Bathroom Exhaust Fan Buying Guide

What is an exhaust fan? Exhaust fan is a device which is made to reduce moisture and humidity in the rooms where there is a lot of dampness. With installing the exhaust bathroom fan you will be able to prevent the growth of mold and mildew, improve air quality, protect walls, fixtures, building materials, floors and you will also do something good for your health because mold and mildew growth can be harmful for your health. If you are looking for an exhaust fan for your bathroom, you should read the article below where I will write about how to choose a bathroom exhaust fan properly.

FIND THE RIGHT AIRFLOW RATING FOR ROOM SIZE

Airflow ratings in the bathrooms are measured in cubic feet per minute (cfm). When you are looking for the right cfm rating you first need to measure the room to see how many square footage it has. A minimum of 50 cfm is recommended for smaller bathrooms, usually under 100 square feet. But if your bathroom is bigger than 100 square feet you have to add: 50 cfm for every toilet, 50 cfm for each shower, bath, combo and 100 cfm for each whirlpool. If your room or bathroom has ceilings higher than eight feet, you will also need a higher rated exhaust fan.

Which exhaust fan manufacturer to go with?

There are some great and reliable manufacturer of bathroom fans on the market today... Best bathroom exhaust fan brands are Panasonic, Broan and Nutone. There are not big differences between them, because they all know what they are doing.

CHOOSE A NOISE LEVEL YOU CAN LIVE WITH

When it comes to exhaust fans, the level of noise is measured in sones. The less sones the device has, the quieter it is. The most quiet ones are from 0,5 to 2,0 sones, but when there is 3 sones or more, we are talking about more noisy models. You should get the level of noise you can still live with for instance, you have to tolerate the noise at least 15 minutes. If you already know you want that quiet fan, you have to know you will also pay a little more money.

CONSIDER FANS WITH EXTRA FEATURES

There are a lot of interesting features which come with exhaust fan for instance bathroom fans with light, heaters, automatic timers, moving sensors etc.

FIND THE BEST VENTILATION METHOD FOR YOUR BATHROOM

There is a few different options available on the market to choose from and the choice usually depends on the available space and proximity to existing duct systems. There are this models available:
- Ceiling mounted: fixed to the ceiling and vent to the outside usually through the roof or ducts. From all the models and types this one is the most popular and common one.
- Wall mounted: fixed to exterior walls and they are made to pull out the air outside. They don't need ductwork.
- Inline fans: fixed to the ceiling or wall, but the fan motor sits between ducts and is remotely pulling the air outside. In this case we are talking about quieter fan because the motor is not attached directly to the ceiling. Inline fans are a great solution where there is not enough space on the ceiling to get it mounted.

CAN I INSTALL AN EXHAUST FAN MYSELF?

Sometimes installing an exhaust fan isn't so hard but it can get hard if you have a fan which connects to the house's duct work. I would recommend that you hire a professional to do the work instead of you and he will do it quicker than you. Or check here if you need a dehumidifier.