IS VENTILATION COVERED BY THE BUILDING REGULATIONS?
YES, The latest edition of the Building Regulations, Approved Document F. April 2006: Means of ventilation stipulates the provision of mechanical ventilation rates in non-habitable rooms, such as Toilets, Bathrooms/Shower rooms, Kitchens and Utility rooms in domestic dwellings. Naturally AIRFLOW fans exceed the requirements helping to combat the harmful effects of dampness and condensation and by extracting airborne pollutants such as odours, cooking smells, humid and stale air. The potential hazards to health for occupants and possible damage to the fabric of the building can be largely eliminated.
Attachment:BUILDING REGS FRONT COVER.pdf
WHAT TYPE OF FAN SHOULD I USE?
Having considered the application of the ventilation required, it is important to select the correct type of fan to ensure that the requirement is truly met.
However, you should first consider which type of fan will best suit you to provide quiet efficient vetilation. This will be based on one of the following two variants.
AIRFLOW MIXED FLOW/CENTRIFUGAL iCON30 and iCON60 FANS are quiet, powerful and suitable for wall and ceiling applications. They also work very efficiently against system resistance making them the perfect choice for longer lengths of ducted installations.
They also meet the latest Good Practice Guidance in Appendix E of the Building Regulations which recommends installed performance which means a fan will deliver effective ventilation in installed conditions.
AIRFLOW AXIAL FAN iCON15 Providing high performance with a slim profile, they are suitable for use through the wall or on short lengths of ducting.
WHAT DO THE REGULATIONS SAY?
The latest Building Regulations, ADF 2006, provide detailed guidance about four approved methods of ventilation. For background ventilators and intermittant extract fans the following basic parameters should be met.
If the above rooms do not contain opening windows to allow rapid ventilation, i.e. internal rooms, the requirement for mechanical ventilation will be satisfied if the fan has a 15 minute timer overrun. Consult the approved document F (available from HMSO) and guidance on open flue combustion appliances for complementary guidelines to mechanical ventilation and detailed information of alternative approaches.
WHERE SHOULD IT BE INSTALLED
Fans should always be positioned to give an optimum flow of air through the whole room preferably less than 40mm below the ceiling, and to avoid pockets of residual air. The location of planned or existing door and window openings must be considered as well as sources of odours, stale air or condensation. Grilles may need to be installed to allow air into the room, particularly with inner rooms which have no windows and tightly sealed doors. Fans should be mounted as high as possible, well away from primary heat sources such as gas water heaters and boilers.
CAN I INSTALL THE iCON60 KITCHEN FAN OVER A HOB?
NO. It is not possible to install an iCON60 directly over a hob in an exhaust flue. Heat and unfiltered airborne pollutants such as grease will reduce the life of a fan in this position.
However, it is possible to locate a fan adjacent to the hob (outside the vertical vapour plume). In this application a 30 litre fan is permissible. The iCON30 being perfect for localized extraction. Elsewhere in the kitchen a 60 litre fan, the iCON60, should be installed in the absence of a ducted cooker hood.
WHEN SHOULD I USE A 12 VOLT FAN?
IEE Wiring Regulations, (16th Edition Amendment No.3), specify the installation of fans within bathrooms and showers by identifying a series of zones. A fan or controller which is not a SELV product must be positioned out of reach (1.5 metres) of anyone using a bath or shower. Within the splash zones AIRFLOWS range of iCON15S and iCON30S 12 volt d.c. Safety Extra Low Voltage fans provide a superb answer. IEE regulations must be adhered to for all electrical installations.
Attachment:iCON SELV- Operating Instructions.pdf
CAN I REPLACE AN EXISTING FAN WITH AN iCON?
YES, the iCON15 and iCON30 toilet, bathroom and utility room fans fit a 100mm (4") dia. hole. The iCON60 kitchen fan fits a 150mm (6") dia. hole. Generally speaking these are standard sizes for most domestic fans.
CAN I RECESS THE FAN INTO THE WALL?
YES, iCON15 recesses into the wall as standard. The iCON30 and iCON60 can either be surface mounted on the wall with the stylish narrow contour skirt provided, or recessed into the wall by cutting a slightly larger hole.
CAN iCON FANS BE WINDOW MOUNTED?
NO. In these days of energy savings it is not a good idea to be cutting holes in glass. In any event, double glazed windows are usually sealed units and are notoriously difficult to cut two aligned holes. Better not to even try!
IF I DONT HAVE A GRAVITY FLAP ON THE OUTSIDE WALL WHAT PREVENTS RAIN FROM BLOWING IN?
iCONs unique iris shutter on the inside eliminates draughts, limits heat loss from the room when the fan is not operating and helps reduce external noise from coming in.
It also means that you do not have to have a gravity flap on the outside wall. These grilles are notoriously noisy when the wind blows, causing rattling when you least want to hear it – at night.
With iCON you can use our circular and square wall grilles which deflect rainwater down the front of the grille. It is also good practice, when installing an extract fan, to incline the cavity wall pipe downwards at a slight angle towards the outside grille. In the unlikely event of water passing the external grille during a storm then it will not run back towards the fan.
I WANT TO INSTALL A FAN IN THE CEILING AND EXTRACT STRAIGHT UP THROUGH THE ROOF
No problem iCON fans are designed for wall and ceiling mounting. However, if the extract duct is going vertically up through the roof it is good practise to install a condensation trap in the extract pipe. Because the warm moist air will pass through the cold loft space condensation can form inside the pipe. To avoid moisture running back down inside the pipe and into the fan fit a PVC condensation trap to run the water away.
The condensation trap (100mm or 150mm dia) is a modestly priced accessory (click accessories) which will help prolong fan life in these situations. Also contact Airflow on 0845 330 1047 for details on lead flashing plates and mushroom cowls to complete the installation.
Attachment:condensation-trap.jpg
IS THERE AN ALTERNATIVE TO INSTALLING A CHIMNEY FLUE FOR A COMMERCIAL GAS BOILER
YES - The GBDF and SSDF range of Flue Dilution fans enables you to mix fresh air from the boiler outlet with the waste combustion gas. The mixture is then safe to discharge through standard flue pipe out to atmosphere at low level avoiding the installation of an unsightly and costly chimney flue
