Your Bathroom Might Need A Vent Fan If It Stays Humid And You Struggle With Mildew And Mold
Posted on: 5 May 2021
If there is always mold and mildew in your bathroom, the problem might be a lack of ventilation that keeps the room warm and humid. If you don't already have a vent fan installed, consider hiring a residential electrician to install one for you. Vent fans are standard in new homes, but if your home is old, your bathroom might not have a fan. Here's why you want one and how an electrician puts in a new bathroom fan.
Why Bathroom Fans Are Usually Necessary
Your bathroom is one of the most humid rooms in the house. All that humidity trapped in the room leads to mold, which you have to constantly clean away. Humidity might also cause damage to your bathroom's wallpaper, paint, and flooring. Humidity is difficult to get rid of unless you keep the bathroom door open, and then the humidity goes in the rest of your house.
Installing a bathroom fan is the solution. The fan draws humidity up a vent pipe and blows it away from your house. This keeps your bathroom much drier as long as you remember to turn the fan on each time you shower or bathe.
How An Electrician Installs A Bathroom Fan
A bathroom fan is usually installed in the ceiling of your bathroom rather than the wall. If your bathroom has a light in the ceiling, the electrician might install the fan near the light so it can hook into the existing wiring. However, if necessary, the electrician can install new wiring for the fan.
A bathroom fan comprises the fan itself that is inserted in the ceiling, a switch with an optional timer, wiring, a vent pipe, and a vent opening to the outside. When the fan is installed in the ceiling, the fan itself rests in the attic. Only the grille is visible on your ceiling. The switch can hook into a light switch wiring and be hooked up so there is one switch for the lights and one for the fan.
Part of the installation work is done in the bathroom, and part of it is done in the attic. A vent tube is attached to the end of the fan and the other end extends to the roof or wall of your attic. Air from a bathroom vent fan has to be blown outdoors. If the air is released in your attic, your attic will get damp and moldy.
You can buy the vent fan you like and have an electrician install it for you, or you can ask advice from an electrician before you purchase a fan. It's important to buy the right size for the square footage of your bathroom, but you still have options to consider, such as whether you want a fan that runs on a timer or a whisper-quiet model.
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