How Much Does It Cost To Fit/Install an Extractor Fan?



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Cost to Fit/Install an Extractor Fan


job
Description
labour
1You want a new pull cord window fan and electrical socket (which has to be supplied from the room above). Amazingly you have found a “competent” sparks who can also glaze.  2 men 1 day.
£300

Materials etc. for the above
£90
2
To fit a new pull cord wall fan will take less time but he will still charge for the day. So that’s the same price as above.
£390
3
To fit a ceiling fan operated by a ceiling pull cord in a room with an accessible loft above will take a day as well as the vent will have to done from a ladder.
£390
4
To fit a ceiling fan operated by a ceiling pull cord in a downstairs room (kitchen) which has the ducting hidden in the ceiling void, will require serious disruption to the carpeted room above and take 2 men 1.5 days
£440

Materials etc. for the above
£120
 5
 To fit a plastered in wall switch for the above (you can’t have one in the bathroom I’m afraid, it’s more than his job’s worth), will cost an additional ……….
£75
“Labour” at £175 a day (tradesman) £100 (labourer), includes incidental fixings etc. and tipping. “Materials” if mentioned, are larger things (a boiler) and stuff only you can choose (tiles etc).  Also VAT must be added all round.

Replacing and Installing an Extractor Fan


We aren’t talking cooker hoods that “filter” the smells internally but don’t actually extract them. They are great for providing a £300 light above your oven and possibly something to bang your head on but when it comes to odour removal you might as well put a peg on your nose.

Extractors don’t only remove smells of course but help to remove condensation which, if allowed to fester can seriously ruin your decorations.

Which Type of Extractor Fan Do You Want?

Right…… there are three types of fan, ceiling, wall and window mounted. The window one requires the removal of a pane of glass, getting a new pane cut with the correct size hole in it, refitting the glass and fitting the fan. They’re a bit obvious of course.

Wall Mounted Extractor Fans

Wall mounted fans obviously require a hole right through, this can be cut very accurately with a diamond tipped drill and provide a much neater job than window fans because they can be sited “out of the way”. The fan section sits on the inside wall, a short duct carries the air through the wall and an external grille which should comprise of a set of hinged flaps, covers the hole and stops cold air and spiders getting in.

Ceiling Mounted Extractor Fans

Ceiling fans can be the most expensive to fit. This is particularly the case in a downstairs room where either part of the ceiling must be removed, or some of the floorboards in the room above taken up in order to fit the thing but they are very unobtrusive. They have a very thin grill on the ceiling, flexible ducting in the floor void where it can’t be seen and the fan itself is positioned in this ducting. They require an exit hole of course just like the wall mounted ones and should have the same type of external grille.

Ceiling fans in an upstairs (bath) room are sometimes a much cheaper alternative to wall mounted ones, as the loft space is fine for running the ducting. Make sure the fitter takes the duct correctly to the outside though, with a grille. How many times have we seen the fan simply terminated in the loft, pouring water borne air all over the roofs structural timber work, where I’ve got to admit it looks all lovely and sparkly in the dim light. Wet rot doesn’t quite have the same allure though!

Sizing and position are important. If your kitchen is huge, it’s likely the £20 unit you can get in “Wickesbase” won’t be man enough for the job and the correct fan may be much larger than you are prepared to put up with. Smaller fans are usually just right for a bathroom though.

Where in the room you fit the fan is important. Ideally it should be sited in such a way that air enters the room via an internal door or the window, floats past the source of the smell or condensation, (the cooker, lavatory or shower) and gets sucked out by the fan. If the fan is right by an internal door, it can spend it’s time drawing air out of the hall and sending it out into the street and the hob over in the far corner keeps producing smells that hang around forever.

A real consideration is just how you switch the fan on. Some, usually to be found in a windowless bathroom come on automatically when you switch the light on. Some have a pull cord, some have a switch on the wall. Some stay on for a while and then stop automatically, some will run forever until you turn them off. “Humidifans” come on automatically when they detect steam or an increase in water vapour.
In case it has escaped your notice, fans aren’t clockwork, they require an electrical supply. Due to the fact that they are usually sited high up, there are never any handy sockets nearby, so one has to be fitted.

Regulations: (the law)! state that any electrical work in a kitchen or bathroom must be undertaken by a “competent person” (as defined by the regulations, not you)! or it must be checked on completion by the local Building Inspector. This ensures that cables are run correctly, nothing is overloaded, you safety is assured, etc.

Fitting a new socket will usually mean dropping a cable from the room above which means disruption there of course and an isolation switch must also be fitted, usually adjacent to the fan.

Any fan fitted in a new position will very likely need a new electrical socket fitted as well. (Replacement fans will use the socket already there). So, try and get an electrician who is a member of a “competent scheme” to do the job. If you get a builder to fit the fan and a competent “sparks” to fit the socket, it will cost a lot more.

By the way he might be a perfectly competent electrician but the requirement is that he also belongs to a “competent scheme”.

Some intended locations, will fall foul of regulations regarding siting of electrical fittings close to sources of water. In these cases an extra low voltage fan will have to be fitted along with a transformer. This will add about £50 to the price.

Maybe that pegs not such a bad idea after all!

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