Advice about type of extractor fan in kitchen

doubleL_2

Hi, 

I've had an extractor fan fitted in my kitchen 2 years ago and from the beginning there has been some issues with the electrician about it. 

When he fitted it, we agreed that he would fit a humidistat fan (that switches on and off automatically by detecting the level of moisture in the air) and that he would connect it to a wall switch as well, because I said that I'd like to be able to switch it off myself in certain occasions.

At that time, he agreed to all this but the switch never worked. Lately, the fan stopped working but because it's still under warranty, the electrician can come back and change it.

The electrician is now suggesting to fit a basic On/off fan as I "will have less problems with moisture etc."

I suspect he is suggesting this in order to make the job easier for him but I might be wrong!

So my question is, what kind of fan do you think is best for a kitchen? ON/OFF? Humidistat? A blend of both (like what we had agreed on at the beginning?)

Personally, I think Humidistat is best (especially when it works in the middle of the night as it helps prevent condensation on windows) but I like the option to control it with a switch (might have some guests and don't want the noisy fan on!)

Many thanks in advance for your help!

tacpot12

A humidistat-controlled fan is the best option. Modern fans can be extremely quiet, so spending a little more on a fan that is super quiet might allow you to only have the humidistat to control it and dispense with the on-off idea. 

The electrician is an idiot if they think that an on-off fan will give you less problems with condensation.  

ashe

tacpot12 said:

A humidistat-controlled fan is the best option. Modern fans can be extremely quiet, so spending a little more on a fan that is super quiet might allow you to only have the humidistat to control it and dispense with the on-off idea. 

The electrician is an idiot if they think that an on-off fan will give you less problems with condensation.  

well it will, if you leave it on "on"

tacpot12

ashe said:

tacpot12 said:

A humidistat-controlled fan is the best option. Modern fans can be extremely quiet, so spending a little more on a fan that is super quiet might allow you to only have the humidistat to control it and dispense with the on-off idea. 

The electrician is an idiot if they think that an on-off fan will give you less problems with condensation.  

well it will, if you leave it on "on"

Electricans have a duty of care for energy efficiency, so no electrican should ever recommend leaving a load switched on when it doesn't need to be, or not installing a humidity-controlled fan in a kitchen when the client would prefer this. 

Sandtree

doubleL_2 said:

I suspect he is suggesting this in order to make the job easier for him but I might be wrong!

Wiring is already in place and so absolutely no difference for him, the hydrometer is built into the fan and so not something difficult for him to do. He may feel a simple on/off switch is less likely to fail and so less warranty issues but I doubt the failure rate is sufficient to push the cheaper units where they get lower markup

fenwick458

Sandtree said:

Wiring is already in place and so absolutely no difference for him, the hydrometer is built into the fan and so not something difficult for him to do. He may feel a simple on/off switch is less likely to fail and so less warranty issues but I doubt the failure rate is sufficient to push the cheaper units where they get lower markup

I thought that but apparently the wall switch has never worked, so maybe the wiring isn't in place?? are they suggesting to fit a pullcord fan?
but I can't see why they would suggest a remotely switched fan at this stage, assuming the wiring is in place then it really is no different.
and assuming it's under warranty the electrician will be getting a like for like replacement from the fan manufacturer, so maybe he wants a humidistat fan for another job and has a spare basic fan that he wants to get rid of?

coffeehound

There have been threads here of problems with humidistats, so maybe they are more prone to problems.  I wonder if in the kitchen situation they might get a layer of 'cooking film' causing issues?  Just speculation, though