Bathroom Extractor Fans - a DIY Guide

[@kunid]

I respect how much effort you put into doing the research, explaining your rationale when faced with difficult choices, and the comprehensiveness of the videos. And most importantly, the absence of click-bait. Keep maintaining this level of quality ... for it's your USP compared to other channels KZbin. Best regards!

[@CharlieDIYte]

Thanks so much. Really appreciate that feedback! 👊

[@imipak23]

Not *entirely* unique, bu certainly welcome.

[@tuongkhanhung]

*Works amazingly **Fastly.Cool** . I love all the features and the double expansion. For once a fan is almost as tall as my window. Updated but not overly fancy.*

[@CharlieDIYte]

Yes still going strong

[@DDLovett]

Thanks for this video. We have never had a problem with condensation in our bathroom until we recently had the bath changed to a big enclosed shower. Now our beautiful new bathroom is spoiled due to water on the ceiling dripping down and marking the paintwork after just a few weeks. We have had an electrician round who tried to convince us we need a positive input venting system installed, taking cold air from the loft and pumping it into our hallway. After watching your video, we are going for an inline extractor above the shower. If it can hold a sock up, I'm sure it will do the trick.

[@CharlieDIYte]

Also squeegee the shower, walls and tray after each use. I do that every day and we too have an enclosure. Ideally leave a window open for 15 minutes after each shower (we have it open during too). There is correlation on the roof but 15 minutes later and you wouldn't know anyone had been in there.

[@misstakenot9582]

43dB is not "nearly twice as noisy" as 25dB - it's more. The Decibel scale is logarithmic, not linear. It's also likely that the measurement criteria are not consistent between manufacturers.

[@SteveBower996]

3db is a doubling in volume, so 28db is twice as loud as 25db. An increase to 43db 'sounds' about 4x as loud.

[@misstakenot9582]

@@SteveBower996 Not quite. A 3dB increase is indeed a doubling of acoustic energy, but the human ear/brain system is also logarithmic (and doesn't work like a meter), so it is not perceived as such. An increase of 10dB "sounds" just twice as loud. A change of 3dB is perceptible, but not significant. As an example, while you are in an adjoining room, have someone unplug one of the speakers of your stereo system. You'll notice a difference, but it won't sound like half as loud.

[@loafersheffield]

Ah, doesn't bother me. I usually listen to Motorhead when I shower. However. I always have to open "that bloody window" whenever I evacuate my bowels. Although the missus never bothers. Lady poo must smell of sugar and spice. I hate customers who try and waste my time setting a timer to run eaxactly for 9 minutes and 32 seconds and setting the humidistat to kick in on wet fart mode.

[@craigbirrell2732]

@@loafersheffield 🤣🤣👌🏻

[@guywilkinson]

But your ear is a log scale too, so it sounds twice as loud 🔊

[@impamiizgraa]

What a comprehensive video. So grateful for this. I'm renovating with a shoestring budget (most of the work myself) this is the type of decision and work that you just never know what to do about but makes such a difference to your overall enjoyment of the final home. Thank you!

[@CharlieDIYte]

You're welcome. Good luck with the renovation and thanks for the comment. 👊

[@Spherian7]

I'm putting my house up for sale, and the real estate agent who has seen it all, was very impressed with the caulking in the shower/tub which, of course, I did using your great instruction and profiling tool. You have increased the value, and I shan't soon forget it. 💎

[@CharlieDIYte]

Ah, that's great news. Really glad to hear it 👍🏻

[@GoogleGoogle-ef5pw]

Wtf….

[@Spherian7]

@@GoogleGoogle-ef5pw go to his bathroom caulking guide.

[@herosandwich7940]

@@GoogleGoogle-ef5pw How to Silicone Behind Taps? Could be this one.

[@raftonpounder6696]

Send him a few bob of your profits!

[@paulb7716]

This is amazing, thanks so much for going to the effort of researching and explaining this. My bathroom has slowly been developing humidity over the years and now I understand why. I think I’m in love with you.

[@Czechbound]

That was really great ! I hate having a shower - even in the winter - in a room where I can't open a window. But most people that I know have showers with the window closed, and then complain about the mildew on the walls. Cause. Effect. At least with a fan wired in a way so that it has to operate this helps to eliminate the mould problem. Though one couple I know in their new house ( with a timber frame roof and wall studs ) put old t-shirts in the wall vents in the their bedroom, living room and en suite as they hated "feeling cold". When I told them the house has to breathe - it's not like a concrete apartment, and that their roof could rot, they said they didn't care ...

[@CharlieDIYte]

That's extraordinary isn't it. It's happening nationwide though, with new builds these days being hermetically sealed for insulation purposes and then people move in, clamp all fits and windows shut and wonder why they have damp and mould problems within months.

[@chrisohanlon69]

Was amazed to find that my not very well maintained vent axia fan installed before I moved in in 2008 was still pulling a tissue. I must say I don't think I could be bothered with an app for a bathroom fan mine comes on with the light and turns off after a few minutes, which is perfect. Very informative video, thank you.

[@CharlieDIYte]

Thanks Chris. Glad to hear it's still going strong 👍🏻

[@gumboe2007]

An electrician fitted two inline fans, one for the main bathroom and one for the ensuite. He said he had a good idea to fit them upside down to the rafters so that it would be silent. Because the white thin flexible hose was used between the grill on the bathroom/ensuite side and to the fan it meant water was pooling in the flexible pipe and evaporating on the fan. This meant moisture ended up dripping out of the electrical part of the fan as it was mounted upside down on the rafter. I put it back on the joists in the loft (the right way up) and replaced the thin white flexible hose with some silver coloured insulated hose. No problems since then. After watching this video I'm thinking of trying to connect the grille on the ceiling to the fan using straight white plastic ducting and covering it with the insulated flexible hose.

