With Exhaust Fan Cover Draft Stoppa and 3 in 1 Adapter Plate
Exhaust fans are basically just large holes in your ceiling. Most homes have exhaust fans; probably in the bathroom, en-suite, toilets, laundry and kitchen. If those exhaust fans are in the conditioned space (the heated and cooled area) of the home they need to be attended to. Left untreated, all your cosy warmed air will be sucked out through your exhaust fans in winter. And in summer, all that extreme summer heat building up in your attic space will come straight down through your exhaust fans into your home.
Some estimates indicate that up to 30% of your heating/cooling can be leaving your home via these energy thieves!
How to Draught Seal an Exhaust Fan
The simplest way to treat exhaust fans is to fit a Draftstoppa over them. A Draft Stoppa is an Australian designed and manufactured device with balanced blades that sit over the top of your exhaust fan. Under normal circumstances, gravity holds the blades shut. When the fan is switched on, the airflow tips the blades up, allowing the steam and odours to be extracted from your home by the fan. When the fan is switched off, the blades just naturally close on their own. So what that means is, with a DraftStoppa installed above your exhaust fan, the winter heating (and summer cooling) in your home is going to stay in there much much longer than before.
In most cases, this is the best treatment for regular exhaust fans fitted into a ceiling where you have access to the attic space.
How to Draught Seal a 3-in-1 Exhaust Fan
A three-in-one heat fan has a light, a heater and an exhaust fan in one unit. They are very common and come in “two lamp” and “four lamp” configuration. IXL Tastic is a brand of 3-in-1 that has often been installed most frequently.
These fans need to be treated differently due to the close proximity of the heater to the DraftStoppa. A Draftstoppa cannot be fitted directly over the top of a 3 in 1 fan as it will be damaged and will be ineffective.
There are two ways to draught proof a 3-in-1 fan.
- Replace the unit with one that has an inbuilt back draft baffle fitted – one example is an Eco Tastic.
- Install a DraftStoppa AND an Adapter Plate. Your electrician will need to rewire the switch to the unit such that when the heat lamp units are on, the fan is going to be on as well. This is important because we don’t want the DraftStoppa to overheat. The fan will need to be operating to cool the DraftStoppa and keep it safe.
This video explains what the Adapter plate is and how it works
These are the instructions for your electrician to rewire the switch. The same instructions are on the inside of the DraftStoppa as well.
WARNING:
NEVER DRAUGHT PROOF A HOME THAT STILL BURNS GAS.
Carbon monoxide is emitted when gas is burnt.
Carbon monoxide is odourless, invisible, tasteless … and deadly
People Also Ask:
⇒ Where can I buy the DraftStoppa and 3-in-1 Draft Stoppa Mounting Adapter Plate?
From the ecoMasterStore! ecoMaster specialise in DIY Home Improvements that enhance the comfort and energy savings in your home.
⇒ There are so many products in Draught Proofing – where do I start?
Draught proofing or Draught Stopping is a complex area that requires knowledge in 3 areas:
- Where to find draughts
- Which product to use
- How to install the product successfully
ecoMaster has created an ecoMasterClass to help you navigate this area. Here is the link to the Draught Proofing Masterclass.
⇒ How to Fit a Draft Stoppa Exhaust Fan Cover in a Tight Space
Sometimes you’ll find exhaust fans in two storey homes on the ground floor, so that they exhaust into the space between the lower ceiling and the upper floor. These also need to be treated because that space is ventilated at the ends into the wall cavities. Really, it’s equivalent to a wall cavity, so we do need to treat the fan.
In these cases, if there’s enough room between the ceiling and the floor, you can possibly still fit the draught stopper, but it has to be fitted in a particular way. To do that, the exhaust fan is removed and just left hanging from the electrical cable. The draught stopper is fitted in two halves, into the cavity and assembled in the cavity and then the exhaust fan is put back in, being careful to feed the electrical cable through the little notch of the draught stopper, and then fit the fan back up.
⇒ What to do Where a Draft Stoppa Can’t be Fitted
There are homes where exhaust fans cannot be treated with a Draftstoppa. For example:
1) tight roof spaces such as a cathedral ceiling or a skillion roof where there’s not very much space between the ceiling lining and roof irons
2) where an exhaust fan has been fitted too close to a ceiling joist
3) where there is a exhaust pipe running over the top of the exhaust fan
In all of these cases, if you can’t fit a Draft stopper, the next best port of call is a folding blade fan. These normally have the blades folded in. They make a reasonable seal against draught. When you energise the fan, it spins up and the blades unfold and act as a fan. When you switch it off, again, they fold down and seal the space.
What’s Next?
We hope this article has helped you learn how to use simple ways to save on your utility bill. This in turn will help you on your energy and thermal efficiency retrofit journey to make your home more comfortable all year round, and reduce your costs and carbon emissions.
Next, explore Four Reasons Why Using Silicone Sealant is a Draught Proofing Mistake.
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Seal your Exhaust fans in safety
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