Monday, January 13, 2014

Do I Need a Bathroom Fan?

Posted by Sound Marketing on behalf of House Smart Home Improvements

Bathroom Exhaust Fans are Hugely Important....

When you have a hot shower or bath this generates large amounts of excess steam and moisture, generally you will notice the mirror fogging up straight away! This steam and moisture will also collect on the walls and ceiling. If there is no means of this excess moisture escaping you will most certainly experience a build up of mold and mildew, which will have adverse effects on your bathroom, both visually and potentially structurally. Moisture will swell and rot wood, peel paint and wallpaper from your walls and slowly deteriorate plaster or wallboard. It will get behind tiles and begin to loosen them – basically inadequate ventilation spells the beginning of the end for your nice shiny bathroom!






Can't I just Open a Window to Ventilate my Bathroom?

 No for a couple of reasons: firstly a open window will not provide the same level of air circulation as an exhaust fan. Secondly, its not always convenient to have a window open in the bathroom! You will be glad you have your exhaust fan on those cold winter mornings for example, or even on those rainy days! Not to mention the privacy issues (not ideal in a bathroom). By mechanically pulling air from the bathroom you will noticeably reduce the humidity level, therefore alleviating all of the problems mentioned in the above paragraph.

 

 

 

How to Pick the Appropriate Exhaust Fan:

 The primary concern is to ensure the fan is appropriately sized for your room. A tiny little toilet will require a much smaller capacity fan than a multi cubicle bathroom for example. The basic steps required in picking out the correct exhaust fan are:

  • Determine what variant of exhaust is required and how it will be mounted (eg wall, ceiling, window etc)
    Calculate the area being exhausted in meters (Length x Width x Height). This will give you a figure in m3 (cubic meters).
  • Multiply this with the number of air-changes required (8 for a subfloor/meeting area, 13-15 for a bathroom/toilet, 15+ for smoke exhaust). If you like to have long, hot showers or are concerned about steaming up the bathroom then please use a figure of 20 – 30 air changes per hour.
  • Determine whether to duct directly into the roof space, duct out through the roof or through a wall/eve. Most exhaust fans are ductable and in an ideal world you would have all exhausted air going straight outside via an external wall vent or roof cowl for example.



Need a Bathroom Fan Professionally Installed?

Call the Friendly Professionals at House Smart Home Improvements Today at 604- 585-2020

 

House Smart Home Improvements are experienced professionals with an  A+ Rating with the Better Business Bureau. When it’s time to replace your windows, doors or furnaces and heat pumps, or to install  insulation, and other energy-efficient home upgrades, give us a call. We do it the job right. 604-585-2020

 

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