[@evemaegoodman4983]

I bought the Svara after watching your Video Charlie (in black!) and it has been amazing ! So so silent on trickle mode and even on full speed it is extremely quiet ! The app adds so much more to customisation - we have one in the bathroom and one in the kitchen !

[@smokinjoe6644]

This is such a well put together and informative video, I feel like I can take on the world when it comes to bathroom extractors now. Thank you very much.

[@CharlieDIYte]

You're very welcome mate. Humbled to hear that. It was a pig to put together but comments like that make it worthwhile 👊

[@peachy0014]

They always are. The guy is superb.

[@DavidZhiweiQin]

talk too much shit without demonstrating it, This is a video but not a talk show

[@simonturner904]

Hi Charlie thanks for this. I’ve never imagined that I would’ve spent 20 minutes watching a video on bathroom fans. It was really informative and useful. I realise what I need is to replace a particularly useless fan that my builder installs in the loft. It currently has ducting all the way from the front of the house and vents out of a Event that looks more like it was designed for a soil stack,at the back of the house. I think it’s almost entirely useless and the ducting is in a really inconvenient position across my loft.. I now realise I need to install one of those tile vents at the front of the house and replace the fan with a decent one. It will be so much more efficient. I have an original 1920s roof with clay tiles. Paragraph the bit I need to install it in is hard to access because of the way the downstairs protrudes out. I wondered how easy it would be to insert the tile vent from the inside. The tiles are held in place with cement that is easily removed (it largely does so by itself bit by bit).Do you think I should just be able to slide the tiles around and remove the ones I need? As far as I can tell none of the tiles and the nailed in place.

[@CharlieDIYte]

Hi Simon, yes that set up sounds hopeless. A new inline fan with rigid pvc ducting is definitely the answer - it will make such a difference. Yes I would have thought you could install from the inside - particularly if the roof isn't felted. It could be a bit fiddly if it is felted. If you're going to do this, I would experiment with the vent in a section of roof that you can get to, just to make sure the vent is an exact match, dimension wise for the tiles you're removing. One of the guys on my Discord group has done this (but vented through a soffit) and posted links to all the parts he bought. Might be worth signing up to the forum through the Buy Me a Coffee link if only for a month, so you can see how he did it. Good luck!

[@mishabruml]

Thank you for this video! I replaced the horrible old inline fan and ducting run that wasn't working as it was a total bodge job, and had caused a lot of mould in the bathroom that sadly had been painted over by the vendor before we purchased the house. I purchased a Tornado TT100PROT Turbo Tube from Extractor Fan World after your recommendation, and its really good, and the customer service/support I got from them on the phone was also really good so thanks for that! The fan itself is of good build quality, the only niggle I have is the screws for the electronics enclosure are really cheap, poor quality screws the heads stripped very easily. I replaced them with some similar dimension pozi screws I had lying around, which makes for a much better enclosure seal as I can tighten the screws adequately, without fear of stripping the head. The install itself was simple, although time consuming given the confined space and damp dark conditions in the loft. I used an existing showerlite fitting in the ceiling as the intake, and installed a new grille vent in the fascia for the exhaust. I installed an inline backdraft valve in the exhaust side of the ducting run. For the run itself, I used solid 100mm PVC pipe for the majority, as this improves airflow and reduces water pooling as there is less nooks and crannies for the steam to catch and condense on. I used a short section of flexible ducting to make the bend from vertical to horizontal. I used jubilee clips on all the joints to make sure they are good and sealed, and then I wrapped all the ducting in plenty of insulation; I used some leftover loft insulation first, fixing in place with long cable ties, and then a layer of foil bubble wrap insulation to seal it all up, again fixed with long cable ties. Pro tip from my dad: the fan itself is not mounted to a joist, but suspended from the rafters with some used bike inner tubes. This acts as a damping system, reducing the noise and vibration of the fan. As a result, the fan is very quiet, you can only really hear the whirring noise of the blades spinning, rather than echoey mechanical noise reverberating through the house as I have experienced before. Extraction is very powerful and I am really pleased with the product. Some pics and review from meon this page www dot extractorfanworld dot co dot uk/tornado-tt100prot-turbo-tube-4100mm-inline-fan-with-timer-3785-p.asp Now I just need to finish treating the mouldy ceiling, repainting and sealing it in, replacing the horrible old bulkhead light with something from this side of the millenium, and the bathroom will be looking good.

[@CharlieDIYte]

What a great review - thanks so much for sharing. Glad you had good experience buying from EFW. Same as me! Some great tips on damping the noise!

[@mishabruml]

The ceiling is pretty old and appears to made from soggy weetabix (some kind of hardboard?)

[@blackmac1970]

Really appreciate the effort and time put in to the video, especially about the 2/3 core wiring. I wasn't aware of that.

[@CharlieDIYte]

You're very welcome. Thanks for the comment 👍🏻

[@davidramsay6142]

Great video that provides an abundance of information. I like the extraction above the shower with the inline fan in the loft space to avoid electrical issues and conflict with code. This maximises steam extraction before it condenses onto cold surfaces away from the shower also extracted air after the showering with a 10 to 15 min timer passes from least damp to most damp before extraction maximising evaporation. Ultimately I am preparing for a Whole house mechanical ventilation with heat exchanger to permanently exchange damp air from the bathrooms and kitchen via a heT exchanger for dry fresh. Air into the bedrooms and apartments.

