In Peachtree City’s humid climate, good indoor ventilation is essential for your comfort and health. Bathroom ventilation is especially important due to the extra humidity in this room.

How Good Ventilation Helps

Taking showers, flushing the toilet, and washing your hands all add moisture to the air in your bathroom. Ventilation removes the trapped moisture, which provides a number of benefits.

• Stay more comfortable — High humidity can make you feel chillier in low temperatures and hotter in high temperatures. With better humidity control you’ll feel more comfortable after showers and as you prepare for your day.
• Minimize bacteria growth — Potentially harmful bacteria such as staphylococcus (staph infection) and streptococcus (strep throat) are less prolific in conditions with lower humidity.
• Prevent mold and mildew — Mold is less likely to develop in conditions with humidity levels below 50 percent. You’ll have less mildew on your grout, walls and ceilings, and fewer mold spores to threaten your respiratory health.
• Reduced condensation — With less excess moisture in the air, you’ll see less condensation on your windows, mirrors, and shower walls.

Planning Your Bathroom Ventilation

To prevent excess humidity in your bathroom, you’ll need a ventilation fan that’s correctly sized and installed. Ideally, the fan should be able to exchange the room air eight times per hour. To size your fan, you’ll need approximately 50 cfm (cubic feet per minute) per toilet and 50 cfm per shower or tub.

For added convenience, look for features such as motion-activated lights, a timer or a heat exchanger that reduces energy waste.

The fan should be installed to exhaust air into a duct that directs the air outdoors, not into your walls. Using the wall joists to guide exhaust air can result in moisture and mold problems in the walls.

Run the fan for around 15 minutes after you shower. Don’t leave it on longer than this or you’ll let in more humidity than you let out. Using a timer makes this easier.

For guidance on planning your bathroom ventilation, contact us at Powers Heating & Air in the Peachtree City area.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Peachtree City, Georgia and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about bathroom ventilation and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 770-487-2040.

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