Right Bath recently had a client with who had problems with the paint peeling on her walls and mold spots on her bathroom ceiling. She was confused on how this can occur when she had an exhaust fan that operated just fine. Come to find out the exhaust fan was venting into her attic. With no way to exit to the outdoors, the moisture stayed within the home and manifested itself as mold and peeling paint. This is a problem that occurs more often than you’d think.
(Example of incorrect venting to attic.)
As we’ve seen, just having an exhaust fan does not mean your bathroom is going to be vented correctly. The exhaust fan should vent to the exterior of your home. If it vents through the roof, make sure the vent has a proper damper so that air doesn’t blow back into the duct.
Exhaust fans venting to an attic space can cause major moisture issues. With moisture building up in the vent, water can actually drip down the exhaust fan vent if severe enough. For some, this may give the impression of a roof leak when in fact it’s entirely different issue. Proper insulation and venting will correct this problem.
St. Louis County building code required bathroom ventilation, either through an operable window or an exhaust fan. The exhaust fan must be able to move at least 50 cubic feet of air per meter (see STL County code requirements). If you only have a window in your bathroom and it’s being used for showers and baths on a regular basis, that window may not provide adequate ventilation. If this is the case, consider putting in an exhaust fan.
Here at Right Bath we love Panasonic Whisper Exhaust Fans because of their efficiency and high performance. These fans can come with cool features like LED lights or heaters to help heat up the bathroom on cold days. They also have a timer feature that way you don’t accidently leave the fan on too long which can pull conditioned air out of the house.
The professionals at Right Bath can help with all aspects of your bathroom remodel. This includes performing all work up to the proper code requirements. If you’re interested in contacting Right Bath for your next bathroom project, call 314-909-1820 or visit here.