[@CharlieDIYte]

Thanks David. Yes your MVHR is the Rolls Royce solution 👍

[@CharlieDIYte]

Apologies if you watched this video yesterday and/or kindly left a comment. Unfortunately I had to delist the video to correct a couple of inaccuracies.

[@jonny7491]

I’ll like it again then.🇬🇧🇦🇺😀

[@PropertyAtAuction]

Thought it was deja vu!

[@CharlieDIYte]

Ah, Jonny, can't thank you enough mate 👊🏻👍🏻 This video has very nearly broken me!!

[@CharlieDIYte]

Sorry about that Julian 🤦

[@PropertyAtAuction]

@@CharlieDIYte no apology needed

[@kokololipop2206]

Amazing video! The water from humidifiers and shower cleaner is good for watering plants. Cheers

[@nigeloshea9165]

An excellent video 👏👏. Very well presented and put together without lots of techical jargon

[@Playingbyear]

Thanks Charlie. That tornado looks suspiciously like a rebadged Soler & Palau silent 100, which is what your previous fan was too (envirovent silent 100). BTW, the S&P silent is available in 5” (125) and 6” (150) models. These fans are the best by far in suction tests, I bet they'd outperform the vent axia you tested. Best solution as you say is an inline fan in the attic - these are more akin to professional HVAC fans than crappy manrose ones installed in new builds by builders looking to install the bare minimum. I'll be installing S&P / envirovent (same thing) again, I reckon they punch well above their weight.

[@paulmackilligin1754]

Yes, I second that. The S&P fans are very excellent, and have not been changed in design for at least 20 years as far as I can make out. It is often the way. Only bits of kit that are on show get makeovers and re-designs every two years. Proper decent professional stuff doesn't need to be changed about. Good kit is good kit and nearly all the upgrades and smartness and wifi-ready and whatever other fashionable nonsense, is largely driven by the marketing department who know that consumers are easily swayed by NEW! Technology!

[@Ste2023]

Thanks 👍

[@amwphotos]

Did you consider getting one of the heat exchanger extractors? Youve done so much work to make the rest of the house well insulated, seems amiss to leave a window open or blow all that warm air outside. Thorough video!

[@RobertKza]

Great video, many thanks. On enquiring I discovered a recommended alternative to extraction is a PIV (positive input ventilation) fan in the loft as long as your rooms have window trickle vents fitted. This method slightly pressurizes the house. It's worked well for me and window condensation is gone. Supply and installation cost around GBP 700

[@CharlieDIYte]

Thanks. Yes there's a lot of love for PIVs in the Comments below this video I did on condensation kzbin.info/www/bejne/inqnk2CmmbShjq8

[@colinfarrell6444]

I installed 2 manrose inline extractor fans {for main bathroom and ensuite}, after watching this vid. Great advice

[@CharlieDIYte]

Great work Colin. They're fab aren't they! Thanks for letting me know 👍

[@mstatham10]

I put an 150mm in-line fan with pvc ducting into my shower with the vent positioned above my shower. I left my old bathroom wall fan in place but switched off, to allow air inlet. The results transformed my bathroom eliminating 99% of condensation. No more Mold, and my painted walls remain in fantastic condition 3 years on! I run the fan at medium speed option, as it is much quieter

[@CharlieDIYte]

Perfect arrangement Matthew - so satisfying nailing that problem. Thanks for the comment 👍

[@kingofthetrowel1725]

Matthew statham , I’m hoping to do the same as you to help with condensation 👍 does your shower room have a window at all by any chance 🤔

[@tinkerbellpan5288]

Can I vent to the attic?? Or do I have to have a hole cut on my metal roofing ??😢

[@davidw460]

@@tinkerbellpan5288It is not ok to vent to the attic … just moving your problems :)

[@TimBrennan]

This is an excellent video. One thing that would make it even better would be to cover inline fans that are triggered by a moisture sensor. No matter how good a fan is, if it only comes on with the lights then in the summer months it is not going to be any use.

[@jamesduffy5019]

Excellent info as usual Charlie, Have a downstairs bathroom with no fan in my current property, so this will help no end when renovating it. My last property had an in-line fan in the loft straight over a shower with light incorporated in it. It was the nuts! Cheers.

[@CharlieDIYte]

Thanks James! Yes I'll definitely be installing an in-line when I refurb the kids' bathroom. They're awesome!

[@garypeterson8165]

Great video. Really appreciate the time involved in putting together thorough and clear content.

[@CharlieDIYte]

Thanks Gary, I really appreciate the comment 👍

[@jonathanm9436]

Very interesting. I am AMAZED by the sophistication of these English/European fans. Even your back-draft prevention methods are very cool. And finally, someone speaks about the counterproductive concertina ducting, which is so prevalent here in Australia. Here, the bathroom fans are often vented straight into the roof cavity. On this subject, we are dinosaurs. It's great to see how well thought through your solutions are. When I built my house ten years ago, I just imagined that the ducting would be terrible, so I commenced installing PVC piping and an inline fan, so although we are the same wave length, I am embarrassed to say that I haven't yet finished it. At least your confirmation has motivated me somewhat. As a side note, a simple calculation tells us that the cross-sectional area of 100mm vs 150mm spigot is 7,853mm2 vs 17, 671mm2 - nearly three times the capacity. Oh, and subscribed.

[@CharlieDIYte]

Great to hear from you, Jonathan and humbled my vids have reached you in Oz 👊🏻 Thanks so much for the sub. Don't worry, I have jobs that remain undone and in fact the old fan gave up the ghost months ago! Yes I've never quite understood the practice of venting directly into the roof space unless the tiles aren't felted or perhaps with the heat you get, the moisture evaporates, but baby be good for the roof joists 🤔 Good luck getting it finished and great to have you onboard. Plus those stats are mind boggling - thanks for providing them!!

