Bathroom Fans – All About Bathroom Fans

Bathrooms were considered to be a place in a house where people tend to give less importance while designing. But lately even bathrooms are being given a lot of attention while designing and building. But still proper bathroom ventilation is missed out by many while designing. Bathrooms tend to be a lot more humid and the bathroom air tends to have excess moisture. This excessive moisture can cause rotting of walls and ceiling and also cause some structural damage. Also, moist surroundings encourage the growth of mildew, bacteria, moulds and many other microorganisms.

To overcome this problem, your bathroom has to be properly ventilated. Some bathrooms have normal ceiling fans installed in them, but they do not do the required job of removing moisture from the bathroom. The best fans that can be installed in bathrooms are exhaust fans. They can eliminate foul odors, remove moisture and also help clear condensation off bathroom mirrors.

An effective bathroom exhaust fan has some standards that have to be met. If you already have an exhaust fan but are not sure about its efficiency then you can go ahead and do this simple test. Just hold a piece of tissue paper up to the grill of the exhaust fan. If the exhaust fan is efficient, the tissue paper will be held tightly to the grill by the fan. Or you can try out the exhaust test. Just place a plastic bag over the exhaust hood and switch on the fan. The plastic bag should be filled with air in a few seconds.

Bathroom exhaust fans are rated by identifying the amount of air it can pull out per minute. They are measured with cubic feet per min (CRM). Bathroom exhaust fans should be rated above 50 CRM to be an efficient and effective one. The Home Ventilating Institute recommends that an effective exhaust fan should be able to provide 1 CFM per square foot. Also if your bathrooms are larger or have bathroom accessory fixtures like steam rooms, sauna or hot tubs, then you will have to invest in a larger exhaust fan. The length of the ductwork to the outside also determines the strength of the exhaust fan that your bathroom should have. The longer the exhaust vent, the stronger your exhaust fan has to be.

Since bathrooms tend to remain closed and compact, noisy fans would test your patience when inside the bathrooms. Make sure that you pick an efficient, quiet exhaust fan for your bathroom. HVI ratings on exhaust fans can be used as a guide to pick the exhaust fan you'll need. Lately bathroom exhaust fans have been launched with light kits embedded in them. Such new varieties of exhaust fans are getting popular as they are multi functional.

So when you go about designing your bathroom don't forget to add the option of an exhaust fan to the design. They will help you to keep your bathrooms less moist and fresh for years to come. Do remember to select the right exhaust fan for your bathroom and regularly maintain the fan to ensure that your bathroom is just the way you want it to be.