Kitchens, washrooms, and laundry rooms exist in almost every well-built home. But these are the places that are vulnerable to moisture, smoke, and odors. To tackle such issues, fan manufacturers design and manufacture ventilation products.
An extraction fan is a ventilation product extracting all types of odors, moisture, and smoke inside kitchens and washrooms, etc. Homeowners, in particular, choose these fans for their kitchens.
The reason is that kitchen is the place that causes a lot of smoke due to cooking. The fans alleviate moisture or condensation using a heat pipe core fixed inside the galvanized aluminum alloy of the fan.
A low noise aluminum alloy extractor Axial duct fan is a great example of such ventilating fan. These fans get their name for creating the direction of the airflow. There are blades in it that rotate around an axis to draw air in parallel to the axis.
These blades push out air in the same direction. Thus, these fans create a high flow rate of air, which means that they create a big volume of airflow. These fans carriage air over short distances. Homeowners can mount them on windows, or they may fix them on an exterior wall with a short piece of duct.
Due to their location in the kitchen, the fans are prone to sticky greasy coating over some time. As a result, their ventilation power deteriorates. The more grease and grime building up, the poorer their performance. They work with less efficiency. Sometimes, the clogged filters can cause an unpleasant smell too.
Likewise, similar fans fixed inside a washroom need cleaning because the homeowners would like to have their washrooms look fresh and mold-free. The fans keep resisting atmospheric corrosion from humidity. Without regular cleaning, they are likely to gather dust and might not be able to remove washroom odors.
A centrifugal duct fan is yet another type of ventilation fan capable of moving air at longer distances. Fixed into the ceiling, the fan’s wheel mounted to a shaft creates pressure.
The fan produces a centrifugal force when air enters the side of the wheel. The centrifugal force propels the air through the fan’s blades. In simple words, these fans transport air in a direction to the incoming fluid. Since these fans create high pressure, they are ideal for drying and air conditioning applications.
The moving parts of these fans are closed to keep their filtration system safe from air pollution. The issue with such fans is that even with all the movement of air, the fan’s motor can draw in dust and dirt. As a result, the fans fail to perform a proper operation and need cleaning.
The good news is that you do not need something like a chemical to clean them and remove their grease. We list below simple cleaning methods that will keep the fans performing at their best.
Always remember that the most essential parts of an extraction fan are its filters. Under normal conditions, the filters need cleaning every 3 to 4 months. In case of intensive use, the regularity of cleaning can increase.
If we take an example of a centrifugal duct fan, there is a coil in the fan. The function of the coil is to let cold heat of cool water into the air that passes through the fan. Only a smooth surface of the coil will ensure a high-efficiency transfer of heat.
If dust clings to the pipe and the surface of the fin, the heat and heat exchange will reduce. As a result, the heat transfer efficiency will get lower. Too much dust will not let the fan coil pass adequate air through the fan.
A few easily available materials can make the job easy and efficient. The most common materials available for cleaning the fans are:
Follow the steps to start cleaning the fan.
To clean the extractor fan, turn off the fan to keep yourself safe from any electrical harm.
The fan’s cover is usually there to protect the fan parts inside. If you can’t reach the fan, take a ladder to remove the cover. You need to remove the casing, to begin with, the proper cleaning of dust gathered on the inside parts.
If there are screws on the cover, remove them gently with a screwdriver. Keep a bucket of clean water. Use masking tape to fold the screws into it. Put the screws into the bucket.
Locate the blades inside the fan and take them out completely. If you find clipping, remove the fan blades carefully and attach them to a masking tape before putting them in the water bucket.
Get another bucket. Clean the vent cover with a mixture of hot water and soap in a bucket. Soak the vent cover in the cleaning mixture for some time. Take a fine piece of cloth and wipe clean the dirt and dust from the vent cover. Remove the vent cover from water and let it dry.
Put some window cleaner on a soft clean piece of cloth. You may use an anti-bacterial spray to clean the fan blades as well. The spray will keep the bacteria building upon the fan blade. Clean them with a cloth before reinstalling the fan.
It is the last and easy part after cleaning the ventilation fan.
Regular and proper ventilation is imperative inside kitchens, washrooms, and the laundry rooms of a home. An extractor fan such as an Axial duct fan can perform the job well to remove humidity and moisture away from the kitchen. However, since the fan is prone to dust and grease, regular cleaning of the fan will keep it function properly.
