Bathroom QUIET ventilation?

[Mr. Clueless]

Looking at a bathroom install. We currently have no ventilation system and I wonder whether this has caused/contributed to our ceiling (like a vinyl wallpaper) staining a strange colour. Also in the hallway outside the ceiling paper was getting black spots of mould until we put bathroom paint on there.
We often Karcher vac the walls down after we've finished in the shower but we wonder whether it would be just better to get a ventilation system installed when doing the bathroom.

Our concerns are based on memories from many moons ago - houses with noisy flappy vents letting all the cold in. I'm sure the vent systems must've come on some in the past 20 years though.

Was in a bathroom place today and ventilation was one of the things i was asking about. I told the chap that we were wanting

A) A quiet vent
B) one that didn't let a draft through.

He only had a few vents in stock and said that we would be best to look at an "Icon" vent with the criteria we laid out.

Obviously as he's a salesman i decided i'd come here and ask about it all before i part with my cash.



I don't think anyone can get in to the space above the bathroom as i'm sure the loft doesn't reach out that far.

Also the ceiling is not a high one so we can't really lower it any. The potential installer was talking about making the ceiling flat by lowering it (currently curved) with plastic panels - but i don't want a plastic ceiling for starters and i'd prefer the ceiling to not be lowered.

Which i imagine leaves the window/wall (can't remember whether my gran had hers in her window or wall but this was over 20 years ago).


Is the chap right about these Icon vents?
Are they good? Do they last well?
How quiet are they? I know you can't show me on a forum but some kind of description?
Do they stop drafts well?


Oh and how much does the vent need to vent? I Googled the iCon and the iCon15 for example does 19l/sec whereas the iCon30 does 32l/sec. That's great but it's just numbers on a screen to me. I don't know whether 19l is acceptable or whether it's hardly even worth it.

 

[Tigercubrider]

Open a window

 

[Mr. Clueless]

We do.

Still plenty of condensation in there though. Just wondering whether a vent system would be advised.

Or is it like when your A/C goes on the car & people just say "open the window" - not nearly the same is it?

 

[muggles]

Yes, the iCon fans are good, but go for the more expensive iCon 30 - it's both quieter than the iCon 15, and also has a higher extraction rate. They aren't the absolute quietest on the market, but they do give excellent performance for very low noise, and can be set up to work on humidity control as well if required. TLC are excellent suppliers who have everything you need at reasonable prices. Alternatively if you want something even quieter (but with reduced performance) there's the Xpelair Contour range, which are much quieter but do have lower extraction rates

 

[Mr. Clueless]

Yes, the iCon fans are good, but go for the more expensive iCon 30 - it's both quieter than the iCon 15, and also has a higher extraction rate. They aren't the absolute quietest on the market, but they do give excellent performance for very low noise, and can be set up to work on humidity control as well if required. TLC are excellent suppliers who have everything you need at reasonable prices. Alternatively if you want something even quieter (but with reduced performance) there's the Xpelair Contour range, which are much quieter but do have lower extraction rates

Thanks. I think what i'll need to do is jump on YouTube to see if there's an audio of the iCon in use. Unless i could somehow hear it in person i think this will be my best bet.

I know the extraction rate on the 30 is better than the 15 but is it worthwhile? I don't mean compared to the 15 i just mean does the 30 pull out enough moisture to make it a worthwhile install or would you see no major difference compared to just having the windows open as has been mentioned?

 

[Nige F]

I found that to cause air to blow out of a window, another one (opposite) has to be opened . Then it depends which way the wind is blowing.

 

[durhamplumber]

I found that to cause air to blow out of a window, another one (opposite) has to be opened . Then it depends which way the wind is blowing.

Really,usually the temp difference or just natural air movement is enough.In my 55 years on the planet,never noticed you need two windows to vent a room!!!

 

[durhamplumber]

I found that to cause air to blow out of a window, another one (opposite) has to be opened . Then it depends which way the wind is blowing.

Air tends to come in, as much as it is "blown"out

 

[kev25v6]

I got a vent axia from screwfix and it’s almost silent. Look for the lowest decibel rating, a few lower than most makes a big difference in a quiet bathroom. We can see the steam flying out the vent when it’s cold outside.

 

[jj4091]

Although some will disagree, my opinion is that room temperature is just as important as ventilation in preventing condensation. If you have a central heating radiator in your bathroom then increasing the size or just swopping a single for a double is much easier & cheaper than providing mechanical ventilation.

 

[durhamplumber]

Although some will disagree, my opinion is that room temperature is just as important as ventilation in preventing condensation. If you have a central heating radiator in your bathroom then increasing the size or just swopping a single for a double is much easier & cheaper than providing mechanical ventilation.

Have as much heat as you like,,,will turn the place into a sauna without ventilation..I see it so fequently.

 

[jj4091]

Have as much heat as you like,,,will turn the place into a sauna without ventilation..I see it so fequently.

The op says they leave the window open, if there is enough steam to replicate a sauna then I would think the hot water temp. was set too high. The colder the surroundings ( walls, mirrors etc.) then the more any steam will condense on them, I agree some ventilation is necasary but on a cold winters day getting enough ventilation to remove all steam from a bathroom would be totally impractical.