Average tasks like showering, bathing and shaving can put home-damaging humidity into the air in your Wharton home. There’s good news still—a simple bathroom ventilation fan can keep you from distorted wood, mold growth, damaged drywall and other problems connected with a humid bathroom.
Even if you have ventilation fans in your bathrooms, do you know if they’re the proper size? Are they as soft and energy efficient as they could be? Faust Air Conditioning and Heating is here to answer your questions.
Today’s bathroom ventilation fans are small and smooth and they operate more quietly and effectively than ever before. You’ll find a hefty range of selections, from classic fans that will get the job done to fans with integrated heat lamps, motion sensors and heat-exchanger ventilation that helps avoid warmed air from leaking through your ventilation. While you have a lot of bells and whistles to select from, the most important characteristic of your fan is whether or not it’s big enough to do its job.
Graded by the cubic feet per minute (CFM) of air they move, a bathroom ventilation fan should be able to exchange the air in a bathroom at least eight times an hour. With a typical 8-foot ceiling, your ventilation fan should have a CFM rating about the number of square feet in your bathroom. Thus, if your bathroom is 5 feet by 8 feet, a CFM rating of 40 would be satisfactory.
If you have a taller ceiling, the equation gets a little more difficult. You’ll want to multiply the width of the room by its height and length, divide it by 60 and multiply by 8. Or, to keep it easy, you can heed HGTV’s tips for bathrooms larger than 100 square feet – establish your CFM requirements by toting 50 CFM for every toilet; 50 CFM for each shower, bath and combo; and 100 CFM for each whirlpool.
If you’re unsure if your bathroom ventilation fan is the correct size, or you know it’s time for a new one, give the pros at Faust Air Conditioning and Heating at call at 979-323-6130. We’re here to help you ensure you have a ventilation fan that will work hard to guard your home and keep it cozy.