[@AudiRSQ]

Thanks for the info of the switched live limitation on the Vent Axia, mine is now working great with the 2 wire connection

[@CharlieDIYte]

Glad to hear it. Odd isn't it, and something they should have mentioned it better still, designed around.

[@rodgerq]

Good info, I'm doing a bathroom just now and the existing fan is so noisy so it'll need to go. As a side note, I also intend to fit one of those inline fans in my garage workshop and vent it out an air brick in order to remove airborne dust. Seen it suggested by Mike on the 10 square metre workshop channel.

[@CharlieDIYte]

Good work Rodger. Good luck with the install.

[@Steve19105]

Absolutely brilliant video Charlie. I need to do something strong for my new kitchen and you had all the right answers 👌😅

[@CharlieDIYte]

Glad you found out useful. Thanks for letting me know 👊🙏

[@neelmistry8502]

Any one in the London area who has watched this video through to the end? I'm based on Bow (E3) and have a windowless bathroom in a new development. I require a new fan (long ducting), something that stays on when I switch off the light and is more powerful than the one Linden Homes installed. I currently have issues with mold. If you're keen to help, please respond to this comment and I'll contact you directly. Thanks. Also thanks a ton Charlie! Best video online! instant Subscribe.

[@jah-leah]

any update?

[@andylees2940]

Very helpful and informative. Cut thru the air vent jargon for me. Thank you very much.

[@eddiemonsoon2620]

Great recommendation with the Ebac 3850e. We bought the same one about 7 years ago. Wouldn’t be without it. Empty it sometimes twice per day. Worth their weight in gold & certainly worth the investment 😊

[@CharlieDIYte]

Yep mine still going strong too 👍

[@OthmanAlikhan]

Thanks for the video =) The country that I live is rather hot so we need a lot of ACs cooling the air in the house. Having an oversized exhaust fan is a double problem for us since it means more loss of cooled air.

[@elvosparsley9606]

Thanks for this Charlie, bought 2 no resist grilles based on your recommendation for an install, should stop a lot of the windy rattling as well as improve extraction.

[@chaohongli2329]

I have an innovative and intelligent air duct fan, which is connected to WiFi and can be operated by mobile phone, which is more convenient and fast. I would like to invite you to review it, and then help me make a 1-minute video. Would you like it? Looking forward to your reply .

[@jamesdozier3rd844]

Howdy! First time seeing any of your videos and I'm really impressed. Thanks for all the detail. Seriously, really great.

[@CharlieDIYte]

Thanks James, I really appreciate that. Good to have you on board 👍

[@globalste]

The stuff from extractor fan world is outstanding. With the big turbo inline fan make sure the ducting is a taught as possible otherwise it can generate noise

[@CharlieDIYte]

Thanks buddy. Yes they're great aren't they. Been buying from them for years which is why I was so happy to begin then in the vid. Good point about the ducting.

[@Fred-Wilbury]

Interesting Charlie and as always very comprehensive, just as an aside we fitted an above shower fan with light and turbo motor in the loft which vents out of the soffit very effective and yes window permanently open 😊 regards Fred

[@Kymbo202828]

my goodness the YT algo has knocked it out of the park...I'm completely DIY useless. Subbed for future reference!

[@liammillichamp]

Been looking extractor fans for our bathroom as we don’t have one installed at the moment. Think I’m going to go with this one with all the smart features. Just to clarify, I only need to send a two core cable live neutral from the isolator to the fan not 3 core??

[@luckystrike656]

Really interesting video and many thanks for doing it. I am searching for a bathroom fan but most importantly a kitchen fan Need something strong yet silent. Suggestions?

[@CharlieDIYte]

For kitchens you want to go 150mm I like the look of that 150mm fan I showed in the video, the Vent Axia but the reviews suggest it's quite noisy. Definitely 150mm though.

[@markcollins708]

Thoroughly enjoyed the video and the backdraft component got me thinking. Would it please be possible to have some advice in relation to a vent in a living room. I believe the vent was installed because the living room has an open fire (which we never use). The living room is unfortunately always cold due to this vent. I currently have a cowl vent (without a gravity shutter) on the outside and a fixed louvre vent on the inside. Would it please be possible to recommend how I can reduce how cold this room feels? I do not want to permanently block the vent in case in the future we change the open fire to a wood burner which may require more ventilation in the room, therefore am looking for a way of improving the thermal comfort in the room by retrofitting products as opposed to making structural changes. Fingers crossed that you and your community might be able to help?

[@dudleyjoseph9485]

Great comprehensive video. I'm just about to put a kitchen extractor in. Going with an inline unit above the ceiling then ducting through the thinner wall upstairs under the window (house with thick stone walls). I'm going to buy a Manrose unit - they seem to be very well rated and good value. I'm going to control it with a Shelly WiFi relay wired into the fused spur then control the relay with a Shelly Humidity sensor which can be placed anywhere in the kitchen. Completely automatic or that is the plan anyway!

[@CharlieDIYte]

Wow! And I was just replying to someone else that the problem with in-line fans is they lack a humidity sensor. Would be interesting to hear from you when you get it installed 👍🏻

[@dudleyjoseph9485]

@@CharlieDIYte yep absolutely. Lack of humidity sensor is the prob. I think you can get them but much more expensive. The Shelly bits will cost me about £35. I'll report back on how it works :-)

[@gpbeck]

Kitchen fans aren't just for humidity though. Smoke? Methi gosht?

