Everyday tasks like showering, bathing and shaving can put home-damaging humidity into the air in your Albuquerque home. There’s good news still—a simple bathroom ventilation fan can protect you from distorted wood, mold growth, damaged drywall and other problems associated with a humid bathroom.
Even if you have ventilation fans in your bathrooms, do you know if they’re the correct size? Are they as soft and energy efficient as they could be? I-Deal HVAC is here to answer your questions.
Today’s bathroom ventilation fans are small and modern and they run more quietly and effectively than ever before. You’ll find a hefty range of choices, from classic fans that will get the job done to fans with built-in heat lamps, motion sensors and heat-exchanger ventilation that helps prevent warmed air from getting out through your ventilation. While you can find a lot of bells and whistles to choose from, the most important feature of your fan is whether or not it’s large enough to do its job.
Assessed by the cubic feet per minute (CFM) of air they push, a bathroom ventilation fan should be able to swap out the air in a bathroom at least eight times an hour. With a normal 8-foot ceiling, your ventilation fan should have a CFM rating at least as high as 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 higher ceiling, the equation gets a little more complicated. 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 use HGTV’s advice for bathrooms larger than 100 square feet – verify your CFM requirements by increasing 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 right size, or you know it’s time for a new one, give the experts at I-Deal HVAC at call at 505-445-1250. We’re here to help you guarantee you have a ventilation fan that will work hard to guard your home and keep it comfortable.