Bathroom ventilation - air inlet

Porkyone

Hi everyone,

I need some advice on bathroom ventilation.

We removed built in cupboards at one end of the bathroom and installed a shower with an extractor fan over it. The old bathroom extractor was (still is) in the external wall at the other end of the bathroom. This ancient extractor fan is now surplus to requirements except that it lets in air, freezing cold air at that, so it provides some necessary ventilation. Particularly as one of the exterior gravity flaps is broken off.

I'd like to take this old fan out and block the hole up but don't know what to do about getting air in the room if I do that.

The options I see are:

• I could install a new vent in the internal partition wall, which is adjacent to the old fan, and which would still give an airflow right through the bathroom. The other side of the vent would be in the hall high over the half landing but my wife is not keen on having additional holes in the internal walls.
• I could put a vent in the door, but that's right next to the shower so there would be little airflow through the rest of the room and I'm not sure if it would be ideal to do this.
• I could leave the existing fan's external hole open and use it as an air inlet with some kind of grill or screen on the inside. But I can imagine a small fortune in heat flowing out of that hole and icy wind coming in.

Does anyone have any advice on the best course of action.
Thanks
Porky

llandyrnog

Hi, Best thing to do is block up the hole to the old extracter fan and while your at it check around where the drainage pipes go through the walls for any draughts and also round your windows, and seal up !. Your new extractor will work well enough by drawing the air from the rest of the house without the need for any more holes letting in cold air. Current thinking in housebuilding is to build airtight homes. New homes now have an air test conducted on completion to ensure air infiltration is not too excessive.