The Purpose of a Bathroom Exhaust Fan and How to Pick One

bathroom fan

Purpose of Bathroom Fan

Did you know that your exhaust fan helps keep your bathroom clean and also helps maintain the health of your home? The fan removes moisture from the bathroom area to keep it healthy and maintain good air quality. We will show you how to pick the perfect fan for your needs and some ideas for choosing the perfect one.

We all want our homes to smell good all the time, but a musty odor in the bathroom is unavoidable unless you install an exhaust fan. When you take a hot shower, your bathroom will become humid. As a result, foggy mirrors will appear, and you won’t have clear sight in to even look at yourself in the mirror.

Mold and mildew growth may grow due to this situation continuing for some time. In addition, because of the moisture, the paint on the walls and fixtures will deteriorate. Overall, it will lower the air quality and decrease your family’s living standards. In this article, you will learn about the purpose of a bathroom fan and why you need one in your bathroom

It improves the Indoor Air Quality

The primary goal of bathroom fans is to remove the bathroom’s excessive moisture and musty odor via its duct into your attic space. The moist air will travel into the entire house if you don’t fix the humidity, making the overall air quality toxic.

The best exhaust fan prevents this so mold and mildew won’t develop inside the bathroom. Mold and mildew cannot grow when you have a bathroom fan. Since there is no room for extra moisture to accumulate, it will prevent any potential respiratory disease.

It helps to improve the overall quality of life

Bathroom exhaust fans have several additional features, such as a heater, humidity sensor, and night light. Having the night light when you need to use the restroom at night is useful. Besides, in the winter season, the heater will come in handy. It will warm your bathroom enough to take a nice morning shower. Those beautiful characteristics won’t use up much electricity each month on your electric bill.

Keeps The Bathroom’s interior in Tip Top shape

bathroom

Constant moisture in the bathroom is unavoidable if there is no exhaust fan. These dampers will moisten the wall and the paint, causing them to dull over time. The bathroom’s integrity will be damaged due to this humidity issue. The fate of other bathroom components such as vanities, sinks, showers, tubs, and so on is also true. Having an exhaust fan will ensure that these fixtures are maintained for an extended period of time.

Picking The Right Exhaust Fan

There are a lot of familiar brands on the market, such as Panasonic, Broan, and others. You can install any of them. You should consider factors like “sones” level, CFM Rating, Cubic Feet per Minute, etc. The noise level of the fan is referred to as “sones.” 1.0 sones is almost noiseless when running. However, they are rather costly and live up to their superior quality.

The CFM rating is the second factor to consider. It measures the fan’s airflow capacity. A higher CFM value indicates it can remove more moisture from your bathroom. 1CFM per square foot is the maximum amount of air that should be moved. So, if your bathroom has 80 square feet of space, you’ll need a fan with a total capacity of at least 80 CFM.

Benefits of a Bathroom Exhaust Fan

Eliminate Odors 

One of the most critical factors for having an exhaust fan is to keep odors at bay. Using an exhaust fan can quickly eliminate any unpleasant smells from a bathroom. Consequently, while the proper ventilation system keeps your bathroom clean and fresh, it also ensures the next person has a pleasant environment.

Humid Air Reduction

It is critical to reduce the damp air in a bathroom. Excess moisture can wreak havoc on bathroom walls, causing paint and wallpaper to peel. It can even cause doors to warp in extreme situations! Most importantly, humidity may promote mold formation. These spores may grow and be challenging to eliminate. Therefore it’s important to have bathroom exhaust fans to remove moisture and avoid this.

Reduce Airborne Contaminants

Bathrooms are frequently cleaned with strong chemicals, which might induce various health problems when breathed in. This affects youngsters, the elderly, and people with respiratory illnesses the most.

A ceiling fan can also help to clear the air in your bathroom by removing dampness, mold spores, and other irritants. Furthermore, if the room has already developed a mold problem, the fan will aid in the removal of mold spore buildup. As a result, the rate of mold growth will be slowed.

Help Eliminate Foggy Mirror Syndrome

Exhaust fans for your bathrooms will prevent moisture from accumulating on your mirrors and walls by removing water vapor.

Features

Today’s bathroom ventilation fans have several functions that aid their operation and efficiency.

Integrated Lighting

Integrated lighting may be added to existing lights or utilized as standalone fixtures. Some units even include nighttime lights for soft illumination at night.

Heaters

If you reside in a chilly area, built-in heaters can assist you in staying toasty.

Humidity+ Motion Sensors

Humidity and motion sensors increase the fan’s overall efficiency while conserving power. When the humidity in your bathroom rises above a certain level, a humidity sensor activates the fan and turns it off when humidity levels fall. When this happens, a motion detector senses someone entering the bathroom and only starts the fan or light.

