How to Choose A Bathroom Fan
If you love long, luxurious showers that turn your bathroom into a spa-like retreat, you might not realize the impact steam and humidity can have on your home’s air quality. Without proper ventilation, excess moisture can lead to mold, mildew, and poor indoor air. That’s where a bathroom fan comes in.
Bathroom fans, installed in walls or ceilings, improve airflow by venting warm, humid air outside through your home’s ductwork. This helps prevent moisture buildup, protects indoor air quality, and keeps your space comfortable.
Looking for the right bathroom fan? Here are five key factors to consider.
Bathroom Fan Sizing
To ensure proper ventilation, it’s important to select a bathroom fan that matches your space’s square footage. Fans are rated by their airflow capacity, measured in cubic feet per minute (CFM).
Smaller bathrooms need fans with lower CFM ratings, while larger spaces require more powerful models. According to the Home Ventilating Institute (HVI), a well-ventilated bathroom should have eight air changes per hour. As a general rule, you’ll need at least one CFM per square foot of bathroom space. The HVI also recommends adding 50 CFM for each toilet and another 50 CFM for a shower or bathtub.
Bathroom Fan Installation
Most bathroom fans are installed in a ceiling, but certain models can also be installed in a wall. Units include integrated duct adapters that connect to your home’s ductwork. You should install your fan to vent air outside of your home through your ductwork and the nearest soffit, not into an attic.
Venting air into an attic only transfers warm, moist air to another area of your home where moisture problems can still develop. When selecting a bathroom fan, first, consider where you want the unit to be installed: ceiling or wall. Then, choose a model with the appropriate size duct adapter (measured in inches) for your home.
Features
Today’s bathroom ventilation fans have several features that help make operating them more convenient and efficient.
Integrated Lighting: Many models feature integrated lights that can replace existing fixtures or add supplementary lighting. Some units even include night lights for soft illumination during the nighttime hours.
Heaters: Fans with built-in heaters help add extra warmth if you live in a cold climate.
Humidity+ Motion Sensors: Humidity and motion sensors improve the overall efficiency of the fan and help conserve energy. A humidity sensor monitors your bathroom and triggers the fan to turn on when humidity rises above a certain level and then turn off when humidity is reduced. A motion sensor detects when someone enters the bathroom and turns on the fan or light only.
Controls: Fans with multiple functions usually include separate controls for each function, or you have the option to use them all together. You’ll also receive a separate wall switch for convenient control of these functions.
Noise Level
Bathroom fans that sound like jet engines can really detract from the peaceful escape that is your bathroom. As you shop for a fan, you’ll probably want to consider noise level and choose a quieter model.
Bath fan sounds are rated in sones. A sone is a measurement of sound as it relates to how it is sensed by the average listener. One sone is equal roughly to the quiet hum of a refrigerator in a quiet kitchen. Two sones would double that sound, and so on.
If you’re looking for a quiet bathroom fan, choose a model with a sone rating of two and under. Fans rated at three and four sones generate more white noise. Steer clear of fans rated at five or more sones.
Efficiency
Efficiency is top of mind when you shop for any home appliance or system. Fortunately, exhaust fans have become more efficient than ever.
Energy Star bathroom fans, in particular, use 70% (yes, 70!) less energy than conventional non-Energy Star models. This certainly contributes to low energy costs. They must also meet qualifications for low sound emission, low wattage consumption, and powerful but efficient performance under static pressure.
Choose an Energy Star bathroom exhaust fan to get the most bang for your energy bucks. You might also invest in a fan that includes a motion and/or humidity sensor to help ensure it runs only when needed.
When buying a bathroom fan, first you’ll want to consider the size of your space and then additional features such as lighting, heat, and sensors that automatically activate the fan. Lastly, since there can be wide variations, consider the level of sound tolerable for you.
Whether you need to talk through some ideas or you’re ready to start laying tile tomorrow, give us a call and get in touch with a bathroom renovation expert today!
