Bathroom And Toilet Exhaust Fans
Why do I need an exhaust fan ? Apart from local
building regulations, it is important to ventilate well wet areas so as
to avoid future humidity damage to walls and ceiling. Ventilation is
also important in toilets to dissipate odurs produced.
Will any fan do ?
An exhaust fan needs to be sized according to the room size. This is
quite logical as the fan moves air and the larger the room, the more
air the fan needs to move. All exhaust fans should clearly display
their air movement capacity to allow designers and consumers to make an
informed decision on its suitability.
What capacity should the exhaust fan be ?
Generally 10 air changes per hour should suit most bathrooms, toliets
and laundries. Work out the air volume in the room (height x width x
length), then multiply by 10 and that will give you the capacity
required of the fan.
Will the exhaust fan stop the mirror misting ?
The exhaust fan takes excess moisture out (but not all)
and it is a good idea to let it run for a while after finishing a
shower to clear the moisture. A strong fan can create a cold draught
and take most of the warm air out of the bathroom, creating an
unpleasant environment.
Where do I
position my exhaust fan?
For an exhaust fan to perform at
maximum effiency, it's vital that
the exhaust fan has access to a
balanced airflow. This means that
the volume of air being exhausted by
the fan must be matched by that
flowing into the room. The best
source of this in-flowing air is
fresh air either from a window, vent
or grille in a door or exterior
wall, whatever the position its
important to position the exhaust
fan opposite this source of
in-flowing air to encourage a
cross-breeze which is essential to
clear vapour and odours.
It's important not to position an
exhaust fan too close to a
door/window as this will provide air
circulation at the door/window but
have little or no effect on the rest
of the room.
For ventilation of bathrooms with a
shower it's recommended to use a
ducted in roof mounted exhaust fan.
This allows the extract grille to be
installed directly above the shower
for maximum efficiency whilst
maintaining electrical safety with
the fan being remote from any water
spray.
