One way to keep your Florida home cool and comfortable is to keep humidity at bay. This requires appropriately sized bathroom exhaust fans to vent moist air to your home’s exterior.

You’ll find bathroom fans in most homes, hidden in the ceiling, with a non-obtrusive wall switch. You won’t even notice them until something goes wrong.

The Benefit of Bathroom Exhaust Fans

Your bath exhaust performs several critical services: it removes humidity from the bathroom and reduces odors that linger. It also removes strong chemicals smells from harsh cleaners.

Excess moisture in the air can cause mold growth, which can present a health risk to your family. If not vented, this moisture can also be distributed to nearby rooms, causing further mold infiltration and damage.

How Much Ventilation Do I Need?

If you’re shopping for a new exhaust fan, take a look at recommendations from air quality engineers. The Home Ventilation Institute publishes a chart to help you find the right fan for the size of your bathroom.

Fans are sized by how much air they move and how fast, represented as “CFM” or cubic feet per minute.

Moving this much air should provide eight complete air changes in the room in an hour, although HVI only recommends running your fan for 20 minutes to remove humidity.

Bathroom Size Fan Size

<50 square feet 50 CFM

50 to 100 square feet 1 CFM per square foot

>100 square feet 50 CFM for each bath fixture, plus another 50 CFM if you have a jetted tub.

Note that you’ll also need separate bathroom exhaust fans for enclosed toilets.

If you need reliable HVAC service in the Stuart, FL area, call us at (772) 238-6590 or contact us online today to schedule an appointment.

What to Look for in Bathroom Exhaust Fans

Before shopping for a replacement fan, determine your budget. You’ll find a host of tempting options, like lights, timers, and heat lamps. You may even want a humidity sensor for automatic operation.

However, knowing what you can afford before shopping will help you determine when upgrades are worthwhile.

Sizing

Along with choosing an adequately sized fan for the room, you will also need to make sure it will connect properly to your current vent. Mismatched duct sizes can make installation more complicated and result in a noisier fan.

Sound

Bathroom exhaust fans are notorious for being noisy. If you’re trying to enjoy a long, relaxing soak, it can become pretty tedious. And parents of young children will certainly want to be able to hear what’s happening on the other side of the bathroom door.

Bath fan noise levels are measured in sones, rather than decibels. For a practically silent fan, look for sone level ratings of 0.3 to 2. The lower the sone level, the less noise your fan will make.

Where To Vent Bathroom Exhaust Fans

Many people don't realize that a bathroom exhaust fan must be vented to the outside in order to be effective. When the fan is not properly ventilated, the moist air can quickly build up, leading to condensation and mold growth. In addition, many exhaust fans are located near the toilet, which can lead to the spread of bacteria if the air is not properly exhausted.

Where Does a Bathroom Exhaust Fan Vent To?

The most common method is to vent the fan directly through the roof, but this is not always possible or desirable. Sometimes, venting through an existing gable vent or soffit vent is the best option. Another possibility is to install a new vent, either through the roof or through an exterior wall. Whichever method you choose, be sure to consult a qualified contractor to ensure that the job is done correctly.

Installation

Make an appointment with One Hour Air in Stuart today to help you install the new bathroom exhaust fans in your home. They can ensure that the fans operate at peak efficiency, providing excellent moisture removal and protecting your home from mold damage.