Is Your Bathroom Ventilation Fan The Right Size?

Your bathroom has the potential to be the most humid room in your house, and with humidity comes a whole raft of associated problems, from warped wood to broken drywall, mold and condensation. As a consequence, it is vital that your bathroom is correctly ventilated, especially if there is no external window. In many instances, the only option available is to install an electric ventilation fan in the ceiling. In fact, you may already have one installed, but do you know if it is big enough and operating efficiently?

In addition, so many of today’s ventilation fans come with a wide range of options, such as motion sensors, built in heat lamps and heat exchangers which can help avoid losing too much hot air when in operation. Here at Petrocelli Services we hope we have some of the answers you might be looking for when it comes to ensuring that your bathroom is correctly ventilated.

Ventilator fans are rated by CFM, which stands for cubic feet per minute. The CFM rating is based on the dimensions of a room with a standard eight-foot ceiling. Thus, for a bathroom which measures five feet by eight feet, you would need a ventilation fan with a CFM rating of 40. That rating is also based on the fact the fan will replace the air in your bathroom at least eight times per hour of continuous use.

Of course, some of you may have a luxurious bathroom which is larger than 100 square feet, in which case you should increase the CFM rating by 50 for each bath, shower and toilet, and by 100 if you have a whirlpool bath.

If you are unsure if your bathroom fan is up to the task, just give us a call and we’ll be glad to come out and, free of charge, advise you of how well your bathroom is currently being ventilated.