Bathroom Fan Purchasing Guide

A bathrooms fan is critical to complete the indoor ventilation system of your house. They can be either ventilation or exhaust fans. These are useful for exhausting offensive odors and humid air that tends to get accumulated in the bathroom. Bathroom fans are often called vent fans, bathroom exhausts or just bath fan vents.

When buying a bathroom fan, understand that,

• If the fan has its motor located externally, such as in the attic, it will be much quieter. This arrangement is central to all fans being advertised as quiet bathroom fans.
• You must buy a fan with a rating of at least 50 CFM (cubic feet per minute) . Bathrooms fans are prepared for varying degrees of ventilation needs. Their exhaust capabilities are defined by the number of digits against the CFM rating. Calculate the cubic feet of your bathroom by multiplying its length, width and height and then dividing by 60. This figure needs to be multiplied by 8. The CFM rating should be higher than this value. 
• Bathroom fans are also categorized according to the mount type and choice of location. 

Inline Fans

Inline fans are only recommended for cramped bathrooms that do not have a clear, defined roofing/ceiling space for proper installation. This installation costs a lot more than conventional bathroom room installations.

Ceiling-mounted Fans

This type of fan is connected to the ceiling’s ducting. The moisture is expelled through an external vent. You can use this type if you want to minimize the installation expenditure. This is the most common installation format.

Wall-mounted Fans

A wall-mounted fan is installed directly on the wall, removing the expenditure on ductwork. This is the cheapest form of installation along with the window bathroom fan that is installed in a small frame made in the window space. However, owing to the smaller windows usually found in bathrooms, there is a size limitation on the choice of fan.