Average tasks like showering, bathing and shaving can put home-destructive humidity into the air in your Tucson home. There’s good news however—a simple bathroom ventilation fan can keep you from warped wood, mold growth, cracked drywall and other issues associated with a humid bathroom.
Even if you have ventilation fans in your bathrooms, do you know if they’re the proper size? Are they as quiet and energy efficient as they could be? A&M Heating & Cooling LLC is here to answer your questions.
Today’s bathroom ventilation fans are small and sleek and they operate more quietly and economically than ever before. You’ll find a large range of selections, from simple 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 escaping through your ventilation. While you can find a lot of bells and whistles to pick from, the most critical characteristic of your fan is whether or not it’s large enough to do its job.
Graded by the cubic feet per minute (CFM) of air they push, a bathroom ventilation fan should be able to exchange the air in a bathroom at least eight times an hour. With a standard 8-foot ceiling, your ventilation fan should have a CFM rating at least as high as the number of square feet in your bathroom. Therefore, 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 difficult. 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 straightforward, you can use HGTV’s guidance for bathrooms larger than 100 square feet – establish 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 not sure if your bathroom ventilation fan is the right size, or you know it’s time for a new one, give the pros at A&M Heating & Cooling LLC at call at 520-200-1048. We’re here to help you guarantee you have a ventilation fan that will drive hard to protect your home and keep it cozy.