Do You Know the Best Way to Ventilate Your Bathroom?

If you’re like many other homeowners, you tend to take bathroom ventilation for granted. Most of us start running the shower or bath, switch on the exhaust fan, and assume that everything is under control. You may be surprised to learn that this might not be the case. An effective fan must be properly exhausted and rated for your bathroom’s needs. Not sure if yours is making the cut? Take a look at what a proper bathroom ventilation system looks like.

Proper Bathroom Ventilation

Everyone loves a long, luxurious shower, but unless your bathroom is properly ventilated, the steam and excess moisture generated could create serious problems for your health and home. When confined to the small, enclosed space within your bathroom, humidity leads to wood and drywall damages as well as the growth of mold and mildew. Bathroom fans that ventilate air to the space between your home’s ceiling joints and into unheated attics only redistribute the problem. A better solution is to install a bathroom fan that will exhaust excess moisture outside of the house.

Your Bathroom’s Airflow Needs

Bathroom exhaust fans are not one size fits all. You need to consider your space’s airflow capacity before making your purchase. Airflow capacity is measured in cubic feet per minute (CFM). Experts agree that an exhaust fan should be rated at 1 CFM per square foot of your bathroom’s floor space. In the event that your bathroom is larger than 100 square feet, you’ll need to account for fixtures within the bathroom. You should add on 50 CFM for every toilet, bath, shower, and bath/shower combo, and 100 CFM must be added for each whirlpool.

Other Considerations

Remember to consider noise when selecting a fan. The quietest units will be rated at 0.5–1.2 sones, with the loudest being greater than 4 sones. In addition, always look for a fan with an Energy Star label as it will run more efficiently.

To learn more about whether your home would benefit from an upgraded bathroom ventilation system, contact the professionals at Rinaldi’s Energy Solutions. We serve homeowners throughout Orlando.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Orlando, Florida and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). 

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