Bathroom ceiling exhaust fan

[dbee]

Hello

We are renovating an ensuite bathroom and are looking to replace the ceiling mounted exhaust fan however, on removal of the old fan we have measured the cut out of the hole to be 325mm and we can't find a fan to fit this size cut out. Whoever installed the previous fan made a wooden circle to fit inside the ceiling hole to reduce the diameter of the cut out to 290mm.

So - just looking for some advice - should we relocate the fan to another part of the ceiling and patch the existing hole? Any other ideas to reduce the hole size so we can buy a fan to fit?

Thanks so much!

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @dbee. It's wonderful to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about installing exhaust fans.

To understand correctly, what is the current sized hole you are trying to fit a fan into? If you could post an image of this hole with the wooden circle, our members will have a better idea of the issues you're facing and will be able to assist.

I trust you've already found this out, but a 250mm exhaust fan has a cutout size of around 290mm, though the front cover measures around 320-350mm. I've just measured my IXL 250mm Ventflo Exhaust Fan, and the cutout would be right on 290mm, with the cover measuring 350mm. The measurement in the name is the blade size.

From your description, it sounds like you need a 250mm fan, but I'm a little confused with what's going on with the cutout and the wooden circle.

Mitchell

[dbee]

Hello and thanks for the response. 

Just clarifying the cut out in the ceiling is 320mm diameter. We have been unable to find a fan that requires a cutout of this size - the largest we have found is 300mm. The grille size is then larger - approximately 340mm - and snaps over the top of the fan when installed.

So - how do we make the current ceiling cut out smaller? The person who installed the previous fan probably cut the hole too large and then fitted a wooden circle to make it smaller - unfortunately that piece broke so I no longer have it and need to find an alternative solution.

I hope this makes more sense and thanks for your help!

D

[Remarka6le]

I know Beacon Lighting have 320mm exhaust fans, these are what my parents installed. I'd keep the positioning of it to make life easy, and a fitout would be easy thing to create with a a couple blocks of wood and a jigsaw if you needed an exhaust fan that was smaller. 

[MitchellMc]

Your sizing still sounds like it could be in the vicinity of the 250mm exhaust fans. This Arlec 250mm Energy Efficient Exhaust Fan has a faceplate that is 350mm wide, and the cutout would be around 300 - 320mm. If the fixing arms which grab the back of the plaster don't quite reach, you can glue strips of timber around the edge of the plaster. It sounds like the previous owner also had this issue and used the timber ring.

Mitchell