Condensation in Bathroom

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I'm having real problems with condensation in my bathroom. I couldn't find a similar set of circumstances described in another post, so have created a new thread. I'm not a DIY expert, and am baffled as to what is going on, so thoughts on how I might fix this are welcome please.

We moved into our new house around 5 years ago, and have just reached the point where (I am told) rooms need redecorating. I've started on the shower room. Before I redecorated there was no problem with condensation (although a bit of mould was starting to grow on the ceiling). After redecorating, there is a real problem - five minutes in the shower and condensation is literally dripping off the ceiling plus running down the walls.

The situation is as follows: shower room of size 3.2m x 1.8m x 2.4m; extractor fan venting through a 4" duct in the wall; underfloor heating; well insulated loft space directly above; the room is comfortably warm.

My redecorating included: replacing a basic Manrose extractor with a more powerful Silent Tornado http://www.extractorfanworld.co.uk/st100t-silent-tornado-hi-power-bathroom-fan-with-timer-3435-p.asp, repainting the walls (with Dulux bathroom paint) and ceiling (with Zinsser Perma-White), and changing the downlights to LEDs. (When I came to paint the ceiling, the existing paint flaked off when touched. I concluded the plaster hadn't been sealed properly, stripped it back, sealed and re-painted.)

I've looked for more powerful extractor fans, but there doesn't seem to be anything significantly more powerful that doesn't either make a lot of noise or require a larger duct. I'm reluctant to fit a new inline extractor through the loft when everything appeared OK before I redecorated.

Any thoughts as to what's going on here would be gratefully received. Thanks in advance.
 
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Do check that the extractor is actually removing air (i.e the back draught shutters are opening.)
Do you have provision for air to enter the room when you are showering? Allow the extractor to run for 15 min or so, door open, once the showering is done.
John :)
 
you may find that before your paint allowed your plaster to absorb some moisture and now its sealed over with new paint, that and the fact this winter seems alot worse then normal for condensation. well it seem it in my house.
 
there might be a fly screen fitted on the external grill, they do get blocked with dust and will need brushing and vaccing out.
 
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Do you have trickle vents on your window in the bathroom? These can be retro fitted (easily in PVCu) and can help provide a flow of air through the room allowing the extractor to perform by expelling moist air while fresh air is brought in. Where is the current extractor fitted? Wall or ceiling? Is the room at the northeast corner of the house? Does it get any sun on it from outside? If the walls are always very cold they will create a dew point allowing steam to condense rapidly. There are so many anomalies and you might have to add an additional extractor!
 
Thanks for the replies so far...

- The room has one external wall (west facing) and three internal walls.

- The extractor is fitted through the wall rather than the ceiling, and the shower is on the opposite wall (that is, as far from the extractor as possible in the room).

- The external wall doesn't suffer any worse condensation than the others. It's better if anything.

- There are two trickle vents on the window, which we leave open all of the time. The window and vents are next to the extractor (that is, not ideally placed).

- BigSnoopy01's theory about the plaster absorbing moisture previously seems to fit. I assume this would mean the plaster would be repeatedly absorbing moisture and then drying out, which presumably led to the paint detaching from the plaster. I've re-fitted the Manrose extractor as a test this morning - the condensation is even worse than with the new extractor, which I think fits with the theory.

- I've checked that air is being extracted. The extractor has backdraft shutters which are opening, and the duct and grill are clear.

I might try replacing the grill with a cowled vent to see if that makes a difference.

Any further ideas would be very welcome - thanks.
 
Close the trickle vents and open the door a bit.

It sounds like currently fresh air can come in through the vents and immediately be extracted, while the damp air at the other side of the room doesn't move anywhere. You want air to enter at the opposite side of the room, which hopefully is where the door is, pass the shower, and then be extracted. If it's better with the door ajar, consider trimming the bottom of the door or fitting a vent in it.
 
Thanks endecotp. I've experimented with closing the trickle vents and opening the door. Unfortunately the door is between the shower and the window, so it doesn't seem to make much difference.

That said, the condensation does seem to have reduced a little generally now, I think as a result of the room warming up a bit. I am going to experiment with trying to increase the temperature in the room further.
 
try keeping the radiator on a little higher in the room , the room seems to dry out a little faster
 

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