A bathroom fan is a modern essential and you’d be hard pressed to find a bathroom without one. But with so many different options, which features should electrical wholesalers be advising their customers about? And what fan should be considered when installing in the splash zone? Mick Daniels, Sales Director at National Ventilation gives us his top tips.

When selecting which bathroom fans to stock, it is essential that wholesalers understand the requirements of both installers and end users. Electricians want easy installation coupled with reliability, whilst households desire quiet operation along with good indoor air quality (IAQ).

Consider the below steps next time you have a customer asking how to keep dry in the splash zone.

Ease and flexibility of install

Offering a fan that is suitable for window, ceiling or wall mounting is vital, allowing installers to find the right spot for the fan once on the job and providing greater flexibility in positioning to help avoid costly redecoration. The latest fans also come with additional features to make install easier that will impress electricians. For example, the new Monsoon Zone 1 Silence Range from National Ventilation is easier than ever to install thanks to the larger terminal block making wiring easier; a new spirit level bubble to ensure a straight install, and a choice of three sizes; 100, 125 and 150mm.

Safety and compliance

Safety is crucial when installing a fan. In smaller bathrooms where space is at a premium, or in a wet room, there is always potential for equipment to be splashed. So when installing in the splash zone, classified as Zone 1, it’s essential to select a fan that is rated for this area. Fans such as the Monsoon Zone 1 Silence Range achieve the necessary IP45 rating for safe installation in Zone 1 without the need for a low voltage transformer and are protected from low pressure water jets from any direction. Wholesalers should also ensure that fans are Part F and L compliant.

Energy efficiency

Households will be keen to keep energy bills to a minimum and so selecting an energy efficient fan is a great selling point for electricians. For example, the Zone 1 Monsoon Silence Range features a low energy motor with a maximum consumption of 7.5 Watts and a low SFP of 0.33w/l/s.

Quiet

Nobody wants to be disturbed by a noisy fan, no matter how effective it is. To avoid this issue, wholesalers should look for fans that are powerful enough to provide good ventilation but run very quietly. Fans such as the Monsoon Zone 1 Silence range provides high extraction rates with low energy use and an exceptionally quiet running volume as low as 22dB(A), 50% quieter than many fans on the market. Another feature to further reduce noise is rubber anti-vibration mounts designed for motor vibration absorption and noise insulation.

Indoor air quality

Without good ventilation in a home, IAQ can potentially deteriorate and lead to condensation, mould and a build-up of toxic chemicals. Electricians will therefore be keen to provide effective ventilation solutions to their customers that can achieve good IAQ and a bathroom free from mould and condensation.

Reliability

A reliable fan is essential to any electrician since unnecessary call backs from customers cost time and money to fix as well as damaging reputations. National Ventilation’s Monsoon Zone 1 Silence range addresses this with its reliable ball bearing motor service life of 40,000 hours and a five-year guarantee.

Control

Bathroom fans used to be either on or off but now there are a range of control options including basic and timer control but also humidistats that react to changes in humidity, or PIR sensors to identify room occupancy. By having a variety of control options, these fans can be tailored to a households individual requirements and help fight condensation and mould effectively.

Aesthetics

A neatly installed fan will look great when it’s new, but what about two or three years later? Plastic can degrade and discolour over time, ruining the look of the fan. Households will be keen to avoid this and so electricians will appreciate the option of fans with a casing and impeller made of durable high-quality UV-resistant plastic which will maintain its look over time. An alternative that will also tick the aesthetics box for households is the option of a chrome finish, available with Monsoon Zone 1 Silence range’s 100mm models, making this stylish fan match well with any modern interior.

When suggesting which bathroom fan is right for the job, wholesalers should consider all these options benefitting electricians and end users alike and resulting in happy customers and continued sales for wholesalers.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

For further information on all products and services offered by National Ventilation, call: 01823 690 290 or visit: www.nationalventilation.co.uk