One of the small pleasures in life is taking a long, and hot shower. However, the steam that forms in your bathroom can be detrimental to your house. Each time you take a hot shower, intense moisture is trapped in the bathroom, and settles on the walls, and ceiling.
This moisture creates an ideal environment for insects. Not to mention, the metallic surfaces of your shower, and bathroom become breeding grounds for mold. You can smell the musty odor that no amount of cleaning can eliminate. The smell and appearance can be the least of your worries. Poor ventilation can affect the structure of your home. The humidity will cause wood to warp, and paint to peel.
Moisture from the air will settle in surfaces of your home, and that is a damaging problem an exhaust fan will solve. Adding an exhaust fan can capture and whisk away the moisture in the air leaving behind a home that is protective and a breathable environment for your family.
Most Important Aspects of Bathroom Ventilation
Most people think the only good thing about an exhaust fan is that it fogs mirrors. However, an exhaust fan is protecting your house and your health.
Control of Humidity and Moisture
Bathroom ventilation fans focus on bathroom moisture and humidity control. As condensation begins to form on counters and mirrors, the fan moves the steam outside, reducing the likelihood of condensation. A fan provides some defense against the formation of mold and mildew, but it can also help prevent issues like rotting wooden frames and crumbling drywall.
Removal of Odors
Most bathrooms develop smells from everyday use. A good ventilation fan will remove strong odors and keep the room welcoming. Unlike Febreeze, which masks odors, a fan eliminates stale air and makes room for fresh air.
Better Quality of Air
Bathroom air can be severely polluted from the cleaning products, hairspray, and even cosmetics that are used. Good ventilation will exhaust the pollutants and improve the overall air quality, making it much safer and more breathable.
Preservation of Fixtures
Bathroom finishes can easily be ruined by excessive humidity over time. Moisture will blister paint, cause wallpaper to peel, and lead to rusted metal fixtures. The moisture control capabilities of a bathroom vent fan can save your bathroom surfaces from premature renovations.
Bathroom Ventilation Fan Options
Because the layout of every bathroom is different, the ventilation fan systems will also be different. Here are the three main options for your bathroom ventilation fans.
Ceiling Fans
Fans that mount to ceilings are the most popular option for modern bathrooms. These fans pull the air straight up to the ceiling and out to the roof or an exterior soffit. These fans are effective and operate almost silently. They are best used in bathrooms that have attic space directly above them.
Wall Fans
Wall mounted fans are the best option for bathrooms that do not have access to ceilings or attics. These fans are installed directly into the exterior wall and exhaust the humid air directly outdoors. These fans are quite useful for bathrooms located on ground floors or in apartment buildings.
Inline Fans
Unlike ceiling fans, inline fans are located in the attic. Inline fans are located in duct work that is out of sight. These fans are very quiet since the motor of the fan is located far away from the ceiling of the bathroom. These fans are also powerful to the extent that they are capable of ventilating multiple bathrooms.
How To Choose The Right Ventilation Bathroom Fan
The most important criteria when selecting the best fan is the technical requirements of the bathrooms. Each bathroom has a ventilation ratio that is based on the total size or area of the bathroom. The ratio is measured in Cubic Feet per Minute (CFM) as space volume. For each square foot of bathroom space there should be a sufficient amount of air tones. For quiet bathrooms the appropriate Sones level should be 1.0 or lower, anything above that is considerably loud. Finally, if fan energy efficiency is desired, the original energy bill should be preserved.
Astberg Ventilation provides an excellent selection of rust proof, energy-saving, and highly quiet ventilation fans, specializing in solving humidity issues in bathrooms. Their models feature fully copper motors and high suction capacity for extreme durability and rapid air clearance. Consider the following models from Astberg:
Installation and Maintenance Tips
Even the best designed fans will fail to work if installation, and fan maintenance, is not done correctly.
For fan installation, never attempt diy. It is important that an experienced electrician or HVAC technician installs the fan so that it is not vented into an attic, and so that the fan is properly ducted and electrically connected to the outlet for proper air circulation and fan operation.
Cleaning the fan is as much important for the fan as is cleaning the air it blows. Remove the cover periodically and with an attached vacuum tip, remove dust and dirt from the cover, and use a clean damp cloth to wipe the blades to ensure that collected dust and lint is removed to improve airflow.
You can make your home a safer and a more pleasant place with better air quality.
Bathroom ventilation is key for a home that is safe, healthy, and free of potential structural issues. Exhaust fans provide peace of mind by controlling moisture, removing odors, and eliminating harmful pollutants.
Protect your home and your family. Do not hoard systems that provide a functional and high-quality solution to your air quality problems. Choose high-quality systems that are meant for a modern home.
Order your Astberg kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans today.
Frequently Asked Questions: Inline Bathroom Ventilation Fans
- What is an inline bathroom ventilation fan?
Inline bathroom ventilation fans are a type of bathroom exhaust fan that are not mounted to the ceiling like many other exhaust fans. These fans get mounted to the ductwork of a home. That means the fan can be located in an attic, a basement, or a crawlspace and ducted to the ventilated bathroom. Because of that, the performance of the fan can be much higher and the fan can be less visually intrusive
- What are the benefits of an inline fan over a traditional fan?
Inline fans are better than traditional fans in the following ways:
- Quiet Operation: Because the fan motor is located away from the fan (in the ductwork), the fan will operate much more quietly than a fan that has the motor in the bathroom.
- Better performance: Inline fans generally have higher performance and can move air much more easily. That means that they can better control humidity and odors and therefore will not leave any potentially harmful air pollutants in the bathroom.
- More Ventilation: Due to their higher performance, they are generally better for use in multi-bathroom homes because one inline fan can be used to ventilate more than one bathroom.
- Will a bathroom ventilation fan stop mold and mildew from growing?
Absolutely! A bathroom fan works because it draws moisture from the air, and it captures that moisture before it settles onto surfaces in the bathroom. Many fans now have timers and sensors that will continue running even after the shower is done to continue to remove moisture from the air, and to remove the potential for moisture problems, such as mold and mildew. At potential mold growth locations, the fan will capture and remove the humidity.
Sizing & Installation
- How do I choose the right size fan for my bathroom?
If the fan is not powerful enough to remove humidity, it will allow humidity to settle and the bathroom will potentially have moisture problems. This means that if the fan is not powerful enough, it will allow humidity to settle and the bathroom will potentially have moisture problems such as mold and mildew growth. This will allow moisture problems to develop. A fan is powerful enough for the size of the bathroom when the size of the fan (in CFM, or Cubic Feet per Minute) is equal to at least the size of the bathroom (in square feet) multiplied by 1 CFM.
- Where and how is the fan installed?
The inline fan unit is installed inside the ducting, away from the bathroom ceiling. Therefore, in the bathroom, you will see only one unobtrusive grille. While this is a job that handy homeowners can do, we usually recommend that a professional do this, as it is important that the ducting be adequately sealed to ensure that the air travels is properly described in the ducting to the exterior of your house.
