If you were fitting out your bathroom would you fit an extract fan
connected to a humidity sensor?

The bathroom has a large window.

I guess it's nice when you step out the shower to have it humid but
say 5-20 mins after a shower it's not so nice to goto the loo when the
bathroom is wet.

Perhaps a fan would work slowly so its still humid as you get out the
shower but after 5-20 min the place is de-himidiified?

Would a de-humidifier be more cost effective than a fan after all I
guess I have to heat the air that replaces the stuff that gets blown
out....

"405 TD Estate" wrote in message
If you were fitting out your bathroom would you fit an extract fan
connected to a humidity sensor?

The bathroom has a large window.

I guess it's nice when you step out the shower to have it humid but
say 5-20 mins after a shower it's not so nice to goto the loo when the
bathroom is wet.

Perhaps a fan would work slowly so its still humid as you get out the
shower but after 5-20 min the place is de-himidiified?

Would a de-humidifier be more cost effective than a fan after all I
guess I have to heat the air that replaces the stuff that gets blown
out....

De-humidifiers are very expensive (the good ones) and you will have to wire
the machine in safely, for obvious reasons. The most cost effective method,
is an extracor fan, with a built-in timer. Ours switches off after 20 mins.
I bought one of those Envirolight hygromers, new on ebay, which uses a AA
battery http://tinyurl.com/2hwwze that confirms when humidity levels are
almost back to normal.

The most important consideration, if installing an extractor, is that you
have an opening or vent, which allows a similar volume of air into the
bathroom, to that which is being extracted out - otherwise the extractor is
none too efficient.

Bertie

--
Links to some online UK coffee bean and machine suppliers:-
http://www.geocities.com/cumberpach/

On 25 Jan, 22:22, "Bertie Doe" wrote:
"405 TD Estate" wrote in message

If you were fitting out your bathroom would you fit an extract fan
connected to a humidity sensor?

The bathroom has a large window.

I guess it's nice when you step out the shower to have it humid but
say 5-20 mins after a shower it's not so nice to goto the loo when the
bathroom is wet.

Perhaps a fan would work slowly so its still humid as you get out the
shower but after 5-20 min the place is de-himidiified?

Would a de-humidifier be more cost effective than a fan after all I
guess I have to heat the air that replaces the stuff that gets blown
out....

De-humidifiers are very expensive (the good ones) and you will have to wire
the machine in safely, for obvious reasons. The most cost effective method,
is an extracor fan, with a built-in timer. Ours switches off after 20 mins.
I bought one of those Envirolight hygromers, new on ebay, which uses a AA
batteryhttp://tinyurl.com/2hwwze that confirms when humidity levels are
almost back to normal.

The most important consideration, if installing an extractor, is that you
have an opening or vent, which allows a similar volume of air into the
bathroom, to that which is being extracted out - otherwise the extractor is
none too efficient.

Bertie

--
Links to some online UK coffee bean and machine suppliers:-http://www.geocities.com/cumberpach/

I would definitely put in a plug for the humidity sensor controlled
extractor fan - I got mine off Ebay some years back for not very much
more than a timer one and it has been the dogs b*****ks. In fact look
for one that has a pull cord operation on it too. The reason for this
combination is that so the fan doesn't come on when you go for a pee
in the evening - with a light switch operated one, the fan will come
on whenever you go into the bathroom for which is a pain. You then
want the pull switch to operate it during the day to remove smells
when you don't need to switch the light on. And of course the
humidity sensor brings it on to remove the steam from a bath or shower.

Bertie Doe wrote:

the machine in safely, for obvious reasons. The most cost effective method,
is an extracor fan, with a built-in timer. Ours switches off after 20 mins.

I would suggest the humidistat controlled fans are much better than
timed ones in this application. They only run when the humidity is above
your pre-set level and not every time you turn the light on.


--
Cheers,

John.

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\================================================= ================/

In uk.d-i-y, 405 TD Estate wrote:
If you were fitting out your bathroom would you fit an extract fan
connected to a humidity sensor?

We did, and we're very pleased with it.

[...]

Perhaps a fan would work slowly so its still humid as you get out the
shower but after 5-20 min the place is de-himidiified?

Quite so, though obviously it will have extracted some moisture while
the shower was running.

Would a de-humidifier be more cost effective than a fan after all I
guess I have to heat the air that replaces the stuff that gets blown
out....

