Bathroom Exhaust Fan And Energy Efficiency

Bathroom Exhaust Fan And Energy Efficiency

What a Bathroom Exhaust Fan has to do With Energy Efficiency

Most people don't pay much attention to bathroom exhaust fans until the boogers and cobwebs are hanging half way down to the commode. When the fan gets plugged up, energy efficiency is lost and the exhausting power of the fan is reduced to almost nothing. The normally efficient fan motor heats up, wastes electricity, and applies unneeded expense to the power bill. If your bathroom exhaust fan cover looks like a Kansas dust bowl and the fan motor will no longer hold up a piece of toilet tissue, it's time for a little preventive maintenance.

What is a bathroom exhaust fan?

Mounted in your bathroom ceiling or exterior wall, the bathroom exhaust is given the job of removing moist or awkwardly perfumed air from the room. If moist warm air remains in the room - the possible occurrence of mold and mildew is greatly increased. By removing the moist warm air produced by a shower or bath, the relative humidity is reduced as is the possibility of mold. And, of course, removing the awkwardly perfumed air from the bathroom simply allows the bathroom to be used by the next person sooner.

Does a bathroom fan have a rating system?

Yes, a bathroom fan is rated according to cubic feet per minute ( cfm ) and according to how noisy they are. A less expensive apartment model will be rated at 50 cfm and about 4.0 sones. 4 Sones is the sound of a normal T.v., 3 Sones like office noise, 1 Sone is the sound of a refrigerator, and 0.5 sones like rustling leaves.

Some bathroom exhaust fans have humidity sensors that turn the fan on when moist air is present and then turn the fan off when the air is refreshed and no longer holds noticeable moisture.

Which bathroom exhaust fan would be best for my bathroom?

I would recommend a bathroom exhaust fan rated at 100 cfm or more and a sone level of something around the level of rustling toilet paper. I would also recommend you install a timer switch so you can leave the fan running after you leave the bathroom and have the fan turn itself off about 20 minutes later.

A ceiling fan has a duct attached that is designed to take the warm moist air and discharge it into the great outdoors. Be sure the duct is firmly attached to the fan and that the duct terminates outside and not just into the attic space.

How does a fan waste energy and increase my power bill?

Ceiling fans are dust collectors. Combine the flow of exhausting air with the moisture content of the air and you have a dust collecting system. One, the fan is good at collecting and holding dust, grit and grime and two, the ceiling fan is mounted in the ceiling and hard to see and hard to reach and clean. The ceiling fan becomes the forgotten appliance.

With accumulating dust, the motor and fan will struggle to maintain speed and effectiveness. The motor works harder, runs longer, gets hotter and uses more electricity than it needs to. The exhaust fan turns slower and the electric meter spins faster.

Recently, I was in a home where the homeowner insisted the bathroom fan was working well. I stood under the fan, a test square of toilet paper at the ready, as he turned the fan on. You know how an electric motor can make a humming sound and not do anything. He thought the fan was working since it made a nice humming sound, but the fan was not turning and not exhausting anything. I held the TP square up to the fan and then watched it gentle float to the floor.

Can a ceiling fan earn the Energy Star Efficiency Rating?

Yes, ceiling exhaust fans are rated by the Energy Star program and can earn an Energy Star rating. As with any appliance, look for the Energy Star rating and then look further to see how efficient the appliance is within that rating. One Energy Star ceiling fan maybe noticeably more efficient than another Energy Star rated fan.

Do remember, to maintain that efficiency, the fan needs to be installed and ducted correctly.

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Mold in Your Attic? What Every Homeowner Should Know About Bathroom Fans and Attic Ventilation

Mold in Your Attic? What Every Homeowner Should Know About Bathroom Fans and Attic Ventilation

Attic ventilation is a critical component has a temperature in the attic all year round. In summer it is to save the life of the tiles from the board cooler and reduce cooling costs in the winter, reducing the temperature difference, which in turn prevents you from collecting moisture in the form of condensation. Did you know that with the proper amount of attic ventilation also needed to ensure the majority of producers of gravel to enforce? Whenit comes to mold the most import ventilation concerns occur in the winter. In the winter during the coldest months as we run our furnaces, hot air escapes into the cold unheated attic space. When the escaping hot air emerges into the cold attic it rises as heat always does. It seeks out the highest portions of the attic where it then coalesces against the cold boards of the roof. This hot- air-mass-meets-cold-surface phenomena results in a condition known as dew point, which creates moisture in the form of water droplets and ice crystals. The nails themselves also will contribute to this moisture problem as iron is a good conductor of temperature and will readily convey the biting chill of cold winter air directly inside the attic. The evidence of this, can be seen in the form of drips and of drip spots underneath the nails themselves.

