Fan for the bathroom: exhaust and other types, installation features

The principle condition for comfortable use of the bathroom and toilet is the absence of excessive humidity, unpleasant smells and dampness on the walls.

In multi-apartment buildings, natural exhaust ventilation has long been the norm. Unfortunately, it is not always enough to eliminate fumes and mustiness. And in this situation, installing an additional exhaust fan becomes a real necessity.

We lacked ventilation in the bathroom and the bathroom all of a sudden in the summer when, due to the heat, the evaporation and smells stagnated and even started to stop breathing. This is predictable, since the basis of natural ventilation is the principle of moving air masses due to temperature differences, and in the warm season it is quite insignificant.

The fact that in the old houses the condition of the exhaust shafts leaves much to be desired is also undeniable. They regularly accumulate dirt for many years, and at some point they become impassable.

This is why more and more people are turning to the installation of an additional fan in the plumbing units to solve the problem of insufficient circulation. This measure helps under poor conditions of ventilation in old houses and becomes a preventive maintenance of a similar problem in new buildings.

Let's start our acquaintance with a variety of types of exhaust devices. Depending on the purpose among them distinguish axial, radial, centrifugal( channel), as well as hoods for roofs.

Axial hoods are designed as a blade impeller mounted in a cylindrical body. The impeller on the rear side is attached to the rotor of the electric motor. The blades are placed under a slight slope to the channel axis. The air is drawn in by the blades of the wheel and moves axially.

To intensify the operation of the impeller, a grate manifold is installed in front of the fan. Models with a similar operating principle demonstrate a rather high efficiency compared to other devices. The air consumption exceeds 100 m3 / h, but at the same time the pressure at them is small. Mount the axial hood can be directly into the wall.

Due to the simple installation, fans of this design are very common. Usually, the installation dimensions of the axial fans coincide with the dimensions of the windows of the exhaust shafts. The only undesirable moment is that the work of such an extract can cause backward vortices inside the shaft. Another worth noting is the notable noise during the operation of the device( about 30-50 dB), which can be annoying in everyday life.

In devices of this type, the impeller is placed in a spiral housing. The working organ is made in the form of a barrel, on which the axes of rotation of the blade are mounted with equal frequency. When the blade rotates, air is captured and thrown to the inner surface of the casing. In a spiral chamber, the air flow is compressed and moved along the inner channel to the discharge port.

The blades can be bent forward or backward, and the machine itself can suck air in one or both sides. The use of fans equipped with backward curved blades can significantly save energy. In addition, using them well helps to cope with increased loads when pumping large volumes. The hoods with forward curved blades show similar parameters to the previous devices in terms of head and flow and at the same time have smaller sizes of impellers and the number of revolutions of the electric motor. Due to this, the device decreases in size and becomes more slow-moving.

Channel-type fans( centrifugal) appeared later than others on the market, but already have significant success with customers due to their simplicity and ease of use. Their use is justified for a large area of ​​the room - from 15 m2 and more.

These devices combine high power, but at the same time remain slow. Channel fans pumping air from the bathroom into the developed network of ventilation ducts. In this case, the air duct has a circular or rectangular section. A duct fan with a bend system is usually laid under the ceiling and concealed by a gypsum board suspension.

Preferably buy semi-flexible and stiff ducts. They are more durable and able to last longer than a flexible design. The fan itself can optionally be inserted inside the duct or at the inlet to it.

In the latter case, it is desirable to install additional equipment - an anemostat. It prevents excessive moisture and condensation from being drawn into the duct. But even with the installation of a fan in the depth of the outgoing channel, it's not all that simple either. This creates additional aerodynamic losses and weaken traction, we will have to choose a more powerful unit for this purpose.

Roof hoods are mounted directly on the roof of the houses. The structure of roof structures includes an exhaust fan, its drive, vibration damping pads and automation devices. All this is collected in one body. Circulation in such devices is provided by axial or radial aggregates with a large number of blades.

The choice of a particular manufacturer and model will require you to get acquainted with the technical characteristics of the fans, namely the capacity and volume of intake air, noise level and moisture resistance. Still worth noting for themselves the possibility of customization, automation and price indicators.

