How good was the Envirovent Silent 100T extractor fan? I replaced my old fan to test it and find out

The Envirovent Silent 100T is a 100mm extractor fan that’s here to help remove steam and moisture from your bathroom and hopefully keep any mould making an appearance. No one wants mould growing in their bathroom, it's ugly and can be bad for your health.

The Envirovent Silent 100T is an axial fan, which is one of the most common types of extractor fans found in today's bathrooms. They are typically installed through a wall where the ducting is commonly two metres or less. The fan draws in moisture from the air and vents it to the outside. Ideal for the average sized family bathroom.

Will the Envirovent Silent 100T be the extractor fan you need in your bathroom? Find out what we thought of the 100T as we replaced our old fan with the Envirovent Silent. And see how well it compares with some of the best bathroom extractor fans on the market today. 

First impressions of the Envirovent Silent 100T extractor fan

You might think extractor fans are extractors fans and they are all much the same. They can definitely look very similar, so I wondered what I was going to get with the Envirovent Silent 100T extractor fan? The packaging left me in little doubt of what I should expect when I finally opened the box. Images of the fan in situ gave a pretty idea of what the fan was going to look like, a neat graphic instantly conveying the dimensions of the fan, a list of features and a comparison chart with different models in the Silent range.

So before we even opened the box we knew we were going to get more features than the Silent 100S and 100SS, but not as many features as the Silent 100HT. But we were going to have the same amount of features as the 100PIR, 100IT and 100ST, just slightly different features. For example, there was an adjustable timer on the model we had, but there wasn’t an adjustable humidity sensor that was available on other models and our extractor fan wasn’t going to be silver, but we already knew that from the image on the front of the box.

So now to the unboxing. As we expected there wasn’t a great deal in the box, apart from the fan, an instruction leaflet and four screws and wall plugs. A large foam ring was in place between the actual fan component and the removable face on the fan to protect the fan from getting damaged in transit, it did exactly what it was supposed to do.

The Silent 100T came in standard white as most of the models in the Envirovent 100 range, but there are silver options if you don't want white. But the silver models don’t offer exactly the same set of features as the 100T.

Happily the packaging and extractor fan are both recyclable. The box is cardboard, the front of the fan is made from ABS plastic, which means it can be reused multiple times and the fan is made from PP (polypropylene) which is recyclable.  

Can I install the Envirovent Silent 100T extractor fan myself?

There are a few rules you need to follow when installing a bathroom extractor fan like the Envirovent Silent 100. The key issue is the location of a bathroom extractor fan as Richard Bacon, a professional electrician of 26 years explains. “Under the current IEE Wiring regulations bathrooms are classed as special locations and split into three zones 0,1 & 2. Zone 0 is directly inside the bath or shower, Zone 1 is the immediate area surrounding the bath or shower and Zone 2 is a further 600mm from Zone 1. All electrical works within the special location must be carried out by a Part P registered electrical and certified accordingly.” If this is the case for your extractor fan location, then you need to call in a professional to get the job done.

However, Bacon goes on to say that you might not need a professional to do the job. “If the fan is to be installed outside of the special locations then this could be carried out by a competent DIYer.” 

Is installing the Envirovent Silent 100T extractor fan easy?

Thankfully, I had wiring and the right size outlet already in place (outside Zone 2). But the Silent 100T is capable of being installed in Zone 1, which is reinforced by its IP45 rating, which establishes how water resistant it is, though fans with higher ratings are often recommended for Zone 1.

A 100mm fan like the Silent 100T is a common size found in a lot of bathrooms, so it was reasonably easy to install. After reading the instruction manual to make sure I knew how to connect and set up the fan correctly, I removed my old extractor fan. The Envirovent Silent 100T slipped easily into the existing hole. A raised strip on the outlet ensured that the fan sat neatly in place. I could have not bothered with the accompanying screws, but it made sense to secure the fan in place. The screws and plugs were sufficient to hold the fan in place.

My wiring needed trimming back, so I bought some wire strippers and sorted out the wiring. There's a recess on the back of the fan unit to fit the wiring. A rubber cap covers the cable entry point with the terminals on the opposite side. It took a little manoeuvring, but I got the unit wired up. Now it was a matter of giving it a test to see that it was working and on it went as I pulled the cord on my light switch.

I’m not confident when it comes to electrics, but a quick word from my electrician friend before I started made sure the job was done as it should be. If ever in any doubt about working with electrics, call in an electrician.

What features does the Envirovent Silent 100T extractor fan have?

Sealed for life bearings, silent elastic blocks, a back draught shutter and adjustable timer are features of the Envirovent Silent 100T. It's hard to judge the sealed for life bearings over a short time period, but they help the fan run efficiently and smoothly and seemed to work perfectly well while writing this review.

The silent elastic blocks help reduce noise and vibration and there’s no doubt they worked well in our tests. There’s a back draught shutter which is there to stop air coming back through the fan when it's not in action. This was a flimsy piece of plastic that really didn’t look like it was up to the challenge, but it seemed to work OK. But it didn’t fill us with confidence if a really strong wind was to come our way.

The key feature – not found on every Envirovent 100 fan – was the adjustable timer. This allows you to choose a run on time after the fan has been switched off. You can choose between one minute to 30 minutes. It's easy to adjust, you just need a small phillips screwdriver to turn it clockwise or anticlockwise. A sticker on the inside of the fan offers a graphic for quick guidance.

If you have a bathroom or shower that produces a lot of steam, switch to a longer run on time. Finally for peace of mind the Envirovent 100 comes with a 5 year warranty, if installed by a qualified person.  

How well did the Envirovent Silent 100T extractor work?

Building Regulations state that a bathroom extractor fan must extract a minimum of 15l/s (litres per second) in your average home bathroom. The Envirovent Silent 100T has a maximum flow rate of 26l/s which makes it a good choice for most bathrooms.

I tested the Silent 100T in my bathroom which isn’t small, it measures 3m x 3m and has a decent size window to help with ventilation. But, on cold days the window stays shut, so it's down to the extractor fan to do its thing, which is situated on the wall in Zone 2.

I generated a decent amount of steam and moisture, but the steam wasn’t so thick I couldn't see the other side of the bathroom. 

I left this for 15 minutes (the time for having a bath) and then switched on the Envirovent Silent 100T. As it clicked into gear I was waiting to see how quiet it was. It's described as whisper quiet and it's an apt description. It's not totally inaudible, but it’s hard to hear and after a while it blends into the background and becomes inaudible.

The adjustable timer was set to five minutes, so we switched off the light, left the fan running, went and checked to see a pretty steam free, little moisture on the tile bathroom. I adjusted the timer to ten minutes and the next time there was no moisture on the tile. Job done.