When you turn on your bathroom fan does it sound like a helicopter is taking off? Wouldn’t it be nice if everytime you turned it on, the whole neighborhood didn’t have to know. At Pasterkamp we know how to give you quiet AC and heat but replacing your bathrooms fan is easy if you know how.
How To: Install a Bathroom Fan
Getting Started: Selecting Appropriate Size and Style
Bathroom fans come in several sizes, from small units that exhaust just 50 cubic feet of air per minute (CFM) to larger units that remove almost 200 CFM. Choosing the proper fan size from this wide range is critical to your family’s safety. A fan that’s too small won’t remove enough odor or moisture, and one that’s too big can create a dangerous negative air pressure situation that pulls deadly carbon monoxide back through your furnace or water heater flue.
To calculate the size that will meet your needs, multiply the bathroom’s length times its width and height to arrive at total cubic feet. Then multiply the total cubic feet by .13 and round up to the nearest 10. For example, a 9 ft. x 7 ft. bath with an 8 ft. ceiling equals 504 cubic feet. When you multiply 504 by .13, you get 65 CFM, so round up and buy a 70 CFM bathroom fan. However, if you have a large bathroom (600 cubic feet or more) or one with a jetted tub, it’s best to bump fan size by 50 CFM.
Quieter fans cost more, so invest in one that fits your budget. If you have a mold problem in your bath, you may also consider a model with a built-in moisture sensor that runs the fan until humidity drops to a normal level. Choose a “retrofit” model with slightly larger dimensions than your current fan for easiest installation. Retrofit models can be installed from inside the bath, saving you a trip into your attic, and a larger footprint eliminates any need to patch the wall.
