Bathroom ventilation

RS89

Hello!

Quite a few properties I've viewed recently don't have a window in the bathroom, only an extractor fan.

One in particular we quite like, but noted some mold on the ceiling on the bathroom which I can only assume is caused by the extractor fan not doing a good enough job.

Does anyone have any experience of buying/living in a property without a window in the bathroom?

What are the things I should look out for when I view the property to ensure it's adequately ventilated?

poppysarah

Without a window open you need a decent quality fan capable of meeting the building regs for bathrooms without windows. I think you can look up what they are (They measure in volume of air moved a second I think)

But no window means no natural light either.

lilac_rainbow

We had an en suite with no windows, just an extractor & had no problems whatsoever, dunno if it made a difference but the extractor ran on for 5 minutes after you left the room

tbs624

RS89 wrote: »

Hello!

Quite a few properties I've viewed recently don't have a window in the bathroom, only an extractor fan.

One in particular we quite like, but noted some mold on the ceiling on the bathroom which I can only assume is caused by the extractor fan not doing a good enough job.

Some people never bother to clean the bathroom fan,and it can become clogged with dust etc which obviously affects how well it will remove moist air.

You should always check that the fan is venting the moist air to somewhere "outside" the property -seriously, it's not unknown for some to be vented straight into the loft space.

You need to close a bathroom door for the fan to work at its most efficient.

Lack of natural light need not be an issue - nice bright spotlights, mirrors, pale walls and if you're really desperate you can invest in those solar tubes.

Check with the Council on building regs - the fan only had to comply with whatever regs were in place at the time but you could consider upgrading, with advice sought from an NICEIC/NAPIT sparkie.

tbs624

lilac_rainbow wrote: »

We had an en suite with no windows, just an extractor & had no problems whatsoever, dunno if it made a difference but the extractor ran on for 5 minutes after you left the room

There is a specific time requirement under Building Regs:)

Nuttyneddy

Our shower room has no windows (it's a partly earth sheltered house) and we've not had a problem with it at all in over five years. It makes it feel a bit like a hotel bathroom

Our fan runs for ages after you've left the room, but it's quite noisy. We have an isolator switch outside the room, perhaps the vendors have turned theirs off so they don't have to listen to it? (They may have turned it back on for viewings).

Ours is wired in so it only comes on when you turn on the light over the shower, so if you only want to clean your teeth you don't have to have the fan on.

RS89

Thanks all for the replies. I've done a quick search on the building regs and will find out about the fan speed/where it vents to and check it on the 2nd viewing.

However, reading some of the stuff on building regs has thrown up another thing.

The property in question is a 1 bedroom flat. The only bathroom leads off the bedroom and there is a guest toilet leading off the landing. The 2 articles on bathroom building regs both say that if a bathroom is the sole bathroom in a dwelling then it can't have its sole access through a bedroom.

Is this actually the case even for a 1 bedroom flat, with a guest toilet? I have no problems with the only bathroom being off the bedroom, but would this cause resale issues later?

sonastin

Building regs only apply at the time the building work is being done. If the flat was built in accordance with the regs that were in force at the time of construction / conversion, the fact that the regs have since changed won't affect your chances of selling it later. You don't need to bring the property up to code each time the regs change.

Nuttyneddy

As Sonastin says, you don't have to worry about building regs that weren't around when the property was built/altered.

I wouldn't think it would put off potential buyers either, I can see that guests may want to visit the toilet without going through your bedroom but how many would want to take a shower? :rotfl:

poppysarah

You don't have to upgrade but they improve the rules for a reason!
Evidence of mold means more ventilation needed

tbs624

poppysarah wrote: »

You don't have to upgrade but they improve the rules for a reason!
Evidence of mold means more ventilation needed

Not necessarily requiring a change in the equipment but in the way in which it is maintained/used.