Bathroom Extractor: How to Ensure Proper Extraction of Stale Air?

There are various regulations that highlight the requirements demanded of buildings regarding the basic safety and habitability requirements established by the Building Regulation Act. Do you know how the current regulation influences your bathroom extractor? rnBathroom extractors, along with those of other humid rooms, are a key element in the ventilation system of homes, as they are responsible for extracting stale air, connecting the room with the outside, directly or through an extraction duct. According to the CTE DB HS 3 Indoor Air Quality:rn

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• Air must circulate from dry to humid rooms, through admission openings (that connect the room with the outside in living rooms, dining rooms, and bedrooms), and extraction openings (located in kitchens and bathrooms). The vertical divisions separating these rooms must have passage openings that allow for air circulation.
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• In the case of partitioned rooms, there should be passage openings between the compartments. The extraction opening will be installed in the most contaminated compartment (in the case of toilets and bathrooms, the one containing the toilet; in the case of kitchens, the one where the cooking area is located). The passage opening connecting with the rest of the home will be situated in the least contaminated room.
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• The extraction openings will connect to extraction ducts and will be located at least 200 mm from the ceiling and at a distance from any corner or vertical edge of no less than 100 mm.
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• The total effective area of the extraction openings of each room will correspond to the greater of the results of the following formulas: 4 × qv or 4 × qve; where qv is the minimum ventilation flow rate required (15 l/s for toilets and bathrooms) and qve is the ventilation flow corresponding to each extraction opening of the room calculated by a balancing procedure of admission and extraction flows under an air circulation hypothesis according to the distribution of the rooms, [l/s].
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Beyond Current Regulations - Bathroom Extractor

so that a variable flow is ensured according to the ambient relative humidity of the room and a supplementary timer flow (30 minutes) controlled by presence detection (either with electric control or battery-powered)).

This type of extractors is part of what is called simple flow mechanical ventilation, a system designed for the individual extraction of stale air and renewal in homes based on the detected humidity levels (hygroregulated system) or with constant flows (self-regulating system). Its operation, based on the principle of air sweeping within homes, is completely independent between homes and offers an excellent balance between guaranteeing quality of indoor air and consumption autonomy depending on occupancy and use.

It should be noted that a good extractor must consist of a central adjustable shutter and a central closable grille that allows for different flow rate adjustments. Additionally, they must be easy to install and mount, either directly to a duct or associated with a sleeve or adapter.rn

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