When you take a shower, humidity and moisture are concentrated in your bathroom. While this helps you feel comfortable, it also creates a breeding ground for dangerous mold and mildew. This means that your long showers can actually be putting your family’s health and the integrity of your home at risk. Proper bathroom ventilation can help prevent this problem.
Bathroom Ventilation Fans
Ventilation fans are the first line of defense against bathroom mold and mildew problems. These fans, which do not cost much, pull the hot, humid air out of your bathroom and vent it to the outdoors. You can enjoy your hot shower without risk of damage to your home or air quality problems.
Installing Bathroom Ventilation Fans Properly
Bathroom ventilation fans are an important part of proper ventilation in your home, but sometimes they are not installed properly. In order to be effective, the fan needs to vent outdoors or into ducts that channel the air outdoors. Sometimes the air is simply vented into the space between ceiling joints, creating the recipe for mold and mildew growth in a confined and hidden space.
Next, make sure that you have a fan large enough for your space. For bathrooms up to 100 square feet in size, choose a fan with a capacity of 1 cubic foot per minute (CFM) per square foot of space. If your bathroom is bigger, you will need to add 50 CFM for each toilet, shower, bath, or shower and bath combo. If you have a whirlpool, add 100 CFM.
If your bathroom needs a new or updated ventilation fan, having it installed by a licensed HVAC contractor ensures that it will exhaust properly and be properly sized for your space. For help with ventilation in the greater Indianapolis area, contact the team at Mowery Heating, Cooling and Plumbing.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Brownsburg, Indiana and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
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