[@danielwarrington2865]

Hi Dudley, thinking about doing the same thing, how did you get on?

[@dudleyjoseph9485]

@@danielwarrington2865 in true bloke DIY fashion, I haven't managed to do it yet! Still planning to do though and will report back.

[@Space-O-2001]

Great video, love the Boost Mode, AKA Stink Mode. What I found when I swapped out the one in the downstairs toilet was if I'd just cleaned the existing fan it would have gone back to its "as new" like the sound levels - a more cost-effective and environmentally considerate option, arr well live and learn

[@CharlieDIYte]

Yes I agree. Regular maintenance removing all that dust will definitely prolong it's life. They're a pain to clean though so typically you don't get round to it. That Svara is brilliant though because the front pulls off and you can then get a hand in to clean out the duct.

[@Space-O-2001]

@@CharlieDIYte I hope you get around to fitting that turbofan, the nerd in me would love to see some benchmarks versus your current setup lol

[@murrayedington]

15:40 IIRC, building regs actually require fan isolators. Or at least that's what our local office insisted. Nice thing about humidistats is they run the fan when needed during day time. Simple fans that share the lighting circuit won't come on unless you flip the light switch, which most people don't do during the day.

[@h.s.3401]

Charlie I am from Europe and I need a fan because I don't want to be listening by my neighbor and believe me I feel a more comfortable to do so so that's why I decided to install the fan I have window as well and I not open during the shower but after so thank you for your informative video and properly explanation

[@CharlieDIYte]

Thanks for the comment. I'm glad you found the video useful. 👊

[@StrawbyteWorkshop]

I installed the Svara fan around 18 months ago and love it. There are a couple of niggles - the one you point out in the video is the biggest. Having to disconnect the switch live is a pain and like you say this should be software configurable. The other issue with mine is that it loses its settings after a power cut and as I live on a new build estate that happens every 2 - 3 months and the default settings don't really give you much benefit. Otherwise it's great.

[@CharlieDIYte]

Yes I agree. Although on the power cut point I think it's just a case of reconnecting to your phone to restore functionality? Shouldn't have to do that, though!!

[@PetesVids4u]

Hi there, when you say it's a pain removing the switch live, how is it done. Thanks

[@StrawbyteWorkshop]

@@PetesVids4u what I’m referring to is how the fan knows which mode to operate in. A fan will generally have a permanent live and a live from the switch which tells the fan when to turn on. The svara can use that live, or use the sensors. But to have the fan use only the sensors you have to disconnect )or not connect) the switched live. This means taking the wire and putting a terminator cap on the end of the wire. I hope that helps.

[@simmogs]

I'd love to see a follow on from this that covers models that include single room heat recovery.

[@stephengrant7627]

Recently installed a few of these in lieu of our inability to go with a centralised unit (difficult to retrofit). They need a core hole of 180 mm and a power source of course but I'm looking forward to getting these switched on and going!! kzbin.info/www/bejne/jpzdYYxuqr92Y7M

[@davidlloyd1485]

Just in the market for one of these so good timing. Tons of detail so will go through it a few times I expect!

[@CharlieDIYte]

Thanks David. Glad you found it useful 👍🏻

[@nickolasreeks4743]

Great Video as I'm thinking of replacing the down stairs loo fan and the fan in our ensuite shower.

[@CharlieDIYte]

Thanks Nickolas. Glad you find it useful and thanks for the comment 👍

[@daveoconnor5084]

Hi Charlie, great video as usual. I wonder if you've thought of continuing the fan theme. Doing a video on extractor fans in cellars which would help with damp issues. I don't mean tanking etc just getting air circulation better to stop minor damp problems. Thanks Dave...

[@CharlieDIYte]

That's an interesting one Dave. For air circulation you almost want something like a PIV but I doubt the circulating air would reach into the cellar. I'll mull that over 👍🏻

[@geowgeow]

@@CharlieDIYte I'd second that. I'm planning a basement conversion at the moment and struggling with the ventilation side of things. It's not a damp basement so we haven't tanked it fully, but have dug out and put a membrane in the floor. The plan is to stud out the walls and run continious ventilation in the cavity AND the room itself

[@bharatmorarji8979]

Hi Charlie, again great vid, as usual simply explained. This will be my next think to tackle in two bathrooms. Great work!

[@philhario3640]

Charlie, I always love the clarity and thoroughness of your videos. Is it possible for you to make a similar video for kitchen extractors? We're doing a kitchen build into a room without a kitchen, so need to think long and hard about how the exhaust will be laid out. I guess with a kitchen, there are different considerations than a bathroom.

[@CharlieDIYte]

Thanks Phil. I appreciate that. We're redeveloping our kitchen at the moment so I'll be doing an extractor video. Unfortunately it won't be for a couple of months though.

[@Taz6688]

New build 2 years old, vent in bathroom and kitchen, both had venting miss aligned, both had back draught flaps stuck, horrible cold draught in the kitchen till it was sorted, if you want a good job done, Do it Yourself.

[@CharlieDIYte]

I'm afraid that's right. Good work fixing them 👍

[@vacuum_collector26]

We had an old Greenwood Airvac PD1 in our bathroom that never worked since we moved in 14 years ago and it just sat there disused and we opened the window for ventilation however last week we had it replaced with a Vent Axia 473850

[@sabrinamulligan6235]

Will purchase again. I have always trusted the Lasko brand.

[@pppscooby]

I went for the manrose inline fans in my bathrooms, excellent but might swap the ducting for rigid pipe.

