Plastic or Oak for a vent? Suggestions urgently needed

[Feltwell]

I'm told that's the way it has to be.

Well, it is until you get signed off and are rid of the BCO. That's the principle I've used for a few things on my garage. :twisted:

 

[Penners]

You are taking a very one-dimensional approach to the environment. Think holistically. I threw open my (un-vented) bathroom window at dawn this morning, breathed in the fresh air and was greeted by the joyous singing of a thrush in the sycamore not 20 feet away. Set me up for the day.

And you just want to listen to the whirr and hum and rattle of one of those newfangled devices? Huh!

What was that phrase you used to describe people who modify their stance in order to win an argument, regardless of consistency? :wink:

 

[Penners]

While an oak louvre cover would look nice, I don't know how well it would stand up to having humid air blown through it at regular intervals. Maybe you could make up an oak mask - something like a thin box with an opening underneath for the steam to escape through, and fix that over the placcy louvre device

I think it's easy to get overly concerned about details like a plastic vent - just as it is about modern light switches. In my view they're the kind of detail on a house that people simply don't notice, because they're ubiquitous.

 

[worms]

I think it's easy to get overly concerned about details like a plastic vent - just as it is about modern light switches. In my view they're the kind of detail on a house that people simply don't notice, because they're ubiquitous.

While I would agree that the eye may not notice the ubiquitous, perhaps the absence of these things makes a bigger difference to our subconscious enjoyment of a scene than we think. An example might be the impact that can be achieved by removal of street signs from a historic village.

 

[vicky whitworth]

I'm firmly with Biff on this one.
Extractor fans are unattractive to look at and to me stand out like a sore thumb. And they never work properly. But I also feel the same about plastic light switches - to me it's the detail that makes the difference, and then things become harmonious and easy on the eye. I hate the noise of fans too. But I do appreciate that not everyone lives where it's possible to throw open windows. But I'm jolly glad I do. It wouldn't be the same if traffic fumes poured in if a window is opened or a thief stuck his head in
I'm a bit of a fresh air fiend. The cat broke the door of the cat flap a year ago and we haven't replaced it - cold air pours in at this time of year. It's not fuel efficient or environmentally-friendly but it doesn't half get the air moving in the house.

 

[Penners]

Extractor fans ... never work properly.

I suspect you've been using the wrong kind of fans, Vicky!

Yes, the noise is a vague irritation. No, they're not things of great beauty. But I've never experienced a functioning extractor fan that doesn't do what it's designed to do. I would never want a bathroom without one.

So... pistols at dawn? :wink:

 

[FamilyWiggs]

Oh but it's far more fun to live the life of an outlaw. And it's not like it's going to increase the risk of death, like driving as 31mph where you're not allowed to.

I used to question the road safety stats - until I was re-educated instead of gettng 3 points for 35 in a 30zone on a Sunday morning.

Car/Pedestrian collisions at 30mph - 80% survive. At 40mph 80% die. Marginal speeding in urban areas is the next big safety drive in terms of lives saved.

 

[biffvernon]

Indeed. We should be more concerned about breaking speeding laws than breaking building regulations about extractor fans.

And just consider the whole life-cycle thing. Somebody had to do the mining, refining, designing, manufacturing, transporting, regulating, testing, banking and accounting to get that extractor fan to you and in a few years when it breaks somebody will have to do the second half of the cycle, which, it will turn out, is not a cycle at all as the whole thing will be chucked into landfill.

And those traffic fumes that Vicky worries about are probably produced by extractor fan salesmen, delivery lorries and BCOs on their way to check installations.

We just need less of all this stuff and take up our responsibility to open a window and enjoy the birdsong.

 

[FamilyWiggs]

Mind you, all those pedestrians' lives saved have a massive energy footprint; maybe the more responsible thing is to try and run them over after all! 8)

Yes M'lud I was doing 60 when I hit the queue at the bus stop, but in my defence it was an environmentally conscious decision I was taking... :wink:

 

[LadyArowana]

Mind you, all those pedestrians' lives saved have a massive energy footprint; maybe the more responsible thing is to try and run them over after all! 8)

Yes M'lud I was doing 60 when I hit the queue at the bus stop, but in my defence it was an environmentally conscious decision I was taking... :wink:

Better to aim for ones crossing the road who are either not paying attention or not able to scoot out of the way fast enough. That way you will be culling in line with Darwinian principles.