Bathroom Ventilation 101: Are You Doing it Right?

The bathrooms in our homes receive constant use, and in most cases, the users probably don’t think too much about proper ventilation of this critical area. However, bathroom ventilation can play an important role in home comfort and even in the physical condition of the bathroom space. Here is a brief primer on bathroom ventilation and why it’s important.

Why Worry about Bathroom Ventilation?

• Mold and mildew: Mold and mildew are not only unsightly, they can also be harmful to health. The warm, moist environment of a bathroom provides a perfect setting for mold to grow.
• Damage to floors, walls, and other structures: Excess moisture can also damage bathroom floors, walls, and other structures. This can cause floors to collapse. Toilets and other fixtures can come loose and leak, putting even more moisture into an already potentially dampened area. Drywall can be damaged by moisture or mold.

Characteristics of Good Bathroom Ventilation

The most common type of bathroom ventilation is the bathroom fan. These fans are typically smaller units and are mounted in ceilings or walls. When activated, the fans pull air and moisture out of the bathroom area and expel it outside or direct it through ventilation pipes. This effectively removes moisture and helps keep the bathroom area dry.

Keep these bathroom ventilation tips in mind:

• Ventilation fans should be operated for at least 20 minutes following use of the bathroom. Some fans have timers, whereas others are activated when the room light is turned on and will need to be shut off manually.
• Bathroom fans should provide approximately eight complete air changes an hour, or 1 CFM per square foot of ventilation, for rooms up to 100 square feet.
• For rooms above 100 square feet, each toilet, shower, or bathtub will require an additional 50 CFM of ventilation, while jetted tubs need an extra 100 CFM of ventilation.

Stack Heating & Cooling has nearly 40 years of experience providing professional HVAC services to clients in northeast Ohio, including Cleveland and Avon. Contact us today for more information on bathroom ventilation and how to keep your bathroom free of moisture-related problems.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Cleveland, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).

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