What is a condensing extractor fan? Engineer recommends use
butterfly
Basically, I have condensation issues on the bathroom on the top floor.
I have been advised that it's hard to drill a hole in the wall, since
the bathroom is on the 3rd floor and they would need a v high ladder.
So, they advised I get a condensing extractor fan installed. What is
that? Does it work as well as conventional?
Also, I suppose it is possible to drill a hole for the extractor fan
from inside the house, instead of getting a ladder and doing it from
outside, however, I was wondering what is the best way of avoiding
unsightly gaps/holes from the outside? Is there a way I can cover the
pipe/hole without getting on a ladder outside the house? Perhaps some
kind of shield I could put on the pipe before pushing it through the
hole that has been drilled. Know what I mean?
--
butterfly
David
Seen this on diynot too.
Are you sure he doesn't mean a dehumidifier which doesn't require a
hole to be made?
meow...@care2.com
> On 2 Apr, 15:04, butterfly <butterfly.41ac...@diybanter.com> wrote:
> > Basically, I have condensation issues on the bathroom on the top floor.
> > I have been advised that it's hard to drill a hole in the wall, since
> > the bathroom is on the 3rd floor and they would need a v high ladder.
> > So, they advised I get a condensing extractor fan installed. What is
> > that? Does it work as well as conventional?
> >
> > Also, I suppose it is possible to drill a hole for the extractor fan
> > from inside the house, instead of getting a ladder and doing it from
> > outside, however, I was wondering what is the best way of avoiding
> > unsightly gaps/holes from the outside? Is there a way I can cover the
> > pipe/hole without getting on a ladder outside the house? Perhaps some
> > kind of shield I could put on the pipe before pushing it through the
> > hole that has been drilled. Know what I mean?
Thats the problem, not making the hole. If you wanted to go that route
you might feed a wire out through your new hole, then at ground level
attach it to the exterior vent. Now you can pull the wire back in to
get the vent up, and hopefully manipulatie it from indoors, using
additional wires attached to it if necessary, then glue it in place
from inside.
However... there are 2 better options.
1. A window that locks 1/2" open is a silent no run cost replacement
for a fan. It can be left ajar all summer. Adding such a catch or lock
is usually simple, way less work than fitting a fan.
2 a dehumidifier is generally a better deal, regardless of what floor
youre on. It doesnt throw any heat outside, making TCO slightly
cheaper, as well as being much more effective, quieter, longer
lasting, and much less of a fire risk. It also makes a great clothes
dryer, as well as being usable to dry other areas of the house as
well:
http://www.wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php?title=Clothes_Dryer
NT
cynic
For an extractor fan the hole will need a diamond core drill. This
will cut a clean hole from the inside without blowing all sorts of
debris outwards and it falling on some unfortunates head.
It is entirely possible to get ventilators which have a grille
prefitted and which is the same diameter as the tube it terminates.
Thus all your problems can be overcome save the usual numpty rules of
part p which we all obey don't we?
Steve Walker
I recently fitted an extractor in our house without using a ladder.
You can drill from the inside with a core drill. B&Q sell a vent pipe that
has channels each side to allow a grille to be screwed directly to the pipe
(no need to screw grille to the wall), drop down a rope, pull the pipe and
grille into place, a little expanding foam to lock it into place and fill
around it and finally the fan screws directly to the pipe on the inside.
No need to get up to the exterior at all.
SteveW
Andrew Gabriel
I would warn that different bricks can be fastly more easy/difficult
to drill through with a core drill. Going through commons in a 1909
house was like a hot knife through butter, compared with going through
the external skin of a 1990 house that seems to have been built from
engineering bricks. In the latter case, it took an hour, and that's
with me leaning hard on the drill, which was fortunately at waist
height. I would regard that job as impossible at the top of a ladder,
and the amount of dust it generates as a serious impediment to doing
it from the inside.
--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]
Steve Walker
It's certainly very dusty, but it's no great problem to enclose the area in
plastic sheets and wear a mask. You're right, it can be damned hard work,
certainly a whole lot easier standing on a small stepladder inside than
trying to do anything from the outside on an extension ladder!
SteveW
butterfly
meow...@care2.com;2148067 Wrote:
> David wrote:-
> On 2 Apr, 15:04, butterfly butterfly.41ac...@diybanter.com wrote:-
> ----
>
> a dehumidifier is generally a better deal, regardless of what floor
> youre on. It doesnt throw any heat outside, making TCO slightly
> cheaper, as well as being much more effective, quieter, longer
> lasting, and much less of a fire risk. It also makes a great clothes
> dryer, as well as being usable to dry other areas of the house as
> well:
> http://www.wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php?title=Clothes_Dryer
>
>
> NT
This is a very interesting idea. Thank you for the link. Do you think
an electrician could link it up to my light switch so that it
automatically comes on when the lights are switched on?
--
butterfly