Modern Alternatives to Traditional Extractor Fans

Modern Alternatives to Traditional Extractor Fans

By Ruth MacEachern

Product Manager

Extractor fans offer the most straightforward way of reducing condensation in your home and are usually installed in rooms where there is a lot of moisture in the air – such as bathrooms or kitchens.  Simple extractor fans are mounted through an exterior wall and draw moist air out of the bathroom to create a slight negative pressure that then draws drier air in from the rest of your home to replace it.

Extractor fans are one of the most important tools in reducing condensation and damp or mould in your home because they directly remove moisture from the atmosphere and prevent it from spreading into rooms where it can condense onto cool surfaces.

You would normally run an extractor fan when bathing or cooking.

Traditionally, extractor fans would be operated via a switch, or be attached to the lighting circuit so that they come on when a bathroom is in use.  Older extractor fans, while not costly to use, can lead to heat loss as they remove the warm air from your house.

With modern extractor fans, it is possible to have a ventilation system that is more effective at preventing condensation, and also one which helps to make your property more efficient by reducing heat loss.

Automatic Extractor Fans

The EnviroVent Cyclone 7 Extractor Fan includes an intelligent vapour tracking control which detects the levels of moisture in the air of a room and then adjusts the power level appropriately.  Unlike a traditional extractor, which may only remain on for a fixed amount of time after a room is used, the Cyclone 7 runs continually until it has reduced the moisture levels to the point where condensation will no longer form.  While a traditional extractor fan may only partially address moisture levels, the Cyclone 7 can be relied on to prevent condensation.

Extractor Fans with Heat Recovery

Air from bathrooms and kitchens is typically warmer than in the rest of your home, and a traditional extractor fan causes some heat loss as the warm air is pumped outside. 

While many full house ventilation systems include some form of heat recovery to make them more efficient, this is not always the case with a simple extractor fan – although it is a feature of the EnviroVent heatSava range which recovers up to 75% of the heat from the moist air it removes from your home which helps to reduce your energy loss and make your property more energy efficient.

The heatSava is an innovative single room heat recovery unit that can be retrofitted into an existing extractor fan wall sleeve or into a new wall and is available in two different sizes to suit bathrooms or kitchens and features a range of different heat cells to suit wall depths from 310mm to 600mm.  The heatSava is a practical addition to your home that can be mounted either horizontally or vertically depending on the available space.

Find out More

If you have a problem with damp or mould caused by condensation in your home, upgrading your existing extractor fans with a more modern model can help.  Contact us today to book a free home survey from one of our local ventilation specialists.  They can advise you on the best solution for your needs and help you prevent condensation and damp for good.