On 30 Apr, 14:24, Adam Funk wrote:
I have a damp cellar with some ventilation (air bricks to the outside)
but not enough, so I'm planning to mount an extractor fan in one of
the air brick recesses, then run it as much of the time as necessary
(controlled by a timer) to dry out the cellar.

I'll probably run it mainly at night in case the noise is annoying in
the living room.

Does anyone have any "experimental results" with something like this?
Any tips or suggestions?

Will an extractor fan wear out quickly if it's run for a long period
every night?

My cellar used to be dampish - not too bad in fact, as cellars go, but
I wanted to put a washing machine, tumble dryer and freezer down
there, and I didn't want things going rusty. I've got a small
dehumidifier with a humidistat down there - one of these
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...10204&ts=50530

It has done the job well, and now doesn't need to come on very much to
keep things under control. It's plumbed in, so I tend to forget about
it.

I can't comment from experience on the extractor fan idea, although I
can't see why it wouldn't work. I know from the bathroom versions that
they are annoyingly noisy though, and unless you have a big house you
may well be able to hear it in the bedroom. I can hear the fan in our
downstairs loo in a bedroom two floors up and through two closed doors
and some fairly solid victorian walls, but I could just be over-
sensitive. However, if the fan is going to run all night as a long
term measure you could probably run it much more slowly and quietly.
The dehumidifier is only audible in the cellar itself.

Cheers!

Martin