If you’re one of those people who enjoys a really long shower, you don’t have to sacrifice this experience for the sake of preserving the bathroom in your Buckhead home. With the right bathroom fan in place, running hot water for long periods of time won’t generate large amounts of moisture and humidity — elements that can become a breeding ground for unsightly, hazardous mold and mildew.
Why Is Moisture Harmful?
Showering and bathing are obviously what bathrooms were built for, and these daily functions ideally shouldn’t damage your ventilation system. But without a working bathroom fan to ventilate the space and push out moisture, the rise in humidity lets moisture settle into the cracks and crevices of your bathroom tile and compromises indoor air quality. When that moisture accesses the wood in your home, it can damage, wrap and rot the structure.
Making a Selection
There’s good news for homeowners ready to install a new bathroom fan or upgrade an existing one. You can choose from a few different types, but don’t forget to consider factors that will determine the effectiveness of the appliance:
- A fan with a light. This type of standard system provides an exhaust fan in combination with an overhead light.
- A fan with a light and heater. In addition to a fan and light, a heater is a great way to make the bathroom warmer temporarily, for when you get out of the shower or tub.
- A combination fan, light, heater and night-light. Combining all the features from the system described above, this unit also features a soft night-light to guide your way when you need to use the bathroom at night.
- Sizing. As a rule of thumb, the fan should have 1 cubic foot per minute (cfm) of power for every square foot of space. A large bathroom is often best served by multiple bathroom fans.
- Noise. If your fan is noisy, you’ll be less likely to run it. When trying to gauge how loud or soft a fan is, know that the sound level of bathroom fans is measured by a unit called the sone. A fan with a measurement of 1 sone or less will be at a comfortable volume.
- Energy efficiency. Energy Star–qualified fans use less energy than standard fans, and can help you save on energy costs.
Running the Fan
You can get the best performance out of your fan by following these tips:
- Run the fan for 20 minutes after a shower or bath.
- Install a fan that runs on a timer to shut the fan off automatically.
Installing the Device
For the best results, hire a professional to install the fan. Otherwise, you may experience these problems:
- Installing the fan to vent into the attic or ceiling joists simply redistributes the moisture to another space, where it can wreak havoc. Ideally, the fan should vent directly into ducts so that moist air is ushered outside.
- Sizing the fan so that it’s too small to exchange the air in the space greatly reduces its efficiency.
- Installing the fan using too many connections in the venting system also reduces performance.
- Failing to use insulation on the outside of the ducts lets condensation proliferate. Insulated ducts prevent condensation in spaces outside of the home’s conditioned areas.
Contact the experts at Reliable Heating & Air for installation help. We’re happy to aid our Buckhead neighbors with their ventilating fan, heating/cooling and plumbing needs.
Image source: Flickr