Extractor Fans

[Bisoy]

Hi fellow MSErs,

First time in this forum. Our kitchen and bathroom don't have extractor fans. We do a lot of cooking and use our bathroom regularly and we now noticed damp building up. Advise needed.

Am I right in saying that we need to install an extractor fan on each room? Will it be handy man or electrician? How much are looking at labour charges? Sorry if it's a very stupid question not really a diy fanatic.

Any advise much appreciated.

[mrs baggins]

personally I would say get one in each room. I presume your talking about the electric extractor fans? My son had to have one installed in his bathroom as it was so damp the walls were black. I was told you could do it yourself if you know what you are doing but as his was a flat it was a bit more difficult so got someone in . Cant really help on price though as we had the bathroom tiled and a shower fitted so it was all included in the price. Be aware though if you do it yourself there were some new regs out last year or so which means that electrical work carried out thats extra especially in bathrooms is supposed to be approved by local authority or something like that if you are not an approved electrician. Dont know if people actually do this or not but its something to take into consideration. (see link here http://www.direct.gov.uk/HomeAndComm...1&chk=UFKK%2BB)

on the plus side it does seem to have helped in my sons bathroom!

[Bisoy]

Do I need an electrician then or handy man or both?

[jennifernil]

I would ask 3 electricians to quote. If they can't make the holes then they will bring in someone else but include it in the quote.

[Bisoy]

Thanks for your replies.

[ozskin]

With the new regs you are supposed to have a a part P qualifed engineer under the govs stupid new regs. You may wish to consider a humidistat fan esp in the bathroom. Essentially you can hav a fan with pullcord, requires you to turn on off. Fan with timer comes on with light, requires light to be switched on even in summer and runs for usually varible time after. This will also come on if you go wandering in the middle of the night. Fan with humidistat, fan monitors relative humidity of room turns on when needed and off when extracted, be aware when first fitted can run for a few days constantly, that is how much moisture is in the room. The latest generation fans also have PIR sensors, which switch on when they detect movement. These also need to be ducted and be aware of potential backflow issues with the wind, depending on the siting. Always remember use the minimum lenght of ducting possible and fan will work most efficiently.

[Bisoy]

We are still unsure as to what is best for our bathroom. I hope someone will be able to share their personal experience and knowledge between the two.

My understanding is that if we decided to go with the timer fan then we need to turn on the light even if it's during the summer. Our bathroom has good light source especially during the summer and we don't tend to use the light.

The humidistat senses the humidity inside the bathroom hence it will continue to run for hours as long as there is moisture inside. Am I right?

We are four in the family and uses the shower regularly ( almost everyday ). Does it mean that we should go for the humidistat one? In terms of noise level, are they similar?

Any replies and advise appreciated.

[roswell]

Assuming that you want the fan to get rid of condensation you wont know how long this will take so get one that has a Humidistat, if its not humid enough its not going to run and so wont cost you electric.

[Bisoy]

Roswell thanks. We'll go for the humidistat I suppose.

[Sponge]

What sort of windows do you have in your bathroom? Mounting a fan in the window would save the trouble of knocking a hole in the wall.

You can also install a separate pull cord for the fan. That way you can control it independantly of the light. This is what I did, but bear in mind Part P wasn't around back then and now the regulations are more restrictive, especially where electrical works in bathrooms or kitchens are concerned.

I initially had a fan with a timer, bought as the humidity controlled ones were too expensive. You set how long it runs after it's switched off and this was fine for me.

However, when that failed, I replaced it with one without a timer as it was cheaper still. I now simply leave it running after I've used the shower, then turn it off later.

[Bisoy]

We have a decent size double glazed window in our bathroom and we don't fancy the idea of making a hole in our window so not an option. Anyway thanks.