The builders fitted a standard extractor to our new shower-room, but
it is really noisy! So noisy that my wife keeps turning it off, which
is a shame as it is quite useful.

Given all the effort put into making quiet/silent PC's, I'm sure it
would be possible to make quiet versions of these too, but all my
asking around has drawn a blank. Can anyone help?

Part of the problem I think is that it is mounted in a hollow
wood/plasterboard wall (the shower-room is in a kind of dormer window
type area), so the noise is amplified by the wall. Has anyone found a
way to damp down the vibrations, or accoustically isolate the fan from
the wall?

"John Carlyle-Clarke" wrote in message
.69...
The builders fitted a standard extractor to our new shower-room, but
it is really noisy! So noisy that my wife keeps turning it off, which
is a shame as it is quite useful.

Given all the effort put into making quiet/silent PC's, I'm sure it
would be possible to make quiet versions of these too, but all my
asking around has drawn a blank. Can anyone help?

Part of the problem I think is that it is mounted in a hollow
wood/plasterboard wall (the shower-room is in a kind of dormer window
type area), so the noise is amplified by the wall. Has anyone found a
way to damp down the vibrations, or accoustically isolate the fan from
the wall?


It might be possible to squirt some expanding foam in between the plasterboard
and the outer brick skin, if that's the way it's made up, to introduce some sort
of bulk that will stop the shake and vibrations when the fan is running.

What size fan is installed ? Does it have pipework through the wall taking the
air to the outside from an internally fitted fan ?

There are fans, called sila-fan I think, that are around 110 mm (4'') in
diameter that will sit easily inside a piece of standard drain pipe. They have
quite a large air extraction ratio for their size and may just do the job for
you. They are fitted with a ball bearing around the shaft and this makes them
very quiet. They're not any more expensive than a normal fan so it might be
worth a search on the web for one.


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BigWallop wrote:

It might be possible to squirt some expanding foam in between the plasterboard
and the outer brick skin, if that's the way it's made up, to introduce some sort
of bulk that will stop the shake and vibrations when the fan is running.

I really wouldn't recommend this - it will cause the PB to bulge.

However, the principle is sound - squirt some filler of your choice
(no-nails type acrylic filler works well) to dampen the vibration.

In addition, it's worth noting that there are *huge* differences in the
noise level generated by different makes. I initially fitted a fan in
the bathroom which was so noisy I had to replace it within a week. Ended
up with a Marley, which was much quieter.


--
Grunff

"Grunff" wrote in message
...
BigWallop wrote:

It might be possible to squirt some expanding foam in between the
plasterboard
and the outer brick skin, if that's the way it's made up, to introduce
some sort
of bulk that will stop the shake and vibrations when the fan is running.

I really wouldn't recommend this - it will cause the PB to bulge.

However, the principle is sound - squirt some filler of your choice
(no-nails type acrylic filler works well) to dampen the vibration.

In addition, it's worth noting that there are *huge* differences in the
noise level generated by different makes. I initially fitted a fan in
the bathroom which was so noisy I had to replace it within a week. Ended
up with a Marley, which was much quieter.


--
Grunff

From what I've heard from others, and my own limited experience of them,
Xpelair fans are regarded as some of the best available - certainly a couple
I fitted were very quiet and seemed well made. I still have one from the
60's in my kitchen!

Alex

"BigWallop" wrote in
news
It might be possible to squirt some expanding foam in between the
plasterboard and the outer brick skin, if that's the way it's made
up, to introduce some sort of bulk that will stop the shake and
vibrations when the fan is running.

The wall is wood frame, plasterboard on the inside, insulation, and
then wood slats on the outside (it's in kind of dormer window upstairs
in a chalet bungalow). I guess your suggestion will still work
though?

What size fan is installed ? Does it have pipework through the
wall taking the air to the outside from an internally fitted fan ?

It must be about 3 or 4". It has an integral pipe/duct going to a
vent on the outside. I'd say it's one of those telescoping ones.

There are fans, called sila-fan I think, that are around 110 mm
(4'') in diameter that will sit easily inside a piece of standard
drain pipe.

I'll investigate those... thanks!

Grunff wrote in :


In addition, it's worth noting that there are *huge* differences
in the noise level generated by different makes. I initially
fitted a fan in the bathroom which was so noisy I had to replace
it within a week. Ended up with a Marley, which was much quieter.

Interesting. I notice that Screwfix seem to quote decibel levels for
their fans, too.

John Carlyle-Clarke wrote:
The builders fitted a standard extractor to our new shower-room, but
it is really noisy! So noisy that my wife keeps turning it off, which
is a shame as it is quite useful.

How's it controlled? Changing it to a humidistat control means it
would only come on when it was needed, and your wife might not feel
the need to turn it off.
--
Selah

"Stephen Gower" wrote in message
...
John Carlyle-Clarke wrote:
The builders fitted a standard extractor to our new shower-room, but
it is really noisy! So noisy that my wife keeps turning it off, which
is a shame as it is quite useful.

How's it controlled? Changing it to a humidistat control means it
would only come on when it was needed, and your wife might not feel
the need to turn it off.
--
Selah
In my last house I fitted a £30 humidistat controlled 100mm fan (from
Jayhard) in bathroom. Bit of a waste of money as

1. Very loud despite trying various things to quieten it.
2. In winter would often not turn off (or sometime just turn on by itself in
middle of night when the temperature dropped) as humidistat was not
temperature compensated, despite much fiddling with the humidity setting.
Wouldn't of minded if it had been quiet.

In the end replaced it with an expensive Xpelair humidistat controlled fan
which did have a temperature compensated sensor. Cost over £100 from Jayhard
I think, and as a bonus was very very much quieter. Worked fine in both
summer and winter.

One other thing I fitted a pull switch override, pull cord to turn on fan
for 5 mins, for those times when the bathroom needs to be ventilated when
not having a shower !!!!!