[@CharlieDIYte]

Yes you should definitely swap the ducting for rigid. 👌

[@paulfrost3501]

Another good video. So much I don’t know, ( like electrics ), but your videos give so much info on what to look out for. Do you have any advice or have you looked into heat recovery extraction options, having seen your other insulation videos ?

[@CharlieDIYte]

Thanks Paul. Yes, I've bought a BSK Zephyr single room heat recovery extractor for the new utility. Haven't got round to fitting yet but I will be doing a video on it.

[@SuperShrimper]

Great video as always. We had our bathroom redesigned in February this year and one of the things that I wanted to make sure was that i got a very quite running extractor fan. Whilst the bathroom has a window i'm the only person that would ever open it whilst having a shower, with others only opening it once they had left the room (if the remembered) I went for a humidistat Silent Fan from Vent-Axia. Like yours looks quite smart, but is hidden behind a blank panel so you never actually see the fan turning. However, the humidstat adjustment option that we have is very tempermental. It ranges from on all the time (even when noone has had a shower that day) to not even coming on when the shower has been on leaving the bthroom feeling more like a rainforest than a bathroom. I will be looking at the Vent Axia Svara to see if it meets my needs. Although i noticed in your video the wiring was on the left hand side of the extractor fan, whereas mine comes down the right hand side and as the wiring was put in by plumbers / electricians unfortunatley they never put the wiring into ducting, but just kept it in place by plaster rather than some trunking / capping.

[@FrequencyLost]

Hi, I’ve been looking at a Vent-Axia humidistat to replace my old noisy Manrose. Reading this is making me reconsider. Did you find a good solution in the end?

[@SuperShrimper]

@@FrequencyLost Until you commented I'd forgotten about it and just put up with it and opened the window more. I did do some research and found an Airflow ICON which looks quite good. You can switch out the various modules and have different combinations, Pull cord, humidty, PIR, Humidity and PIR etc. To be fair to it it is very quite and with the bathroom door closed your can't hear it, and even when your in there you can't hear it that much. Just a gentle hum. Note though that mine is on the lower speed setting (6 litres per second) as apposed to the maximum (21 litres per second) I did purchase a ThermPro (TP-55) model which i hung right next to the Vent-Axia. I could see the humidity increasing on that but the vent-axia was very hit and miss. May well do a video on it.

[@donkey1007]

Hmm very interesting Charlie. Time to update my extraction fan me thinks. Nice one 👍

[@CharlieDIYte]

Thanks Don 👍🏻

[@user-go7mc4ez1d]

Slight correction @8:50, 43 dB is a lot more than twice as loud as 25 dB as its a logarithmic scale. Every 10 dB is a 10-fold increase in volume Great video though! If I wanted a ceiling-mounted extractor in the ceiling which then ran out the bathroom wall, would an in-line extractor still be suitable? Or is there a fourth option where there's still a wall-mounted exit point, but a longer duct that allows greater flexibility with locating the intake point?

[@CharlieDIYte]

Ah, thanks. Maths never was my strong point 🤦 Yes, that's the perfect scenario for an in-line fan.

[@PropertyAtAuction]

Saved a lot of your videos for the future!

[@CharlieDIYte]

Thanks Julian, realty appreciate your support of the Channel 👊🏻

[@peger]

13:22 i have to instal two of this "flap". Single one on the exterior vent caused only problem during the wind.

[@KAJJTAN]

Great video, will be doing renovations soon, seems like I will use inline fan and a Sonoff TH10 to make it smart just like svara, just not sure if I can hide it since ceilings are quite low already

[@MrManningata]

Just installed my Svara fan, I'm very happy with it. It would be nice if the app was more configurable.

[@paulmackilligin1754]

In-line fans are SO much more effective AND so much quieter. I would always try to fit one of those. All you hear is a soft air-whooshing noise. They also last much longer in my experience. One tip, to make them even more quiet and vibration free is to mount them in the UPVC pipe, without mechanical fixing to the wall or floor, so they 'float' in the pipe, but use w/c toilet pan spigot connectors with the rubber gaskets, so the fan spigots are sealed airtight and also held suspended in the rubber seals, so almost no vibration is transmitted to the fabric of the building. So you fix the 6" UPVC pipe to walls. ceiling, floor, etc, and 'float' the fan in the two rubber w/c spigot fittings.

[@CharlieDIYte]

Some great tips there. Thanks Paul. D'you mean something like this bit.ly/3GM9HKI? 👊

[@paulmackilligin1754]

@@CharlieDIYte No, not that. I mean a w/c pan connector. I tried to link to an image of it but KZbin won't allow me to do that for some reason.

[@paulmackilligin1754]

@@CharlieDIYte McAlpine's product code for it is WC-CON1. Bit frustrating that KZbin won't allow the link, but there we go. I used a pair of these to fit an inline fan in an archeology unit's artifact washing room, as the existing wall-mounted fan had failed, and anyway had been very noisy. I cut into the existing UPVC ducting, fitted a pair of those pan connectors and suspended the fan in between them. I had occasion to go back about 15 years later to fix something else and the fan was still running, still quiet and efficient. It was in use constantly for at least 8 hours every week day, maybe even 24 hours a day, as that room was full of dripping ancient artifacts, bones and so on.

[@OGCJ10]

@@paulmackilligin1754do you happen to have a diagram ?

[@paulmackilligin1754]

@@OGCJ10 No, I don't have a diagram. What are you unsure about?

[@adamjamro23]

Hello, as always very useful video packed full of information. Thank you. Regards

[@CharlieDIYte]

Thanks Adam 👍🏻

[@BobT36]

Thanks Charlie, which brand was the crap cowled grille at 12:44? Does your inline one make much noise?

