Bathrooms become wet and steamy during normal use, making ventilation for bathroom areas an important aspect of a remodel. Even though you may choose only the best materials for your bathroom, without proper bathroom exhaust fans, these rooms develop serious problems including:

• Mold and mildew growth
• Odor
• Peeling paint and wallpaper
• Rusty fixtures
• Wood rot (including structural framing).

Keeping the air flowing in your bathroom is a simple way to protect your bathroom remodel investment. Read on to learn about ventilation for bathrooms, and how you can benefit from installing bathroom fans.

Calculating Your Bathroom Fan Needs

The quickest and simplest method of ventilation for bathroom areas is to open a window. Unfortunately, in cold or wet weather, this isn’t always a practical bathroom vent. To protect your bathroom all year round, bathroom exhaust fans are a great way to reduce humidity.

Once you’ve decided on bathroom fans, how do you decide how much fan power you need? The Home Ventilation Institute has come up with a simple way to help you choose the right bathroom exhaust fans for your bathroom. Fan airflow is measured in cubic feet per minute or cfm:

• For bathrooms measuring less than 100 square feet, your fan should provide one cfm per each square foot of floor space in your bathroom.
• If your bathroom is larger than 100 square feet, the recommended cfm is based on the number of fixtures you have in your bathroom. You’ll need 50 cfm for each bathtub, shower and toilet. Add an additional 100 cfm for each jetted tub.
• A large bathroom may benefit from having two smaller bathroom exhaust fans, rather than a single, larger one.

Keeping Your Bathroom Vent Quiet

Not every ventilation exhaust fan is created equal when it comes to noise. One bathroom vent may be very quiet, while other bathroom fans may hum loudly. Fortunately, you have some control over this aspect of ventilation for bathroom areas.

Fan volume on a bathroom vent is measured on a sones scale. As a fan’s sones rating doubles, so does the loudness of the fan. Experts consider an industry rating of one and a half to two sones to reflect a quiet fan. You can consult industry noise ratings, and compare each ventilation exhaust fan you’re considering, before you buy.

Additional Bathroom Fans’ Features

You can choose a ventilation exhaust fan that does more than just draw humidity from your bathroom. Here are a few optional features that may be available on bathroom fans:

• Built in light fixture
• Heater
• Humidity sensor
• Motion sensor
• Multiple speed option.