Bathroom Ventilation: Why Its More Important Than You Think

# Bathroom Ventilation: Why Its More Important Than You Think

Bathroom ventilation isnt optional - its essential. Every shower introduces moisture that must go somewhere.

Signs of inadequate ventilation include peeling paint or wallpaper, mold in corners or ceiling, foggy mirrors that take forever to clear, musty smell that lingers, and window condensation.

Proper ventilation requires exhaust fan rated for room size. Minimum 50 CFM for typical bathroom. 1 CFM per square foot is the guideline. Larger bathrooms or those with jetted tubs need more.

Fan must vent to exterior - not into attic. Venting into attic causes mold and rot in roof structure. This is a common code violation.

Run fan during and after showers for 20-30 minutes to remove moisture. Timer or humidity sensing switches automate this.

Quiet fans encourage use. Look for sones rating - lower is quieter. Quality fans at 0.5-1.5 sones are barely audible.

During renovation, upgrading ventilation is easy and cheap. After renovation, its disruptive. Always address ventilation.

Replace old fans that have stopped working effectively. Motors wear out and airflow drops significantly before complete failure.

Cost for quality bathroom fan installed runs $200-$500. Cost of moisture damage runs thousands.