Extractor Fan - easiest way to fill gap in plasterboard ceiling?

[Joonyer]

Hi all

Very basic DIYer here. As in I'm happy to have a go at everything, and have most tools I'd need, but I'm not well practised. Please bear with me.

Recently decided to replace the old knackered extractor fan in the en suite as it sounds like an earthquake.

Somehow, when they built these houses 16yrs back, they managed to find what seems like the only rectangular fan enclosure in the known universe. Honestly, I couldn't find anything that would suit (so far). Thanks Vent Axia; who needs industry-standards anyway.

Having taken the old one out, I'm now left with a rectangular gap, and apparently only square options. The old cover smashed to a million pieces upon removal, so I can't even just put it over this one (which would be a bodge anyway of course).

See pics - that's where I am so far. The thing itself is very lightly wedged into place; coincidentally the housing just happens to wedge nicely in the gap width-wise.

To fix the length issue, I've pinched a cut-off of plasterboard from a mate. It's not as thick but won't matter if I get it right. I'm thinking:

- Cut a piece of plasterboard to shape, to fill the gap. It'll need to be a bit of a crescent-moon shape on the inside edge, to compliment the curve of the fan housing

- Wedge it in the gap from above (assuming I cut the width just right, it should sit in snugly)

- Use filler in all the visible gaps from underneath

- Paint

Fine, seems ok. But then the fan is still just sitting there, not actually attached - just held in by being slightly wedged. Unlikely to ever be an issue, but feels lazy.

Any thoughts/recommendations on anything blindingly obvious I'm missing here please? What would you do in my situation?

many thanks
Matt

 

[Tigercubrider]

Take a piece of plaster board (or sheet material) and cut it larger than the existing hole.
Remove it and cut a hole in it to fit the fan.
Take the PB and insert it from above and sink a couple of plasterboard screws up through the existing ceiling into the new piece. Make sure the screws go well into the ceiling and won't show through
You could add a couple of screws in the second layer to give a key for filler

Having marked the area that will show, apply filler to level the ceiling - maybe in more than one layer.
Use a fine filler to finish.

Stick the fan in the hole

 

[foxhole]

Cut a piece of thin ply (cut hole in it to take fan)to cover entire hole, sit it from above secure thru ceiling with a couple of screws.
Fix in plasterboard to fill from below and make good. Recut hole thru to fix fan, you can secure with screws thru to ply.
If you wedge it in vibration will eventually cause the fan to fall.
You could have replaced with an in-line fan above the ceiling and just fitted a vent over the entire hole, but you already have a fan.

 

[Joonyer]

Thank you both gents. Excellent ideas. This is why I came here.

Much appreciated as ever
Matt