It's the same expense. Displays the volume of air removed from the room per unit time. From this indicator will depend on the speed and completeness of eliminating water vapor from the bathroom. The average performance of modern models is about 90-100 m3 / h .Do not forget that the performance is directly related to the power consumed by the device. Therefore, increased waste of electricity may not be justified by choosing an overly powerful fan.

Determine the optimal performance for your case easily. First measure the volume of the room and set the number of cycles of circulation in one hour. Multiplying the volume by the number of cycles, you will get the required performance.

The number of circulation cycles is determined by the purpose of the room and is standardized by the building standards. For the bathroom, it is in the range from 6 to 8. If in the apartment of 1-3 tenants take the figure equal to 6, if the tenants more than 3 in the calculations use the number 8. The number of cycles for the toilet will be from 6 to 10.

Having on hand the estimated value of productivityThe device can be easily selected from the models offered by the manufacturers of the most inexpensive and with the minimum power consumption. When buying, look at the fans with a bit higher performance.

No one can work in complete silence. And yet, in order for water procedures not to be accompanied by intrusive buzzing, it is important to determine what noise characteristics the model you are considering has.

The typical loudness of the current hood ranges from 25 dB and above. The human ear perceives a level above 35 dB as an annoying sound. Hence, the operating indicator of the device's loudness should be 30 dB maximum. And if you expect that you will leave the fan in the work for the night, then at all up to 25 dB.The volume indicators can be found in the technical documentation of the device. If possible, check the volume of work in-place or read product reviews on the Internet.

Extra noise can be eliminated by installing a silencer behind the impeller and sticking insulating materials inside the duct. Silencers can be in the form of pipes or installed at a certain angle of the plates. Keep in mind that the airway clearance after insulation and installation of mufflers should not be too reduced, as this will create swirling air blasts and air plugs.

Among the moments that are mandatory for the safe and safe operation of the hood, the first place is protection against moisture ingress. If condensation drops enter the conductive parts of the apparatus, for example, motor terminals, a short circuit will occur. Therefore, it is better not to take risks and provide for mandatory conditions to protect your device from such situations.

First, an anemostat is installed - a plastic valve that is mounted in front of the air intake. Outside, he has a rim, in the middle of which the disk is movably fixed. The space between the disc and the rim varies depending on the thrust of the fan blades. The device creates additional resistance in the air path, which causes the water vapor to condense. A drop of condensate captures the filter net of the anemostat itself.

Secondly, be guided by the indicator of the class of dust and waterproofness of the IP device. For most of the presented models, it is not lower than IP34.In a particular case, the decryption will mean protection from dust and particles of 2.5 mm and more in the case of the fan motor fan and impenetrable for splashes flying from either side. As you can see, this is already quite encouraging, but nothing prevents you from focusing on a higher class of security when choosing.

It will be determined by a set of additional functions, the breadth of the settings of work and its automation. In terms of functionality, all existing devices can be conditionally divided into 2 groups.

Standard hoods are often axle units behind which a check valve is placed to block the movement of air from the ventilation back to the bathroom.

Devices of this type run simultaneously with the inclusion of lighting in the room, and stop when you turn it off. No additional options are provided. Still there are devices with the inclusion of a pull-out trigger cord, but very few people will like to follow him constantly to drag on?

With a modern level of automation, few people will be surprised only by the fan that triggers and switches off automatically at the signal of the temperature and humidity sensors, but you will agree - the innovation is very convenient. If you expect to simplify your life as much as possible, then this is definitely your choice.

A frequent automation solution was the connection of the exhaust fan power to the lighting switches in the bathroom and toilet. Reasonable, but not always. In particular in the summer from the drain holes constantly evaporate and the air becomes stale. Here it is more actual to tie the on / off switch from the hygrostat signal.

All automatic fans have a sleep timer. You can independently adjust the duration of the device after it reacts to the switch-on signal. The range of settings is wide - from 2 minutes to half an hour. This solution helps to avoid unnecessary waste of electricity.

Noiseless can be called fans, which operate at a volume limited by a limit of 25 dB.For clarity, we explain that, being at arm's length from the operating device, you will not hear the noise of the motor and impeller .

