Condensation in bathroom

shazkhan111

I have a condensation problem in my bathroom, the bathroom is very cold, particularly in the winter months.

I have an extractor fan in there but is not very effective,

http://www.wickes.co.uk/extractor-fan+light-with-timer/invt/199809/

Firstly, I dont know what the extraction rate is on this fan.

Anyone have any advise on a fan that will be good for condensation?

CLAPTON

how many hours do you leave the fan on for after a shower ?
why don't you heat the bathroom?

shazkhan111

Fan is on for 20 mins after shower. I am trying to eliminate the build-up of condensation on the ceiling and tiles.

Rest of the house is warm, so guess its not cost effective to switch on the central heating.

KillerWatt

shazkhan111 wrote: »

Anyone have any advise on a fan that will be good for condensation?

What size is your bathroom (in M²)?

diable

If you have cold walls then only a jet engine will help to extract the moisture, you may need to wipe down the walls after every shower.

jay1181

shazkhan111 wrote: »

I have a condensation problem in my bathroom, the bathroom is very cold, particularly in the winter months.

I have an extractor fan in there but is not very effective,

http://www.wickes.co.uk/extractor-fan+light-with-timer/invt/199809/

Firstly, I dont know what the extraction rate is on this fan.

Anyone have any advise on a fan that will be good for condensation?

is there good airflow in the house eg you havent blocked airbricks or trickle vents on the window ect as we have problems with our tenants doing just that then they get the condensation problem in the bathroom kitchen because they blocked the vents .

shazkhan111

very small .... 2.0m x 1.8m = 3.6m²

shazkhan111

we blocked a vent and replaced it with the mentioned extractor fan....

moonrakerz

The usual problems are:

1. fan isn't big enough - most paces, a 6" is needed
2. fan doesn't run long enough
3. if the fan is sucking air OUT of the room there needs to be somewhere for air to come INTO the room at the same time (your vent was probably there to do just that !)

LittleMissAspie

shazkhan111 wrote: »

very small .... 2.0m x 1.8m = 3.6m²

You need a fan that extracts at least 36m2 per hour, 70m2 would work very well.

Make sure you shut the window when the fan is on and try to put the fan opposite the door. Then the air will be drawn from the door through the room ensuring a good flow.

Something like this? http://www.screwfix.com/p/manrose-chrome-in-line-20w-extractor-fan-timer/12473

GolfBravo

We had the same problem a couple of years ago. I think the best solution would be to get a humidistat to control the fan. The proportional fan timer is just not good enough, I'm afraid, it only takes time into consideration - sometimes 20 minutes is enough, sometimes not.

Take a look at RHL's Autostat, not cheap, but very effective. Also check out their blog, some very good hints in there, including condensation problems.

If your bathroom is very cold in winter, the external wall and window will attract condensation from other rooms (even kitchen), not only from the bathroom. So you need to control the humidity in your bathroom, not how long or how fast the extractor fan works.