Bathroom fans vented directly into the attic or Soffet areas rather than straight through the roof are also to blame for exacerbated moisture problems which lead to mold, wood- rot and health problems. The more adults showering in the house and the longer the showers the more moisture will enter an attic. In fact in some families the bathroom fans alone are the sole culprit responsible for major mold infestations!

If you want to eliminate attic mold permanently you NEED to get EQUAL amounts of Intake Air and Exhaust or Out-take Air into your Attic!

Building scientists have proven that using a balanced ventilation system that utilizes equal amounts incoming and out going air. Incoming air comes in from under the eves through vents cut in the underside of the roof overhangs which are called soffets. Proper soffet ventilation is essential to large amounts of incoming air needed for intake. Many attics were originally vented properly but have become packed with insulation along the way by an over-zealous insulation contractor or homeowner, in an attempt to actually stop air from coming in, sadly a common mistake. This mistake was very common in the 80's and 90's. There are two basic types of Soffet vents: either a contiguous vent or a individual vents which come in round and square varieties. I generally prefer to use 6 inch by 12 inch square vents because of the ease of installation and the low material cost. They work surprisingly well and offer a lot of surface area. They can be purchased easily in brown white and silver to match virtually any siding.

Out-take air, exhaust air ventilation can take 4 basic forms: Gable end vents, ridge vents, box vents or power vents. Of the four the ridge vent is to be preferred, due to its location at the highest point of the attic, namely the ridge. Because heat always rises it is passively efficient at exhausting large amounts of heated air without the use of electricity. Be sure to select a ridge vent without a complicated filter which can become clogged; I prefer the simple metal designs for their simplistic efficient design and operation. Box vents while older and more dated can be efficient if there is a sufficient number of them located across the surface. If your attic already has square, can, or box type vents but not enough of them, it can be a less expensive solution to an inadequate exhaust air problem. The reason is simple they are cheap and easy to install and like the square intake vents can be easily purchased in several colors to match any shingle. If you have a hip roof there may be insufficient ridge length to allow for sufficient out-take; box vents can be an ideal solution for this problem. Powered vents work well, but are dependent upon electricity for operation. This both costs money and is subject to wear and tear of moving parts. Additionally in the event of power outages can leave the attic over heated, for these reasons the author does not recommend them.

Beware of mixing two different kinds of ventilation!!!

By far one of the most common, and the most troubling ventilation mistakes is the mixed use of two completely different ventilation systems. For example mixing a ridge vent with a box vent or a previously installed power vent or gable end vents. What goes wrong is this: air always follows the path of least resistance and looks for the nearest opening , often the ridge will draft air from the box vents and short circuit the entire exhaust air systems, eliminating any chance of correcting the water/moisture issues. It can also bring unwanted weather snow debris etc into the attic because box vents and gable end vents were not meant to be intake vents, which can cause tremendous damage! So remember don't mix two ventilation systems pick one and stick with it ensuring there is enough of whatever vent system you choose.

Is correcting my ventilation a cure for a mold problem in my attic?

Sadly NO, it is not a cure for mold but just for ventilation problems which create moisture issues. No matter who installs your ventilation system in the winter if you are running supplemental heat in your home your attic will be subject to some moisture from time to time during the coldest days. For this reason and several others it is a must to actually treat the mold with a system designed to remove it completely without leaving behind mold or poisonous heavy metals paints and chemicals that can make your family sick. Even dead mold can still affect your health and make your family sick. It is also a good idea to hire a mold contractor with a ventilation expert on staff, because hiring a roofing contractor and a mold contractor is always more expensive!

Did you know most contractors use toxic chemicals to kill mold which may contains carcinogens which are cancer causing agents?

In fact ,sadly, I have seen many many attic projects fail after so-called "professional treatments" :( ! That's why we train other contractors from around the world in the efficient removal of mold using family-safe all natural products that are absolutely lethal to mold. For detailed diagrams and photos of ventilation projects feel free to visit us or call us directly!

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