Increasing bathroom fans power.

customise84, Jul 11, 1:06am
We are waiting on a quote to get an HRV vortex put in (already have HRV system) probably without the intelliswitch. But just wondering if anyone has just put a new motor in to increase the power of the fan. We've got large bathrooms, and 12ft studs, and the heat lamp/light/fan that was put in during renovations before we purchased the house, does absolutely nothing.
jonners2013, Jul 11, 1:36am
the 150mm fans that most builders and sparkys install in homes here are not really adequate. i'd go with a 200 or 250mm fan.
customise84, Jul 11, 2:25am
Got a quote for $1280 for 2 vortexes which I didn't think was too bad.
russ18, Jul 11, 2:36am
Almost all heat/light/fan units have useless fans and usually the light output is crap too so most people use the heat lamps year round as general lighting.
Since it's already installed the easiest option it to add another fan, IMO 150mm is more than adequate provided the rated capacity of the fan will give your bathroom at least 10 air changes per hour. No bathroom fan will work well if air cannot easily flow into the room to replace what's being extracted.
tweake, Jul 11, 2:48am
very good point. its going to be limited by the door and window seals.

also keep in mind on how the pipes are installed. can't have pipes sitting up against the roof or roofing paper/membrane.
so if it goes the the eaves, with a bigger tube it may have to go to a roof outlet instead.
sparky_wit, Jul 11, 6:54am
It doesn't mean the bigger the unit the more powerful it will extract. When buying a fan please check how many cubic feet of air per hour the unit will extract or your Sparky should tell you if you are concerned, most Electricians will use a cheap and cheerful 15cm fan. which have less pulling power than some of the decent 4 inch fans. also ensure they install ducting or the air is circulating in your ceiling lol
bugalugs, Jul 11, 7:25am
I had a vortex without intelliswitch installed in May for $568. It does a massively better job than the light/heatlamp/fan combo already in. My bathroom is tiny, and when the vortex is on I can feel it sucking air in under the bathroom door.
customise84, Jul 11, 8:15am
I have been looking at that. I think the one we have is something like 1/3 the amount of the air that the vortex would remove. I figure it's worth the investment to prevent possible mould, there's already some peeling paint starting.
We love the HRV and hubbys parents have the vortex which is why I do feel that it would be the way to go ultimately.
stevo2, Jul 11, 8:21am
Our bathroom fan was unable to move enough air to prevent our bathroom steaming up (new build) so I put a showerdome over the shower. We now dont even turn the fan on and get zero steam.
$3 hundy well spent
geoff_m, Jul 11, 8:43am
avoidthe hardware store fans - go for a commercial 150mm inline centrifugal or mixed flow (not axial propeller) fan as used by the HVAC industry. Fantech or Fans Direct are 2 suppliers/ manufacturers. You may be able to buy direct,or if not, via an air conditioning contractor. Been a few years since I was in the HVAC industry, but I used the good stuff in my own place. The difference between the Manrose DIY and the Ziehl-EBM fans I used was night and day. Real ball bearings rated at 100,000 hours instead of sleeve bearings that will do a small fraction of that.
Underrcut the door if you need to let more air in
golfdiver, Jul 11, 8:54am
Install a tunnel ram and bolt on a flux capacitator
russ18, Jul 11, 8:58am
Vortice lineo fans look a lot like hrv vortex fans and the 150mm version even has the same ratings.
customise84, Jul 11, 9:01am
Unfortunately we can't use those! for 2 reasons. Main bathroom is a wet floor shower and is only curtained, so wouldn't keep in the steam. And the other reason is hubby is 6'9. He can't stand in a shower with a shower dome without having to bend lol!
rojill, Jul 14, 5:19am
Cut a round hole in the top of the shower dome for his head. That's an easy fix.
customise84, Nov 21, 6:01pm
Lmao! The visuals!