I don't think so and then there's the bother of plumbing it in or
emptying the collector. We have a heat-recovery fan that has an inlet
and an outlet and warms the incoming air using the outgoing air. Whether
that saves enough heat to be worth-while I couldn't say, but it
certainly dehumidifies well, and I get the impression that it works
better than a straight extractor when the door's closed, because it's
not straining to suck air out of a sealed box.

--
Mike Barnes

On Fri, 25 Jan 2008 13:10:55 -0800 (PST) someone who may be 405 TD
Estate wrote this:-

If you were fitting out your bathroom would you fit an extract fan
connected to a humidity sensor?

Possibly. There are a number of control strategies with two or three
speed fans. For example the humidity sensor or a pull cord operating
the fan at its highest speed. The fan manufacturers have a lot of
information for people to peruse.

Another possibility is to fit a whole house heat recovery system.

The bathroom has a large window.

There is much to be said for opening windows to let steam out.


--
David Hansen, Edinburgh
I will *always* explain revoked encryption keys, unless RIP prevents me
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/00023--e.htm#54

"David Hansen" wrote in message
On Fri, 25 Jan 2008 13:10:55 -0800 (PST) someone who may be 405 TD
Estate wrote this:-


The bathroom has a large window.

There is much to be said for opening windows to let steam out.


Agh, thanks David, I didn't spot the window ref, in my earlier post. Ok, if
an extractor is fitted, you won't necessarily need an inlet vent/duct - you
could always open the window a crack, when the extractor is on. Obviously
for greater efficiency, you would want to site the extractor, as far away
from the window as possible.

Bertie
--
Links to some online UK coffee bean and machine suppliers:-
http://www.geocities.com/cumberpach/

"405 TD Estate" wrote in message
...
If you were fitting out your bathroom would you fit an extract fan
connected to a humidity sensor?

I fitted one with a built-in sensor and it is IMO the best way to ventilate
a bathroom.

Colin Bignell

John Rumm wrote:
Bertie Doe wrote:

the machine in safely, for obvious reasons. The most cost effective
method, is an extracor fan, with a built-in timer. Ours switches off
after 20 mins.

I would suggest the humidistat controlled fans are much better than
timed ones in this application. They only run when the humidity is above
your pre-set level and not every time you turn the light on.

Is there any risk/tendency for them to cut in and out during the night?

We have an extractor fan in our en-suite which I deliberately wired up
to a simpler on-off switch rather than a timer (which I'd have
preferred), so that it wouldn't stay on during the night and keep SWMBO
awake, but clearly it has limitations.

How appropriate would a humidistat be under these circumstances?

Thanks
David

Lobster wrote:
John Rumm wrote:
Bertie Doe wrote:

the machine in safely, for obvious reasons. The most cost effective
method, is an extracor fan, with a built-in timer. Ours switches off
after 20 mins.

I would suggest the humidistat controlled fans are much better than
timed ones in this application. They only run when the humidity is
above your pre-set level and not every time you turn the light on.

Is there any risk/tendency for them to cut in and out during the night?

There does not seem to be... you may find you need to tweak the setting
a little through the space of the year, but it is rare to find it
working unexpectedly.

We have an extractor fan in our en-suite which I deliberately wired up
to a simpler on-off switch rather than a timer (which I'd have
preferred), so that it wouldn't stay on during the night and keep SWMBO
awake, but clearly it has limitations.

How appropriate would a humidistat be under these circumstances?

Should be fine. Having the RH control on them means you can always force
the fan or on off if you want just by changing the target RH knob.

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

"Lobster" wrote in message
...
John Rumm wrote:
Bertie Doe wrote:

the machine in safely, for obvious reasons. The most cost effective
method, is an extracor fan, with a built-in timer. Ours switches off
after 20 mins.

I would suggest the humidistat controlled fans are much better than timed
ones in this application. They only run when the humidity is above your
pre-set level and not every time you turn the light on.

Is there any risk/tendency for them to cut in and out during the night?

We have an extractor fan in our en-suite which I deliberately wired up to
a simpler on-off switch rather than a timer (which I'd have preferred), so
that it wouldn't stay on during the night and keep SWMBO awake, but
clearly it has limitations.

How appropriate would a humidistat be under these circumstances?

No risk of the fan coming on inadvertantly during the night, as you will
adjust the pre-set level to come on when there is only steam in the
bathroom. If you get the model (woth a pull cord) that robgraham mentions,
you can over-ride the humidistat and operate the fan, as and when you need
it. Pull cord - fan comes on. Pull cord again - fan goes off.

