How to Ventilate a Bathroom

When you are remodeling or building your bathroom, ventilation is something that should be considered. Proper ventilation can help reduce the moisture from the room (something bathrooms are prone to, especially with a bath or shower), as well as reduce the possible smells. This eHow can help you ventilate your bathroom properly.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Determine the square footage of the bathroom you wish to ventilate. If the bathroom is up to 100 square feet, an exhaust fan should provide 1 CFM per square foot or be capable of changing the air eight times in each hour.

2. Add a more powerful fan for more square footage in your bathroom when you wish to ventilate it. You need to take into account not only the square footage if it is more than 100 square feet, but the fixtures as well. The Home Ventilating Institute recommends this formula: a toilet, shower, and a bath tub require a 50 CFM for each, while a tub that's jetted requires 100 CFM.

3. Install one 50 CFM exhaust fan if your bathroom is over 100 square feet, as well as one over the toilet and the tub. You can also install one 150 CFM fan for the entire bathroom, as long as it is centrally located to properly ventilate your bathroom.

4. Make sure your fans are located near the shower or the toilet for proper ventilation of the bathroom. Make sure also that the fans are located away from the fresh air that will be required to help ventilate the bathroom. If need be, create a little more space beneath your bathroom door to allow the fresh air needed for the exhaust fans to enter the bathroom.

5. Allow the exhaust fan to run at least 20 minutes to properly ventilate the bathroom after using the shower or bath. You can have the fan set on a timer so it will go off automatically.