Bathroom fan with noisy outside shutters.

[VegemiteSandwich]

Hi,

I'd love some advice on bathroom fans

We're having our bathrooms redone. A big complaint we have with our current (wall mounted) bathroom fans is the noisy shutters outside (is that what they're called?). When the wind blows they rattle. It's noisy enough to keep us awake, even with the does shut.

Our plumber has come up with ideas like quiet fans (great idea, though that doesn't bother us much and almost anything nowadays will be quieter than our 20 year old ones). He is planning to put the ensuite fan in the ceiling, then out the loft and the gable ... but the noisy bloody shutter thing will still be outside!! Admittedly plasterboard and tiles over the hole will muffle ... And the family bathroom one is also still going to bug us.

To complicate things, that external wall is difficult to access, and it would be unsafe to replace it from a ladder.

Surely there is some way if replacing these shutter style grilles with fixed grilles, from the inside of the house?

We have seen a zehnder silent fan that has a sort of self closing shutter at the back. Very cool, but I'm not sure if that'd be nearly enough to block out the noise. I can also "get" that newer fans aren't quite so open at the front and so this may also reduce noise ... a little.


I've tried googling, but suspect that I've been using the wrong lingo as haven't found much.

Thanks!!

 

[hansPulesh]

I don't think that this is much of an electrics issue, sounds more of a building thing.

Personally, I'd say remove the shutters from the inside and fit an air brick in the hole in the wall from the inside too. that will let the fan on the inside vent outwards.

 

[Taylortwocities]

Replace rattly grille with a standard (non flappy) type.
Replace fan with one of THESE (other similar fans are available).

 

[VegemiteSandwich]

Thanks. I wasn't quite sure which topic it went under!

Taylor, how do we actually replace the grille?

Air brick could be an idea, I can see how that might be possible.

 

[DetlefSchmitz]

Google 'High Rise Cowl kit'.

 

[hansPulesh]

I also should have added earlier, if you have an electric shower and the fan is venting the warm moisture out in winter, you'll start to get condensation and damp in your loft if your fan is vented out via the loft space as your plumber has suggested.

Can you take and add any pics showing the fan and what is behind it by any chance?

 

[EFLImpudence]

in the ceiling, then out the loft and the gable