Silent functioning of these models was achieved due to a number of constructive innovations. Let's analyze them on an example of 3 basic elements of the :

1. Engine. The nature of its attachment to the fan cowl has been changed. The noise from the running engine was the result of vibrations, which were transmitted to the whole body during rotation. Now the vibrations are absorbed by the rubber bushings, which fix the motor and do not allow them to resonate throughout the body.

2. Enclosure. The previous cases were very strong resonators due to the thin plastic. Now this is fixed by a reinforced ABS plastic construction of a larger thickness. In addition to good sound absorption, this solution gave additional strength to the structure.

3. Bearings. Previous ball bearings were a source of perceptible noise from a rotating electric motor. New bearings are manufactured with high accuracy, and their working parts are protected from wear and tear. Smooth rolling of rollers and balls was provided by modern lubricants. As a consequence, beating and noise are eliminated when the bearing rotates, and the noise level at the hearing decreases several times.

To the above, we add that the components of noiseless fans are manufactured with unprecedented accuracy( deviations within 0.01 μm).In such a situation, all the details are adjusted to each other perfectly, there are no distortions and flimsy places, the presence of which has always been a source of additional noise.

As we could understand from the calculations of productivity, we need a more powerful and overall fan in the bathroom, whereas a more modest variant will fit into the toilet. Also it is worth understanding that the advanced protection against moisture and spray in the toilet you to anything. In the bathroom it is quite possible to dispense with the installation of an ordinary axial fan

. There are more requirements for ventilation of the bathroom. Both a larger volume and a higher circulation rate will require the use of a more advanced and durable instrument. If you are faced with the issue of choosing a hood for a new building, then there is every reason to take a ducted fan, as the quietest and at the same time the most productive one.

In a separate case it is better to take an axial or radial fan of noiseless type. This is if the room already has a window in the ventilation shaft. They cost within 1500 rubles.

On the cost of devices with a timer off, you can immediately say that they will cost $ 15 more. At the same time, the average price of standard devices is within 40-45 dollars.

Fans of increased protection class will cost 20-25 USD.more than standard devices. Fans with an advanced system of settings and the presence of light sensors, temperature and humidity will be quite expensive - almost 2.5-3 times more expensive than standard models.

We hasten to assure that a quality product is not necessarily the most expensive. You can profitably buy products of domestic manufacturers and get a product that will surely serve for at least 3-5 years. But if you are interested in high functionality, you should seriously understand the existing assortment and get acquainted with the reviews about the quality of the goods.

Suppose that additional work on the sound insulation of the ventilation system is not foreseen - the manufacturer has already taken care of that. Whatever it was, it is important to properly mount the device to prevent the occurrence of additional noise due to resonance from parts of its housing. This is possible when installing the fan in a channel or drywall partition. Let's consider in detail the installation procedure.

In this example, the optimum mounting conditions are those in which the number of mounting points of the device to the surface is minimal. When it is not possible to reduce the number of fasteners, it is possible to compensate for the resonance by installing flexible inserts. Specialists propose to use as a compensator silicone cushion, which sets the fan. It will not be difficult for any of you to make it. It is sufficient to apply a layer of silicone 3-5 mm thick along the contour of the ventilation opening. When the solution cools, the cushion will allow fixing the overhead hood without direct contact with the wall. Inside the surface of the ventilation duct must not come into contact with the elements of the body of the device, for which it is recommended to enclose the corresponding places with soft rubber.

channel fan The situation is complicated by the need to isolate the device from the walls of the air ducts, which is difficult to do in a domestic environment. Here the role of the compensators is played by liners made of special corrugated rubber. The fan casing itself can not be supported by the weight inside the laid pipes. It will be correct to fix it with a yoke, which will be attached to the hairpin, screwed into the ceiling. Between the yoke and the fan are surely inserted liners.

Since the installation of the hood will provide for connection to the power supply, the has several requirements for laying the wire and connecting the .

1. According to the security rules, the open placement of even insulated wires in the bathroom is unacceptable( !). Wires are always placed in a special cable channel .

2. It is possible to connect to the light switch via the contact pair, but it is preferable to lead the ends of the wire to a separate switch for the safety and convenience of repairing the switches.

3. In the connection scheme of the device with a timer, you need to conduct 3 wires: 1 ground wire and 2 power wires( for a timer and a switch).

That's all we wanted to tell. We hope, our advice helped you.