Climate & Ventilation — Extractor Fans

A box extractor is a fan that already sits inside an enclosure. That saves buying a separate silencer and is the simplest way to get extraction quiet: you buy the noise problem away up front instead of solving it later. Every version here uses a centrifugal fan, a scroll housing, so the difference between the families is not the fan but the box around it.

They are rated by capacity, not by diameter

Unlike an inline fan, you choose a box on cubic metres per hour. Note that the ladders differ per family: the Foam box runs 250, 550, 750, 1200 and 1500, while the metal box, the metal softbox and the Torin all run 250, 500, 1000 and 1500. So there is no metal version at 750 and no Foam box at 1000.

Foam, steel or wood

The Foam box has an enclosure of expanded polypropylene, the same closed-cell foam as the insert in a tool case, lined with dimpled foam. That is the lightest version. The metal box is hot-dip galvanised steel with a scroll fan inside, insulated, and ships with hanging hooks and a plug. The Torin softbox uses an MDF enclosure.

What makes a softbox a softbox

It is one property and it is exactly what you pay for. In an ordinary fan box the scroll housing is bolted to the enclosure, so however well the box damps, motor vibration travels out through the mounting. In a softbox the motor hangs in rubber and that path is broken. It is the same principle as the rubber sleeve under silencers, only here it is already built in.

Check the connection size, not just the airflow

The connection does not scale evenly with capacity. On the Torin, the 250 sits at 125 mm, the 500 at 160 mm and the 1000 already at 250 mm, skipping 200 mm entirely. So one step up in capacity can mean two steps in diameter, and with it new ducting and a different reducer. Check the connection on the product page before ordering.

Control rather than damping alone

A box solves noise, not control. If you want the extraction to step itself down on temperature, look at the inline fans, where the EC models with their own control sit. Controllers and climate controllers are under Measuring & Control.

Frequently asked questions

Is a box quieter than a fan with a silencer?
Usually yes at the same capacity, and certainly simpler, because you hang one appliance instead of joining separate parts. If you already own a fan, a separate silencer is the cheaper route.

Do I still need a carbon filter?
Yes. A box damps noise and filters no odour. The carbon filter hangs on the intake side in front of it.

Which size should I take?
Work out the airflow you need, then take the next size up, because the filter and ducting still cost pressure. Only then look at which connection size comes with it.