Bertie

Lobster wrote:
John Rumm wrote:
Bertie Doe wrote:

the machine in safely, for obvious reasons. The most cost effective
method, is an extracor fan, with a built-in timer. Ours switches off
after 20 mins.

I would suggest the humidistat controlled fans are much better than
timed ones in this application. They only run when the humidity is
above your pre-set level and not every time you turn the light on.

Is there any risk/tendency for them to cut in and out during the night?

We have an extractor fan in our en-suite which I deliberately wired up
to a simpler on-off switch rather than a timer (which I'd have
preferred), so that it wouldn't stay on during the night and keep SWMBO
awake, but clearly it has limitations.

How appropriate would a humidistat be under these circumstances?


The only conditions ours comes on is a steamy bathroom OR rain driving
in through the grille and getting close to the sensor, OR when my *&^%
wife has left the window open in a rainstorm.

In which case I want to be woken up.

Thanks
David

Bertie Doe wrote:
"Lobster" wrote in message
...
John Rumm wrote:
Bertie Doe wrote:

the machine in safely, for obvious reasons. The most cost effective
method, is an extracor fan, with a built-in timer. Ours switches off
after 20 mins.
I would suggest the humidistat controlled fans are much better than timed
ones in this application. They only run when the humidity is above your
pre-set level and not every time you turn the light on.
Is there any risk/tendency for them to cut in and out during the night?

We have an extractor fan in our en-suite which I deliberately wired up to
a simpler on-off switch rather than a timer (which I'd have preferred), so
that it wouldn't stay on during the night and keep SWMBO awake, but
clearly it has limitations.

How appropriate would a humidistat be under these circumstances?

No risk of the fan coming on inadvertantly during the night, as you will
adjust the pre-set level to come on when there is only steam in the
bathroom.

Not true. You can get as much humidity from rain and standing water on
the window cill.

If you get the model (woth a pull cord) that robgraham mentions,
you can over-ride the humidistat and operate the fan, as and when you need
it. Pull cord - fan comes on. Pull cord again - fan goes off.

Bertie

On Sat, 26 Jan 2008 02:24:30 +0000, John Rumm wrote:

Bertie Doe wrote:

the machine in safely, for obvious reasons. The most cost effective
method, is an extracor fan, with a built-in timer. Ours switches off
after 20 mins.

I would suggest the humidistat controlled fans are much better than
timed ones in this application. They only run when the humidity is above
your pre-set level and not every time you turn the light on.

A problem I have found with humidistat is that there is a big variation
between summer and winter in the background indoor humidity.

This means if wrongly set up they can run and run in summer.


--
Ed Sirett - Property maintainer and registered gas fitter.
The FAQ for uk.diy is at http://www.diyfaq.org.uk
Gas fitting FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/GasFitting.html
Sealed CH FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/SealedCH.html
Choosing a Boiler FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/BoilerChoice.html

In uk.d-i-y, Ed Sirett wrote:
On Sat, 26 Jan 2008 02:24:30 +0000, John Rumm wrote:

Bertie Doe wrote:

the machine in safely, for obvious reasons. The most cost effective
method, is an extracor fan, with a built-in timer. Ours switches off
after 20 mins.

I would suggest the humidistat controlled fans are much better than
timed ones in this application. They only run when the humidity is above
your pre-set level and not every time you turn the light on.

A problem I have found with humidistat is that there is a big variation
between summer and winter in the background indoor humidity.

This means if wrongly set up they can run and run in summer.

Ours is AFAIK not adjustable but has never come on or gone off
unexpectedly. Don't ask me how, but it just works. The brand name is
Eclipse.

--
Mike Barnes

On Sat, 26 Jan 2008 11:09:41 GMT someone who may be "Bertie Doe"
wrote this:-

There is much to be said for opening windows to let steam out.

Agh, thanks David, I didn't spot the window ref, in my earlier post. Ok, if
an extractor is fitted, you won't necessarily need an inlet vent/duct

I don't think so. Far better to have an air inlet on the opposite
side of the room.

- you
could always open the window a crack, when the extractor is on.

Fan and window could well be side by side. The windows is going to
be in an exterior wall and it is a good idea to vent the fan through
the wall if possible. This means both are likely to end up on the
same wall. Depending on circumstances one approach is to have the
fan on while having a shower or bath and then turn it off and open
the window.



--
David Hansen, Edinburgh
I will *always* explain revoked encryption keys, unless RIP prevents me
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/00023--e.htm#54