on google...certain rooms need certain air changes...depending on use
i would think a bathroom should have a high rate to avoid dampness, mould?
 
mrcrow said:
i guess a fan has a air extraction rate...so the cu.metres would play some way to calculate the time the fan could change the air in the room
there is some guidance somewhere on air changes per hour in domestic dwellings...and commercial/industrial for a way to calculate the fan required in line with the efficiency of the fan as well

https://www.contractingbusiness.com/service/use-air-changes-calculation-determine-room-cfm

this is what i found on google...certain rooms need certain air changes...depending on use
i would think a bathroom should have a high rate to avoid dampness, mould?
Click to expand...

i nearly forgot...for a fan to do its job properly the doors/windows need to be shut...so creating a slight vacuum, air will come under the door etc and the room will be evacuated more efficiently, and set your lights off runtime to do that...
cheers
geof
 
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