[@bobbelsekwol]

I've put in two inline fans and after a minute or two you can feel the draught under the door or the window if cracked open. Bit of a faff sorting the loft out to install them but well worth it.

[@bobcharlie7982]

I installed 1 4 inch fan and it doesnt seem to make a blind bit of difference. I think il add another haha

[@Swwils]

@@bobcharlie7982 an inline fan is typically more effective because the ducting run is effectively shortened. Which reduces the static pressure the fan needs to contend with.

[@CharlieDIYte]

Wow, that's impressive 👍🏻

[@michaelmcgoldrick78]

Hi Charlie, fitted one of the svara yesterday. Curious what settings you use for light/humidity?

[@FrankWoodPhotography]

I have 2 vent Axias. Both failed within 2 years. I have now upgraded to a much more sophisticated ventilation system now - the window.

[@simonparker7773]

Probably better off with a traditional a c-type fan these new ones are probably based on PC fans or something to suit EU enviro laws

[@freebornjohn2687]

I'm doing a renovation and was thinking of installing an inline fan in the void above the ceiling and below the floor of the flat above. This would mean it will be boarded up in the ceiling. However, the guarantees are mostly for one year and at most 5 years and it would be a complete pain to cut a hole in the ceiling to change/fix it. I would pay a premium if I knew it was going to last 10 plus years.

[@simonknight2973]

Thanks so much. How did this fan work out in the end please? Seems to have very mixed reviews. Could you explain what to do if the existing fan I want to replace is running off the light circuit? Is it just a case of wiring two of the three wires and leaving the switch line?

[@geewilliams2178]

Thanks video saved for next year when I do my bathroom

[@CharlieDIYte]

You're welcome. Thanks for the comment👍🏻

[@petefrys545]

What an excellent video, so informative. Wish I'd seen it before having the bathroom redone.

[@CharlieDIYte]

Thanks Pete 👍

[@SuperJay217]

Could you possibly use the same inline fan set up for a bedroom? To come on when humidity is highest?

[@lyndonwild1810]

How do you stop the ducting from filling with water inline fan setup in loft?

[@CharlieDIYte]

It should all be rigid pvc except the join between the fan and ducting that you can do in Flexi, and the ducting should slope down to where it vents out of the loft.

[@TimBrennan]

Regarding installing an inline fan with ducting in a loft above the bathroom - surely the ducting is going to be an ideal breeding place for mould. A cold loft will condense the vapour inside the ducting and then it'll never be seen but the invisible spores will find their way back into your home. Correct me if I'm wrong

[@yorsoul1555]

Great helpful vid. My fan is straight up from the ceiling and out to the bungalow roof and I’ve noticed condensation dripping back through the internal grill. I’m worried this could compromise the electrical safety, any advice please?

[@JonathanFunkhouseMonkhouse]

Do you have a link to the backdraft stoppers that you demo’d, please? Probably going for the Vent Axia myself, based on this vt. Thanks!

[@apb3251]

Thanks for this very helpful video. I’m just about to tackle this with the option of new wiring. Is your recommendation to not have the T wire connected or to connect the T wire (3 core plus Earth) but tell the app you haven’t. That bit is not clear in your summary

[@chrisfactoryboi]

Should I fit a backdraught shutter AND a back draught grille. Wish to avoid an open hole in my wall Thanks

[@MS-yy2dh]

Excellent video. I am in the process of installing a fan through the wall and a small section of loft space myself. My concern is the cold air being let into the room during the winter months when the fan is off, even with the back-draft flaps (the distance from my fan to outside is about two feet). Was this a problem (it looks like it might be)?

[@chrisg6597]

I know from your video that building regs specify a minimum of 4 air changes per hour. What if your bathroom is absolutely tiny, like the one I have at 7.0 m3? The fan is an Vent-Axia with a 4" hole on an outside wall. The problem is that because the room is so small that even with the fan on, the walls are dripping wet within minutes of running a bath or taking a shower. I assume this is because no matter what the room size a bath/shower is going to produce the same amount of water vapour, but because the room is so small the humidity will be higher. The regs would indicate that as a room gets smaller that the airflow of a fan per hour can also reduce, yet the opposite would seem to be required for really small rooms.

[@Swwils]

Warning the surfaces should help.

[@stuartosborne6263]

@@Swwils look out walls you're going to get moist!

[@peterhanson3962]

As Charlie says, maybe you need to vent the room to increase the airflow or leave the door open slightly.

[@CharlieDIYte]

I think that's spot on Peter. Air starvation is going to be an issue in such a small space. So assuming you don't have a window, leaving the door sightly open is the most practical solution. That will of course mean moisture laden air circulates more in the adjoining room. Might be worth getting an ebac or Meaco dehumidifier, just to mop up any excess humidity left behind after showering. On the regs point, yes, I think you need as powerful a fan as possible to shift that concentration of moisture, but assuming of course the room is adequately vented.

[@davidfrimpong9611]

I would also suggest switching to a modern low energy continuous running extract fan. Provides a continuous extract at a low rate continuously boosting via humidistat or light switch when you shower

[@fryerk65]

Great video - the bungalow we recently moved into has a ceiling mounted vent so the vent pipe goes into the loft, connects to an inline extractor and the pipe then continues to the front of the house. A total run of about 4 metres, which is odd because it would have been simpler to mount an axial fan in the bathroom straight out through the wall to the exterior. I now have water collected in the vent pipes in the loft which is making the fan rumble and knock so I don't want to use it. I think I just need to get someone up to remove it completely as we have an opening window in the bathroom so don't strictly need a fan anyway.

