BATHROOM VENTILATION FAN INSTALLATION & REPLACEMENT

As the trend to larger spa-like bathrooms continues to gain in popularity, the need for proper bathroom ventilation becomes more important. While many people are tired of their noisy and in effective bath fan – not many people know how to properly size a fan to their needs.

At Robert Redford Electrical Services, we can ensure that bathroom ventilation properly suits the size of your bathroom to facilitate adequate airflow. In particular, we offer a variety of bathroom fan installation services, including:

Whether you need to install or replace a bathroom fan, our team of licensed technicians can tackle the project. We are fully licensed, bonded and insured, and can handle both residential and commercial jobs of all types and sizes.
Bathroom Ventilation

How Do You Ensure Proper Bathroom Ventilation?

There are a few different ways to calculate the number of Cubic Feet Per Minute (CFM) of air movement needed to properly ventilate a bathroom. Make sure you check out the end of the article and read about static pressure. A long duct run from the fan to the outside can skew your calculations.

METHOD 1

This method works on the assumption that the goal for bathroom ventilation is 8 complete air changes per hour. Take your square footage x ceiling height to get the total cubic feet to be ventilated.
Example: Bathroom measures 10 feet wide and 12 feet long. It has 8 foot ceilings. So 10 x 12 x 8 = 960 cubic feet.
We take the cubic feet and divide by 60 – which is the number of minutes in an hour. We take the result and multiply by 8 (remember, our target is 8 complete air changes each hour). The complete equation is as follows:
Extractor Fan1

STEP 1

10 ft X 12 ft X 8 ft = 960 cubic feet.

STEP 2

960 divided by 60 = 16.

STEP 3

16 x 8 = 128

So – we need 128 CFM of air movement to properly ventilate this bathroom. Assuming there is not and excessively long or twisting duct run to the outside – we would select a fan that moves somewhere around 130 CFM or higher. Examples would be the Panasonic FV-15VQ4 or Broan QTXE150FLT, both of which are rated at 150 CFM. If an inline fan is desired – the Fantech FR 110 would suffice.

METHOD 2

This method is a simple one – for bathrooms under 100 square feet. According to guidelines of HVI (Home Ventilating Institute) baths 100 square feet or smaller require one CFM per square foot of bathroom – with a minimum of 50 CFM.
So – if you have a 7 foot by 9 foot bath – you need 63 CFM. It doesn’t get any simpler than this. Most conventional ceiling insert fans, however, are rated either 50 or 80 CFM – so you will have to round up or down (rounding up preferred).

METHOD 3

This method of calculation is designed for bathrooms over 100 square feet and factors in the number of fixtures in the bath (toilets, showers, tubs). The rules are:
So – if you have 1 toilet (50 CFM), 1 shower (50 CFM) and 1 whirlpool tub (100 CFM) – you will need a 200 CFM Fan.

Improve your bathroom ventilation with fan installation or bathroom fan replacement services from Robert Redford Electrical. We’ve been serving the Lower Mainland since 1986, and will ensure that your bathroom is ventilated the right way. Call (778) 840 – 2594  today to get your free quote!

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