Recommendation points
Quite often, the hood available in the apartment does not cope with its task, worst of all, when the air is simply blown out from neighboring apartments, instead of providing a normal outflow of air. The forced draft helps to solve the problem, which can be easily installed by yourself..
It is rare to find a normally functioning natural range hood in the bathroom and toilet. The ducts are quickly clogged, the draft is often overturned by the wind or the operation of the fans from the neighbors in the riser. For residents of high-rise buildings above the fifth or sixth floor, this is a particularly tangible problem. Forced ventilation helps to resolve the situation. The idea is very simple, it remains to determine the best connection option and choose the right equipment.
Choosing a fan for an exhaust
The main selection criteria is the fan performance, expressed in m3/ hour, and its noise. For residential premises, the requirements for ventilation, including forced ventilation, are determined by the requirements of SNiP and SanPIN. The bathroom and toilet must have a five to eight exchange of air.
You can roughly estimate the required performance value if the area of a bathroom or a separate room is multiplied by five and added by 20%. This is exactly how many cubic meters per hour a fan must pump.
The noise for a household exhaust fan is limited to 35 dB. The lower the number, the better..
The installation method distinguishes:
- duct, built into the duct channel;
- radial, or surface-mounted, designed for installation directly into the exhaust hole.
If there is only one hood in the apartment for the entire bathroom, then it is preferable to install an air duct with two branches, in which the outgoing channels are one third smaller in cross-sectional area than the fan.
If there are separate channels, a radial fan is installed. The residential models have an aesthetic cover plate with grating. In a simple version, even if there is one channel, it is possible to mount a ventilation gap between the toilet and the bathroom, only the fan performance is selected, accordingly, taking into account the total area, as for a combined bathroom.
By design, they are distinguished:
- axial;
- diametrical, drum type;
- centrifugal.
Axial fans are relevant for installation in an apartment. With a round duct diameter of 100 (110) mm and a pressure of 50 Pa, they are capable of operating with minimal noise and a fairly high performance.
It is better to give preference to fans that already have a built-in check valve that can prevent air flow back into the room from the exhaust duct. It will be relevant even with a perfectly working natural hood, not to mention the fact that it is difficult to meet such.
The degree of protection of the device is also important. Requires IP34 or higher fans with splash, high humidity and dust resistance.
Connection and control methods
Keeping the fan on at all times is only a private and not a good option. Better to use one of the following options:
- Connection in parallel with lighting in bathroom and toilet.
- Separate switch, two or three position.
- Regulator for smooth adjustment of revolutions.
- Timer and controller management, including as part of smart home systems.
If there are no problems with natural ventilation, and even with the fan turned off, there is a constant outflow of air, then it will be optimal to connect the hood together with lighting. Active ventilation will be switched on only when using the bathroom, when it is necessary to remove odors and moisture as quickly and efficiently as possible. At the same time, this is the simplest option, which does not require additional work on laying the cable, it is allowed to turn on directly from the lighting device, from which the distance to the fan is much shorter, and the wires are laid in a box or above the suspended ceiling, and during installation at the repair stage, the electrical wiring is mounted into the wall.
Connecting the fan to the light switch
The best option under the sounded conditions is to install a separate switch. A choice of a double switch for lighting and ventilation or a separate switch is used if there is a possibility or desire to place several junction boxes next to each other. This will allow you to independently activate forced ventilation in the bathroom and toilet..
Connecting the fan to a two-button or separate switch
A popular, but not very convenient option with a switch built into the fan itself. A chain or string comes out of the body, which you have to pull every time you need to ventilate the bathroom. Given the location of the vent high in the ceiling, this approach rarely gets positive feedback..
Three-way switches are used to set two modes of fan operation and turn it off. An excellent option if there is no natural outflow of air, and you need to constantly keep the fan on, but with minimal performance, and only in some cases run the hood at full capacity to quickly drain the bathroom and eliminate unpleasant odors.
Regulators allow you to smoothly adjust the hood performance. These are more often devices made for a standard junction box with a design similar to standard switches, only with a rotary knob and a scale. Select a fan and a regulator that are compatible, from the same manufacturer.
The most efficient way is to connect the fan to a climate controller or smart home. Switching on and performance adjustment is performed based on the readings of the humidity and CO sensor2, as well as according to the specified schedule. For example, 5 minutes after turning off the bathroom light. The power line is separate from the control cabinet where the power relay is located.
Mounting
The preparation of the ventilation duct and the fan mounting points should be performed at the stage of repair, and the equipment itself should be installed after finishing.
The exhaust duct should, if necessary, be expanded or partially reduced to the size of the purchased fan. It is advisable to clean the area of the ventilation duct accessible for cleaning from plaque or invite housing and communal services workers for this.
A strobe is supplied to the installation site for laying the wire. The wire cross-section is selected based on the fan power. As a rule, a stranded copper wire with a cross section of 0.5 mm is sufficient.2, since the current consumption is quite low.
Due to the low weight, the fan can be mounted both on self-tapping screws with dowels, and on glue, for example, liquid nails or polymer glue over ceramic tiles or decorative plaster.
Only terminal blocks are used for connection, avoiding twists. If there is no niche protected from moisture and dust in the fan design, in which the connection can be hidden, then it must be protected with electrical tape or heat shrink tubing.
It’s important to ensure proper ventilation in the toilet and bathroom for fresh air and to prevent moisture buildup. Have you considered installing a forced draft system? I’d love to know what options exist and how effective they are in reducing odors and dampness. Any advice on the ideal ventilation setup for small spaces would be greatly appreciated!
I was wondering if anyone has any tips or advice on how to create a forced draft for better ventilation in the toilet and bathroom? I find that the current ventilation system is not sufficient and causes unpleasant odors or moisture buildup. Would appreciate any insights or suggestions on how to improve the airflow in these areas. Thank you!