Another condensation question - sorry

Any

Hi all,


We had new bathroom installed this spring. This is the first time the heating was on since the new install.


The bathroom is room 2.5m x 1.9m, new Manrose fan in the wall.
In recent weeks the condensation in there is terrible!


I have proper pools of water on the tiled window ledge.


I looked whether we need more efficient fan - but the Manrose one seems to have quite a high efficiency on paper? I cannot find many with much better extraction rate.


Will trickle vents on windows make a huge difference? We currently don't have one.


Window is rarely opened in winter (wood and difficult to open in winter), but the fan is on for at least 30 mins every morning.
2 people taking shower every day.


Is it possible the fan is not right? Should it really clear the air in that time?


Thanks


As an aside question - we are thinking about PIV unit next year.
House is circa 1900 cottage and we have general problem with slight damp etc. Fireplace completely cut off (it is there as a decorative thing, but chimney completely taken down) and we have damp patches on the bottom of the wall there and few more places.
Anyone has an idea about cost and is it really that great?

rob7475

is the wooden windows double glazed? If not, you'll get condensation in cold weather. It's the hot air from the heated room hitting the cold glass. Double glazing would improve things a bit but you do need to get some air circulation in. An extractor fan will help with steam but not so much condensation. The easiest solution would be to open the window a little bit during the day which will help keep the room dry. If the windows is proving hard to open, get it fixed / replaced.

Ventilation is the only way of fixing the problem

Jackmydad

Where's the air for the extractor being sucked from?
There needs to be a way for air to get into the bathroom, for it to get out via the extractor.

Any

Thank you
The window is double glazed.


The door is little bit opened all the time, never completely shut so I would have thought that will keep air moving.


I have ordered some trickle vents, just hope they will make a difference!

Aylesbury_Duck

As above, keep the window ajar when the shower is in use. It will provide drier air from outside to replace the moist air being extracted by the fan. Leave the fan running for at least 15 minutes after the last shower, too. Don't leave the door ajar because you're just letting moist bathroom air into the rest of your house.

Couple of quick/daft questions:

Is the fan mounted the right way around?

The fan might be reasonably powerful, but how long is the ducting between the shower room and the outside? You can have a really strong fan but if it's trying to pull and push air through several metres of ducting with turns and angles in it, it will struggle.

RedFraggle

Did you fully tile the bathroom?

GrumpyDil

Also is the fan timed or a humidistat. We've just had a survey done by a specialist damp surveyor who luckily didn't find too much wrong but did note high general moisture levels and has recommended fitting humidistat extractors in place of our timed ones. That may help your problem a little

Any

The wall is quite thick, it’s a stone house, but not several meters.
The walls are tiled about 1,6m up. The corner where the actual shower is is tiled all the way up.

No idea if the fan is the right way round, but it is not blowing air in for sure. Is that what you mean?
The fan is just a timed one. No humistad. But as even after half an hour I am still getting condensation on my windows, it makes me think that it would be then on all the time!

Aylesbury_Duck

Release a piece of tissue near the fan. It should suck it up against the grille. If it does, it's the right way around.

Do you mean you're keeping the fan on for thirty minutes after finishing using the shower? That ought to be enough, combined with an open window. How long is the ducting and how powerful is the fan?

Any

Yes, between 20 mins and half an hour aftwr showering.
The ducting is maybe 15 inches?
The window is the problem. I cannot open it.
My OH is looking at it today though.

So no opening window and no window vents.

stuart07970

Your problem is the humidity
You think your window is the problem because without it open your extract fan does not have the grunt/guts to do the job.

I went from a ceiling mounted fan (85m cubed per hour) to a loft mounted axial fan (250m cubed per hour)

The difference is incredible - just make sure you use insulated ducting.

Have a look on isells website and you tube channel for info
Good luck