Bathroom Extractor Fan – Choosing the Right One

Bathroom extractor fans are now a necessary fixture more than a luxury. Rooms with high condensation tendencies like bathrooms are required to be fitted with a bathroom extractor fan to keep the room with proper air circulation, and extract the moisture. In so doing, it keeps our bathroom smelling fresh all the time.

High levels of moisture promote growth of mold and mildew and leave damage to the structure, leaving stains and mold on walls and ceilings. Damages on wood trims and saturation of moisture on building insulation creates more problems.

Therefore it is wise to have a bathroom extractor fan installed in the bathroom where water and the moisture level is constantly high.

Types of fan

There are two types of extractor fans. The axial fan which is mounted directly onto a window or an exterior wall; and the centrifugal fan which is mounted onto a ceiling, overcoming air pressure resistance generated by ducting of long lengths.

Bathroom extractor fans likewise vary by size, low voltage, automatic, and self-regulating types.

A larger size fan means a greater volume of air flow is extracted per hour. Low voltage fans are best used directly over showers. Automatic extractor fans are those that have humidity sensors that turns the fan on or off automatically when it detects levels of humidity. Self regulating fans have built-in controllers that regulate the air flow with a timer to switch off a fan on set intervals.

What is the correct size?

Different rooms require different rates of air flow, which is the number of complete changes of air in the room on a per hour basis. A bathroom requires 6 to 8 times of air changes in an hour. A bathroom with a shower requires 15 to 20 times an hour.

The fan’s capacity may be defined as the volume in cubic metres (cu.m. or m3) or cubic feet (cu.ft. or ft3) per minute. To determine the minimum capacity of a fan required in a room, calculate this:

Volume of room (length x width x height) multiplied by the recommended number of air changes required as indicated above. The resulting number is the appropriate CFM rating for the fan.

Where to install the fan

The best place to position the fan is either on a window or in an exterior wall but this is all dependent on the location of the fresh air source, or the door.

The fan must be placed directly opposite the door to allow the air to circulate properly into the room.

When installing the fan, it is important to check first the site with a cable and pipe detector to ensure that you are not drilling into any electrical cables or water pipes.

Also, the fan must not be positioned too close to the door, as this will not provide the proper air circulation into the room.

Where to buy

Online there are many retailer sites that offer bathroom extractor fans in the United Kingdom. To name a couple of these sites, there are JustFans.co.uk and ScrewFix.com.

They both offer a variety of branded bathroom extractor fans and in different sizes and capacity. Their prices range from £8.30 up to £219. They vary in shipping policies therefore it is wise to study their policies before ordering. Both deliver to the British mainland and all of the British Isles, and most of Europe.

In a nutshell, when choosing the right bathroom extractor fan, do not just consider the price. It is important to consider the highest rate of CFM which indicates the amount of air the fan can effectively vent in one hour. For residential bathroom ventilation fans, the normal rating ranges from 50 to 130. The sone rating is likewise important to consider; the lower the better.