[@CharlieDIYte]

A bit like my set up. Yes in your situation if just install a vent axia svara in the wall. Is the inline fan extracting from other rooms as well?

[@fryerk65]

@@CharlieDIYte No the fan is only extracting from the bathroom although there is also another (longer) flexible pipe venting from the extractor fan in the kitchen and I can see there is water accumulating in that as well!

[@flyfisherjames]

Any chance you can do a video on kitchen extractor fans, and fitting in a window?

[@CharlieDIYte]

I'll add it to the list James. 👍

[@uzzg]

Hi I am currently deciding on adding an extractor to my bathroom. Thanks to your review I’m considering the vent axia svara. My Question is I’m thinking of fitting it in an old unused air brick. Can you think of any negatives of just having the solid PVC duct sitting behind the external air brick. It’s a 1935 house with large openings in the air brick outside. So I’d not be using an external flap.

[@thak456]

He is Gordon Ramsey from alternate nice universe 😂

[@MrG.42]

Our inline fan fitted about 8 years ago started to get a bit noisy a few days ago. I have just been up in the loft and found that the plastic flexy tubing from the bathroom was full of water I am guessing that it was at least a gallon of water. I have now raised the fan so that is above the inlet and the outlet. Do you think it was just an accumulation of condensation? There was no water in the flexy tubing to the wall. I must admit it was a head scratcher. 🤔🤔

[@Chris-BognorRegis]

Hi Charlie - Now where do I begin. After all that great advice below I concentrated on the ducting to the family bathroom where mold keeps appearing on the ceiling. I have replaced the concertina hose with plastic ducting pipe from 5' to 1' would you believe, with the in line fan directly in the middle. In the meantime I have purchased two humidity meters, both different brands to check the humidity throughout the bungalow. They only differ by 1%. Now the bathroom reads 65% during the day and goes upto 90% when we have a shower. The living room reads 70% during the day likewise throughout the bungalow. If I open my front door I can look across the fields and see the harbour, that is how close to the sea we live in West Sussex. Yesterday I put the meters outside in a cardboard box on its side so the air could get to them and so the sun was not directly on them and they were around the 90% mark. It is certainly not uncomfortable in the bungalow. we have no mold in any of the other rooms, no smell of dampness and the windows never have condensation on them. So having changed the ducting how can I further prevent mold appearing on the bathroom ceiling. Regards Chris

[@MrLuizlaf]

If the whole house is at 70%, it is unlikely that you will get much better than 65% in the bathroom with a fan alone. If the mold issue is on the ceiling only, you might be able to get away with some mold retardants that you apply on the ceiling with a brush. Despite the more expensive option, you might need to get one of those dehumidifiers that has a cold coil to condensate water and a fan to circulate the air.

[@westwonic]

Good presentation, but I think you should have promoted the humidity controlled fans, as they do not rely on remembering to turn on or off, and are very reliable - except for the Xpelair CH4 I fitted as the circuit board burnt out in a few months, and Xpelair would not honour their warranty.

[@CharlieDIYte]

Risks Nick. I did make a point about the humidstats. Both the Svara and Silent Tornado have humidity controls

[@unperrier]

At 8:45 are you sure that doubling the decibel implies doubling the noise? If I'm not mistaken it's not linear as the noise doubles every 3dB

[@CharlieDIYte]

Fair point. You get the idea though

[@katherinehickey6915]

Great video, very helpful. Thanks Charlie

[@CharlieDIYte]

You're welcome. Thanks for the comment 🙏

[@bdhall77]

Fantastic and insightful! So can the Vent Axia Svara be installed in Zone 1? i.e. directly above the shower? Cheers for another great video.

[@craiggiles5285]

Excellent guide, thank you.

[@stephenhall1774]

Charlie, thanks for the video. Three years ago I looked into a new fan for our internal bathroom when the loft above it was converted. I took a risk on an axial Tornado in the ceiling ducting about 4m to the roof based on the manufacturer's advice that it could duct 6m and that it would be much quieter and neater than a centrifuge, and that the inline might not fit in the floorspace. The fan seemed to just about manage in practice, getting rid of most steam eventually after about 15 minutes overrun, and noisier than ideal. But now it has stopped coming on and seems to be bust so I need to decide whether to try a centrifugal or inline, or replace with the same. The installer at the time said an inline was unnecessary. Is there something on the market that could fit within the floorspace? Should I expect to have something that would clear the steam in real time and not fog the mirrors, or just replace like with like? It's a dilemma and I'll need to decide quickly. Any thoughts would be welcome.

[@Rjw117]

Another great video thanks Charlie. I recently had a Vent-Axia inline fan installed in my bathroom and it's absolutely fantastic. I'd really love to see a video about kitchen extraction in the future as I'm a bit stuck on that. Would really love to do an inline install but it looks a bit tricky.

[@CharlieDIYte]

Thanks Richard. I think in the kitchen you might be best with a 150mm diameter axial as the air shift isn't much behind the inline (assuming of course you've got a short ducting run. Have a look at Dudley Joseph's comment below, as he's installing an in-line fan and is getting around the lack of a humidistat issue by installing a separate sensor.

[@mikewoodhouse9036]

Extremely informative. Thank you very much.

[@CharlieDIYte]

You're welcome. Glad you found it useful and thanks for the comment 👊

[@alanclark1146]

Very useful information, I think we will go for the big one, could we just run it though the wall once it is in the attic. Rather then pulling roof tiles off, we also have solar panels to complete with.

[@CharlieDIYte]

Yes absolutely. The only reason I have to go down the roof tile route is that I have no wall in the loft.