Ceiling Extractor fan keeps spitting water

[wait096]

Hi All

Hoping that someone might be able to help me. I've moved into a flat and the previous owners seemed to have bodged a lot of things so my problem may be due to a dodgy job.

We have a mm53592 micromark extractor fan in the ceiling. When we first took showers it seemed to work OK but later that day a whole load of water came down, quite a lot of water comes out but it spits everywhere (almost like the fan is running as the water comes down). Please does anyone know what is wrong

Since the first time we have taken to opening a window as well as having the extractor fan on, but despite that it does this every so often.

Know it could be anything but any sort of point in right direction of problem or solution would be much appreciated

Thanks
Wait096

 

[Symptoms]

wait - a couple of possible reasons spring to mind:

How does the unit exhaust to the open air ... position of the vent allowing driven water (rain) in and then pooling in the ducting. Fan vibration encouraging water ingress (your spitting).

Badly installed ducting ... if it's that flexy plastic it can sag and allow water to pool (see above) or the vented water vapour (from the shower) condenses and pools or runs back.

Check the ducting run ... if plastic try to arrange it to run 'downhill' to the outside vent. If 'solid' plastic duct or metal again check downhill run; consider a insulating these firm ducts to minimise the danger of condensation.

 

[wait096]

Thanks Symptoms I'll have a look, I take it it means that they fan is probably OK

 

[foxhole]

The fan you mention is for wall mounting only, totally unsuitable to ceiling mounting where you need an inline fan, its sucking up the moisture untill the ducting can hold no more condensed water and then falling back, suprised it has not gone bang by now.You need to replace asap.

 

[wait096]

It didnt' go bang but it did spit then stop working! The last owner did seems to have cut so many corners that I'm not surprised! thanks it's really appreciated. it all means I know how to sort it out now

 

[wait096]

Just had a bit more of a look at the extractor fan

It's not connected to any sort of pipe or exhaust. This is really bad isn't it?

The fan stopped working at the weekend so we haven't been using it but I think water escaping passively through the hole into the gap in the ceiling.

Today we had a new stream of water coming through the light, is it likely that this is due to the fact that water is condensing after it's gone through the hole in the ceiling where the fan is or is it likely to be another leak (we think this leak is intermitent) I'm in the ground floor flat of 3 flats?

 

[big-all]

is it just venting ito a ceiling void or a roof space!!!

i would stop using the fan i would remove it to allow the space to dry out i would also block off the hole whilst you have a bath or shower

 

[wait096]

worryingly yes it is! it's going straight into the void in our ceiling

 

[RigidRaider]

Jeez! The guy wasn't just a cowboy he was a moron as well! Where did he think the steam would go? Has the resident above complained yet?

 

[Sam756]

When you sort your fan out with some ducting/piping, make sure you look at getting a condensation trap too.

We bought a house with an internal bathroom, for which the fan was ducted through the loftspace to the exterior of the property but the condensation ran back down and blew the fan electrics. We installed one of these and things have been fine since.

http://www.justfans.co.uk/condensation-trap-p-243.html