Also Read:   How To Make Your Home Always Smell Like a Spa

Controls

Fans with several functions generally include separate controls for each part, or you may be combination units. You’ll also get a separate wall switch to control these features conveniently.

Why should I choose an ‘HVI-Certified‘ product?

  • The goods have been independently evaluated and certified to fulfill defined industry criteria.
  • An insurance policy that the product will meet your needs.
  • When an appropriately sized model is selected and installed correctly, optimal ventilation will improve indoor air quality.

Bathroom exhaust fans that are not ‘HVI-Certified’ have inflated performance ratings. Choosing items with ‘HVI-Certified’ performance ratings will guarantee that building code requirements and ventilation expectations are met. HVI is the authority for evaluating residential ventilator effectiveness.

HVI uses sophisticated lab equipment and rigorous testing procedures to ensure submitted goods meet required standards. The product may display the HVI-Certified label after test data has been authorized. HVI frequently retests to verify performance and ensure ongoing compliance by purchasing items from the building supply industry and retesting them independently.

Difference Between Ventilation Fans and Exhaust Fans

bathroom fan

Most folks, like many others, couldn’t immediately recall the distinctions between ventilation and exhaust fans. Many people would believe they were the same. That is far from the truth, however. Each fan has a specific role in commercial and residential environments, critical for delivering high-quality air throughout an area. This blog article will explain the distinctions between these two intake air fans.

Ventilation Fans

As the name implies, vents are used to ventilate a residential or commercial location. It helps bring fresh air inside from the outside and keeps people from breathing stale, less oxygenated air. You and other individuals will be forced to live in foul, less oxygenated air without ventilation.

Exhaust Fans

Exhaust fans clean the air by removing pollutants and contaminants that enter it. Smoke, humidity, dust, and odors are some of the most prevalent contaminants and pollutants. Smoke from cooking and moisture from a hot shower can be effectively whisked away from the air with this intake fan. You risk breathing in potentially harmful particles if these particles are not removed from the air.

Each fan has distinct features that enable it to perform its intended functions effectively. The following are some of the differences between these two types of intake fans:

Exhaust Fan

  • Near Windows, Exhaust Hoods
  • Bathroom, Kitchen, Factories

Ventilation Fan

  • Ceilings, In exhaust Vent Systems
  • Bedrooms, Offices, Corridors

Final Thoughts

You now know why you should install a bathroom fan and how to pick the right one. We all strive for our home to smell like a spa all the time, and we’re more than happy to help you achieve this. For more bathroom ideas, read our post on jack and jill bathrooms.

Thank you for reading to the end!

FAQS

Why do you need a bathroom fan?

Bathroom fans are necessary since they assist in removing dampness from a bathroom. It also eliminates odors and maintains a clean restroom environment. A bathroom fan ensures that the toilet is pleasant by removing unpleasant scents.

How long should the fan be running?

You should immediately turn on the fan when you turn on the shower or bath water. After bathing, leave the fan running for around 20 minutes to prevent moisture and fungus in your bathroom.

Is it difficult to replace a bathroom exhaust fan?

It is pretty easy to change a bathroom exhaust fan. Using the existing connections and wires, you may install a new fan on top of the old one. To avoid making any adjustments to the bathroom ceiling, get a buff equal to or smaller than the one you are replacing. Make sure you use switch wires and connect the new cables manually so as not to make errors.

How do you select the correct size bathroom fan?

The volume of air determines the number of CFMs a bathroom fan produces. It moves in one minute. A common rule for small bathrooms is that you need at least 1 CFM per square foot of room area. As a result, a 60-square-foot bathroom would require a 60-CFM fan. To determine what size fan to purchase for rooms larger than 100 square feet, add the CFMs for each fixture.

Is it okay to keep a bathroom fan running all night?

According to experts, you should not leave your bathroom fan on all night. The fan should be used for approximately 20 minutes before and after a bath or shower. You should especially avoid leaving it on at night. If you leave your electronic device on for too long, it can cause big problems. This is especially true if it’s a fire hazard.

When should I turn on my bathroom vent fan?

The air volume rate for continuous or low speed is usually 30-50 CFM. Higher speeds are utilized when bathing (50-110 CFM) or cooking (more than 100 CFM). We propose operating bath fans on high speed to remove extra moisture and scents for 20-30 minutes.

Will showering with the fan on and the bathroom door open prevent mold?

Leaving the bathroom door open and the exhaust fan on for at least 30 minutes after you shower is an easy way to reduce humidity in your bathroom and prevent mold growth.

What Is a Bathroom Exhaust Fan?

A bathroom exhaust fan removes air from a bathroom and directs it outside. It generates circulation in the region by moving damp air out through the door or an open window. The fan blows most of the moisture away, while the air movement maintains what moisture does not condense on surfaces.

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