If you've ever had to deal with a bathroom that lacks a working fan or window, you know exactly how unpleasant the experience can be. Odors, normally whisked away in just a few minutes, may linger for much longer, whether from poop or powerful bathroom cleaning products.
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But moisture is the real enemy. Humidity from showers fogs up the mirror and leaks into walls. As the warm air cools, it turns into water, and gets trapped in the walls.
"Indoor condensation can lead to mold growth," says Dave Bayne, CEO and owner of A1 Mold Testing & Remediation. "Drywall is porous and paint is breathable, so the moisture can seep into the drywall and create fungal growth," often in places where you can't see it.
If you're exposed to mold long enough (or if your body is allergic or sensitive to its spores), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that you may suffer a laundry list of ill effects, from allergies to coughing to skin irritation.
Excessive moisture may also cause peeling paint and wallpaper and even contribute to warped doors and rusted fixtures. Dampness also fuels bacterial growth and other nasties.
By simply turning on the bathroom fan, you minimize a lot of those problems. "You should turn the fan on each time you run water in the bathroom and leave it running for about 20 minutes after you open the [bathroom] door," says Bayne. The most important time to do this is after you shower. If you're continually forgetting to turn it off, install a fan timer. And though it's seldom done, the fan should be cleaned at least yearly.
If you're a homeowner, be sure that your fan is properly vented directly to the home's exterior via an insulated duct. "It was common in the '70s and '80s for it to be vented into the attic space," says Bayne. "Building codes today require that the exhaust is vented outside through insulated ducting to a roof vent that goes directly to the exterior." Otherwise, you may be contributing to moisture and mold problems in your attic or wall spaces.
Wondering what bathroom fans are for? Having a bathroom exhaust fan helps keep that space odor-free. While that perk is important for people using the loo, it's eclipsed by the good things an exhaust fan does for the bathroom itself. It ventilates the space and dries out the air, the importance of which can't be overstated.
When moist air lingers, it makes paint peel, promotes mold growth and rusts metal fixtures. It can even damage wall and ceiling framing. Bathroom ventilation is so important that residential building codes require at least one openable window in each bathroom. Many local codes also require a bathroom exhaust fan.
A bathroom exhaust fan sucks air out of the bathroom and directs it outside. It creates air circulation in the space, with replacement air usually coming through the door or an open window. The fan blows most of the moisture out, and the air movement prevents what moisture remains from condensing onto bathroom surfaces.
An exhaust fan must have a clear pathway to the outdoors, typically supplied by a duct that passes through a side wall or through the roof. The fan is usually controlled by a wall switch and draws power from the 20-amp circuit that powers the bathroom lights and receptacles. If it has an attached heat lamp, that may need its own 20-amp circuit.
Depending on your bathroom configuration, one of four basic types might work best for you:
Probably the most common type, a ceiling mount fan exhausts through a duct that passes through the attic to a vent outlet mounted on the roof. This type of fan can be centrally located in the bathroom to handle the shower, bathtub and toilet.
An inline fan is mounted in a remote location (often the attic) and connects to an intake duct that terminates in a grille mounted on the bathroom ceiling. The output vent extends through a wall or the roof. Besides being quieter than a ceiling mount fan, an inline fan can serve more than one bathroom at the same time.
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If the bathroom has an exterior wall, you can mount an exhaust fan on it, eliminating the need for lengthy ducts. It's also possible to mount an exhaust fan in the window in the same way as an air conditioner.
The Home Ventilation Institute (HVI) recommends a ventilation rate of eight air exchanges per hour for bathrooms.
Fan capacity is measured in cubic feet per minute (CFM) and has a one-to-one relationship with the square footage of the bathroom, up to 100 sq. ft. A 70-square-foot bathroom needs a fan with at least 70 CFM, while a 50-square-foot bathroom needs a 50 CFM fan. The minimum is generally 50 CFM, so that's the smallest one available.
Bathrooms larger than 100 square feet need more ventilation than required by the square footage. The HVI recommends upping the capacity as follows:
If you undersize your exhaust fan, the bathroom won't be properly ventilated. But there's no problem with over-sizing it. If you can't find a fan that's an exact match, it's best to opt for a model with a larger capacity. Experts recommend oversizing if the ceiling is higher than eight feet.
Also, learn how to replace a bathroom exhaust fan.
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A window fan that plugs into a wall receptacle needs hardly any installation and anyone can do it, though it's important for the receptacle to be GFCI protected.
Installing a wall fan is more challenging because it involves cutting a hole in the wall and sealing it after securing the fan. It may call for some electrical wiring if it doesn't have a plug. Ceiling-mount fan installation is even more complex and involves these steps:
Ideally, the duct should be as straight and short as possible. It usually passes through the attic to the roof or sidewall. If there's no attic, it may have to pass between the ceiling joists, which may call for some drywall removal.
The installer needs to cut a hole for the fan in the ceiling and another one for the exhaust vent in the roof or sidewall.
The fan is typically secured to ceiling joists with braces. The exhaust vent attaches to the roof deck or siding along with the appropriate flashing.
Flexible duct is suitable for exhaust fans. It's clamped to the fan and the exhaust vent.
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