Extractor fans & ventilation in the West Midlands

What does a bathroom extractor fan cost in the West Midlands?

Our guide range in the West Midlands is £245–£600 including VAT.

Guide prices for West Midlands including VAT. Your itemised written quote after the free survey is the price that counts.

Which towns do we cover in the West Midlands?

• Birmingham
• Coventry
• Wolverhampton
• Dudley
• Walsall
• Solihull
• Sutton Coldfield
• West Bromwich
• Halesowen
• Stourbridge
• Smethwick
• Willenhall
• Tipton
• Bloxwich
• Wednesfield
• Washwood Heath
• Aston
• Shirley
• Brierley Hill
• Aldridge
• Acocks Green
• Bartley Green
• Wednesbury
• Kingswinford

Water hardness varies across the West Midlands: some supplies are soft, others moderately hard or hard. Scale is a minor issue next to condensation, which is what a properly sized extractor fan is for. Hardness varies street by street, so check the figure for your postcode with your water supplier. If your Birmingham bathroom has black mould on the ceiling or silicone, the fan and its duct are the first things we check.

What the job includes

• Core-drilling through the wall, or ducting through the loft to a roof or soffit vent
• A check of the room, any existing fan or vent, and the shortest route to the outside
• Run-on timer, humidistat or light-linked switching set up to suit how the room is used
• A backdraught shutter and external grille, so cold air does not blow back in
• Wiring by a qualified electrician, with an isolator outside the room and RCD protection
• A fan chosen to meet the bathroom extract rate: 15 l/s intermittent or 8 l/s continuous

Decisions to make first

Noise

Compare the stated noise level in decibels. Inline fans and low-speed continuous fans are much quieter in the room than budget axial fans.

Timer or humidistat

A timer keeps the fan running after the light goes off. A humidistat starts it whenever moisture rises, which suits rooms where people forget.

Axial, centrifugal or inline

Axial fans suit short, straight runs; centrifugal fans cope better with longer ducts; inline fans sit in the loft and are the quietest in the room.

Replacement air

A fan needs air to replace what it removes, so leave a gap of around 10 mm under the door or fit a door grille. A sealed room starves the fan.

Rules that apply in England

A bathroom needs extract ventilation when it is newly formed, and on a refit an existing fan should not be replaced with a less effective one. The fan and its wiring must meet BS 7671 for the zone it sits in, on a circuit with 30 mA RCD protection. In a flat, the lease often requires freeholder consent for a new extract vent, and in a listed building a new opening through an external wall can need listed building consent.

In England, Approved Document F sets bathroom extract at 15 l/s for an intermittent fan or 8 l/s for continuous extract. Wiring a new fan alters a circuit in a room with a bath or shower, so it is notifiable under Part P.