There are certain areas where there are extraction problems that are more difficult to deal with than others because of their nature and or the position of extraction. Typical of those areas are bathrooms, toilets and wet rooms as well as cloakrooms and utility rooms. These are places with some of the worst smells, which require good extraction but where there is also a problem with moisture and steam.
The Problem with Water
Water in any form is a problem, but in the form of steam or moist air it will pass into all sorts of areas and will cause clothes, bedding and paper and card to get damp and either start rotting or begin to give some fairly obnoxious smells; a damp house is a disaster in that regard.
To cope with this there needs to be some excellent extraction in the source areas of any steam or moist air. These are predominantly the kitchen and bathroom in a home – and an extractor fan needs to be able to move the steam and moist air from the damp room to the outside of the building. This ensures moisture levels remain at a minimum inside the house and avoids any build up which could lead to moulding and a nasty smell.
Centrifugal Extractor Fans
The new centrifugal extractor fans have the latest technology and provide a very powerful tool to extract from applications such as bathrooms and wet rooms. A centrifugal fan is designed to move air over long distances and will give its maximum performance even against the resistance, which is caused by the ducting and the entry and exit grills of the system. It is this performance, which gives the units their major success.
The smaller extractor fans extract at a rate of around 110 cubic metres per hour or about 31 litres a second, which is 
equivalent to about 10 room changes per hour. As the fans are usually focussed into the area where the problem is generated they become even more efficient in the removal of steam in particular. The electrical power consumption is only around 17 watts so they are fairly efficient in power usage and the running costs are small particularly if they are fixed to an automatic start and stop system. The overall cost is of the fan is less than £30 for an “in line” timer controlled unit.
Get Rid of the Water
One of the major advantages of these extractor fan units is that because they are powerful over a longer distance, the extractor fan can be situated well away from the bathroom or wet room and can be fitted into the simplest position for ease of installation and access in the case of any repairs or future replacement. The only requirement is that they are fitted in line with the ducting.
A centrifugal fan can shift an air volume of up to 90 metres cubed per hour; or in other words, up to 20 litres per second. This sort of performance is unrivalled with a regular extractor fan, and means the bathroom extractor fan is more than capable of keeping virtually any bathroom clear of hot air and steam.
An additional advantage is that despite being much more powerful than a regular extractor fan, a centrifugal fan is actually much quieter and therefore ideal for something like a bathroom, toilet or utility room. Despite the fan’s strength, the mechanism in a centrifugal extractor is also vibration free too, meaning no disturbances.
Centrifugal extractor fans are typically built using high impact ABS thermoplastic. This is again an advantage over a normal extractor fan, because the plastic is very strong and durable, as well as being extremely easy to clean. Again this ends up being perfect for a bathroom where the cleanliness will be more than welcome.