Your Guide to Bathroom Ventilation and Why You Need It

How much time do you spend in your bathroom a day? It’s an area of the house that might not be the most glamorous, but it’s still important.

That’s why, on average, we spend between $5000 and $21,000 on bathroom renovations. Keeping our bathrooms as fresh as we keep ourselves can help keep these costs down.

Keeping your bathroom fresh isn’t always as easy as opening a window, however. You’ve got to consider everything from air humidity to water damage.

That’s why having the right bathroom ventilation is so important. Here’s our guide to ventilation for your bathroom to help you realize just why you need it.

The Purpose of Bathroom Ventilation

Before you purchase a bathroom vent fan, you should understand the purposes behind buying and installing one.

The main reason people install a bathroom vent is to tackle moisture and odors. Bathrooms, especially if you have a shower or bath, are the perfect ground for moisture to build up in the air.

If there’s not enough air circulation, the humidity of your bathroom will stay high, as will the heat, creating a haven for mold and other toxins.

That’ll also cause your bathroom to start to smell as the damage to your fixtures and fittings spreads. 

That’s why you need a bathroom ventilation fan. Circulating the air can cool it down, remove moisture, and limit the damage.

Types of Ventilation Available

There are several types of ventilation available for your bathroom.

The most common type of ventilation fans available are those that are mounted on the ceiling. Remembering your basic physics, hot air will rise, making a ceiling fan the best option to help remove damp and warm air after a hot shower or bath.

You can also have fans that mounted into the walls. These will suck the warm air outside, much as a ceiling fan would. You can also have inline fans which can be ceiling or wall mounted.

The size of the bathroom vent fan you need will vary, depending on the room size. You can help choose the right sized ventilation fan from this sizing guide.

Benefits of Bathroom Vents

We’ve briefly touched upon the benefits of installing a bathroom vent, but it’s important to understand that it’s not just about air circulation.

Vents in your bathroom can help you save money. You’re not going to be spending as much on bathroom renovations if your bathroom stays in better condition over a longer period.

Removing moist air can keep your fittings, fixtures, walls, and decor in better shape. 

You also won’t have to worry so much about your health. With no mold spores in the air, you won’t have to worry about the quality of the air you’re breathing in, thanks to the ventilation you install.

And yes – your friends and family will thank you for it. You won’t have to worry about any kind of lingering odors in your bathroom, due to mold or anything else, because your vent fan will remove them for you.

Other Considerations

Before you purchase a fan, there are several other things to consider, such as installation costs, noise and fan quality.

Depending on the contractor you choose, the installation of a bathroom fan could cost you several hundred dollars in parts and labor. You can reduce some of the costs by completing some of the labor yourself.

Here’s our helpful guide on how to install a wall exhaust fan yourself.

You need to be aware of the fan capacity. The fan you purchase will have a performance measurement of air removal by cubic feet per minute (or CFM).

The greater this number, the more air that can be removed, although you don’t want to overdo it.

As we’ve mentioned previously, you need an appropriately sized fan for the size of your room. According to the Home Ventilating Institute, a good figure to work with is one CFM per square foot of the area of your bathroom.

You should also consider the fan’s sound rating to determine whether it would be suitable for use in your own bathroom.

Do You Need Vents for Your Bathroom?

Is ventilation for your bathroom really necessary?

That’s your decision to make, but we believe so. Ultimately, the purpose behind purchasing a bathroom vent is for better air circulation and better air quality.

Your bathroom is the ideal area for hot, warm and wet air to collect. 

You might think you can get away without one if you have a window, but a window doesn’t have a fan, so you aren’t getting the best circulation you need to replace the air.

And if you don’t have a window in your bathroom?

Then you definitely need a vent. Mold, once it’s in place, is hard to shift. It can build up in areas all over your bathroom, inside your walls, and cause you to be seriously ill.

Why put your health at risk? 

Don’t Neglect Ventilation in Your Bathroom

Without adequate ventilation, you’re causing damage – to your health, to your bathroom, and to your wallet.

Ventilation can help remove harmful bacteria that might be lingering in the air. It can also limit the damage that high humidity can bring, such as mold.

You also won’t have to worry as much about bathroom decor and maintenance.

Do you have questions about bathroom ventilation that need answering?

Don’t be afraid to get in touch so we can help you find the right ventilation system for your bathroom.