Condensation and mould

[colin_]

Hi

I am having problems in the bathroom with condensation when/after taking a shower which is causing mould.

I believe I need an extra fan to be fitted through the wall with shutter (to prevent cold air coming back in) and run on timer.

1. Should the above be sufficient or is there anything else I need to take into account?
2. Can a plumber fit these or does it need to be an electrician?
3. Are there any brands/types that are recommendable?
4. Any to avoid?

Whilst looking for fans I noticed that there are some that are always on low to extract humidity regardless of whether from shower or not as they adjust their speed.

5. Are these a good idea?
6. I presume that as always on that cold air can get in from outside all the time (no shutters)?

Sorry for the long query but as elderly I would like to get this right and not have something installed that will need to be changed later

Thanks

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Do you have a window in the bathroom?

 

[colin_]

Hi, there is a window in the bathroom and can be opened in summer time

 

[fowlerboi]

I would get an electrician to do it.

In terms of which type you get is probably a discussion to be had with the electrician. You can get them on separate switches/on with the lights/ or either of them with timed over run (recommended)/ or humid stats.

Depending on how humid/ how much ventilation your house has/ how much and how hot you use the shower will depend on which to go for.

Personally if you can put an inline fan in the loft venting out the soffit would be my choice. More powerful and quieter. I would also have it on the light switch with a timer as I wouldn't trust my family to actually turn it on if it was switched separately.

Most fans have non return valves built in but speak to the electrician

 

[Murdoch]

The absolute key points of having extractor fans added in bathrooms are:

1. a suitable air gap under the door to ensure sufficient airflow into the room

2. the fan must have an over run timer of at least 10 - 15 minutes

3. the fan air through put needs to be high

4. if the fan doesn’t go straight out of a wall, the pipe work in the loft needs to be short AND if long don’t use flexible pipes

 

[Ben-gee]

If pipe work needs to be long, that is ok but you then need a centrifugal fan not an axial one.
There are now some pretty good “mixed flow” fans that perform very well.

 

[colin_]

Thanks for the replies, I will get an electrician to take a look.

 

[Mike - Building Surveyor]

I had a similar problem in a bungalow I Lived in. In line with current building regulations I installed a continuously running fan to circulates the air 24/7 at a very low rate. The fan I selected was fitted with a humidistat that boosted the fan to a higher speed when necessary. Installing this one fan, not only cured the condensation in the bathroom but also reduced the moisture level throughout the bungalow and resolved the mould issues in other rooms. Because of the moisture levels on the rest of the property the fan ran for about three months before dropping to the slow speed

 

[Ben-gee]

That’s interesting Mike, do you remember the model of fan that you used- I think I would benefit from something similar.

 

[colin_]

I had a similar problem in a bungalow I Lived in. In line with current building regulations I installed a continuously running fan to circulates the air 24/7 at a very low rate. The fan I selected was fitted with a humidistat that boosted the fan to a higher speed when necessary. Installing this one fan, not only cured the condensation in the bathroom but also reduced the moisture level throughout the bungalow and resolved the mould issues in other rooms. Because of the moisture levels on the rest of the property the fan ran for about three months before dropping to the slow speed

Thanks, will bring it up when the electricians come to quote