If you’re looking at having a new bathroom designed then you’ve no doubt found out that you now must have an extractor fan fitted. Even in a downstairs WC or utility with a tumble dryer you need a fan fitted now.

Extractor fans are a mandatory for building regulations and now have to be fitted in new builds and extensions. You simply wouldn’t get a pass by the buildings inspector if you didn’t fit one.

It’s a good thing though, and not a terrible draconian measure. Having an extractor fan will improve your bathroom or toilet by keeping the environment clean, aired and with a lot less moisture. Let’s take a closer look at the benefits.

Building regulations for fans in bathrooms

The building regulation states that a fan needs to change the air in your bathroom three times per hour and if you have a fan that only just meets this regulation then it’s likely that it’s not really up to the job. It’s best to go for something a little more robust and over the line and beyond the minimum requirement on this one.

Get rid of that steam

Removing steam from a room reduces the changes of you having any damp issues and mould growing. Steam is the number one cause of mould and mildew in your bathroom and can be a really nasty problem to deal with. Damp loves a dark room and no matter how hard you try, your bathroom will create moisture and dump it on all the walls and surfaces if you don’t extract it. An open window simply won’t do the job as well as a good fan.

Smelling sweet

A fan will also help with those unwelcoming odours that do accompany a bathroom from time to time. A fan will encourage those bathroom smells to leave quicker than leaving it to naturally dissipate. That’s not to say you can’t use your lovely air fresheners or reed diffusers too!

Winterproofed

When the winter hits the UK the outside temperatures drop while the inside temperatures are kept artificially higher with central heating. This causes another issue for your bathroom – condensation! A fan will help you with this too by removing the condensation much like it does with the moisture from the steam. No one wants condensation on their windows or droplets of water building up on their suite or walls.

What bathroom fan is best?

There are many makes and models of fans, and we’re happy to advise you. As we mentioned above, don’t get one that just passes the building regulations; get something a little better to keep it future-proof.

Our main recommendation here is to have a fan on a timer so that when you switch it off when you leave the bathroom, the fan then continues to run for a while before it switches itself off.

You can have this wired to the light in your bathroom so that the fan is always in use during and shortly after use of your bathroom. The timer will usually have a setting to allow you to adjust the time it runs for. If your bathroom gets particularly steamy then it’s advisable to err on the longer side for the delay.

Need more help? Give us a call or pop into our Coventry bathroom showroom for more fresh ideas and expertise for your bathroom.