Bathroom Exhaust Fans are Easy to Install

Posted on October 7th, 2007 in Installation by fan

The bathroom has been around since ancient civilization to serve as a convenient and private place within the dwelling unit for man’s daily ablutions. It is a room that has undergone many changes and design innovations throughout the centuries to address the ever increasing need for hygienic living. Today, a typical modern bathroom contains basic fixtures such as a sink, toilet, shower and bath, hot and cold water plumbing and bathroom exhaust fans.

Except for the plumbing fixtures, bathroom exhaust fans are very affordable and easy to install—-if your bathroom is not yet equipped with one, or would like to upgrade your existing exhaust fan. But before we go into that, you may be wondering: “What is the purpose of bathroom exhaust fans?”

Aside from removing bathroom odors and improve air quality, bathroom exhaust fans serve another important purpose. When you take a hot shower, for instance, moisture accumulates in the air which in turn encourages the growth of molds and mildew that are detrimental to your family’s health and damage building materials like causing paint peeling and warping of doors. Bathroom exhaust fans can tremendously eliminate all the problems associated with high moisture content inside your bathroom.

If you are planning to do your own installation, look around the market for a quiet fan motor whose power rating and air drawing capacity will match the size and appointments of your bathroom. The air drawing capacity of bathroom exhaust fans for standard size bathrooms is 50 cubic feet per minute with an ideal sound rating of 0.5 sones or less. There are fan models with built-in lights whose motors start running when the light is switched on. However, the disadvantage of this model is that you may inadvertently turn off the lights before all the moisture has been removed after a shower. That is why it is also wise to look for a fan model that is equipped with a timer. Set the timer to turn off the fan motor fifteen minutes after you leave the bathroom.

More often than not, installing bathroom exhaust fans merely involves the upgrading of an existing under rated system, or replacement of a defective fan in your bathroom. Because of this, you have to ascertain that you purchase a unit that will fit into the existing cavity on your bathroom wall and will require the same size and type of ducting. If, however, the unit you preferred to purchase will require different size wall openings and wirings—like bathroom exhaust fans with built-in lights, timers and sensors, there is much wisdom in calling in professional help.

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