How to Choose the Size of Your Extractor Fan

Before buying an bathroom extractor fan , you need to understand how the size is measured. Doing this will get you inch closer to making an informed buying decision. In this article, you will learn how to choose the size of your extractor fan.

To get started, you will need the following devices​

• A pencil
• A paper
• A calculator and
• Internet connectivity

Since there are different sizes and types of extractor fans on the market, you need to spend time to choose the best. The best one is the one that not only fits your bathroom, but is suits your budget. Selecting the right size depends on a number of factors such as your personal preferences, the type and the size of your room. Installing fan that is too big might be inefficient since it will allow too much steam out of your bathroom. And one that is too small wouldn’t work properly as well. In order to stay between these two extremes, determining the right size is very important.

Read Next: How to fix a kitchen extractor fan .

Measure your room

Using your tape measure, measure the width, length, and breadth of your bathroom. You don’t need exact numbers, if you arrive at an approximate figure, you can go with that.

Calculate the Volume

Once you have a figure for these three, you need to calculate the volume of your bathroom . This will help you determine the size of your bathroom extractor fan. To get the volume, multiply the breadth of the bathroom by the width by the length (breadth x width x length).

Put the math together

At this stage, your hands should be full with figures. You don’t need to be scared as you are not going to doing college math here. These figures are there to help you understand what to look at when buying your fan. If your figure signifies a bigger bathroom, you know you will need a powerful and bigger extractor fan. However, if you have a smaller bathroom, a small unit will suffice. Remember, for an extractor to be efficient, it should be capable of removing all the damps after you have taken a hot bath.

Work out the airflow of the fan

Before you are ready to buy, you need to arrive at the approximate airflow of the fan. You do this by multiplying the bathroom volume by 10. For instance, if you have a volume of 10m3 (cubic meter), multiply it by 10 to arrive at 100m3/h. This means that the air will be altered 10 times every hour. The intent of this activity is to help you choose an efficient model for your bathroom.

Choose a fan

Now that you have all your requirements penned down, the next step is to choose a unit that has the same rating with what you have on ground. Doing this simple task will make a different between choosing a fan that is too big too big – or too small – and one that fits your bathroom appropriately.

Types of Extractor Fans

There are three types of extractor fans, axial, centrifugal, and mixed flow. Depending on your preference, you need to choose between these for your bathroom. Let’s go over each type so that you can quickly settle on the type that meets your requirements.

Axial Extractor Fans

These types are more conspicuous and widespread, mainly because they are more portable and inexpensive. They can be mounted on walls, windows, and ceiling boards. If you put them on walls, you will make use of duct tapes and wall caps. Axial fans oust moist air through the duct tapes that are connected to the wall caps into the atmosphere. If you want the best performance, you have to straighten the ducts and ensure they are on a uniform level. In addition, you should maintain a uniform diameter between the fans, ducts, and wall cap; failure to do this may result in inefficiency.

A more powerful option is the centrifugal extractor fans. They are stronger than axial extractor fans and they have the capability to work at optimal levels even when the air pressure is very high. This makes them suitable for large bathrooms. They often have the same abilities and characteristics of centrifugal pumps and should be mounted on ceiling boards. Another advantage to this kind is the available options they offer. If you can afford it, you can install a separate unit for your bathtub, shower and toilet. Most importantly, they are durable and they make little noise while operating.​

Mixed Flow Extractor Fans

These types are usually used in the kitchen and bathroom and may be more useful because of their air flow mechanism. They flow in axial and radial directions in relation to the shaft, thus making them more effective at eliminating damp air from your bathroom. The good news is that installing and removing them is simpler than the other two above and they have good airflow and little noise too.