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Bathroom Fans and Humidity Sensors Red Deer

Bathrooms and water go hand in hand. And where there’s water there’s humidity.

Especially on those cold Edmonton mornings when you take an extra long and hot shower to warm up and wake up. When you finally step out of the shower, you notice a layer of condensation on the floor, the countertop, the walls, pretty much everywhere. That’s caused by too much humidity.

Too much humidity is not a good thing and we rely on our bathroom fans to tackle that problem — and others for a long time. Which really means we’re relying on ourselves because the fan only works if we remember to turn it on.

Over the past years our humble bathroom fan has been upgraded. You can now get fans with a humidity sensor. These fans monitor and reduce high levels of moisture. When the sensor registers that the humidity has surpassed a certain point the fan is triggered and will run until the humidity drops to proper levels. Some fans even have a motion sensor turning on when they detect someone in the room.

What exactly is humidity? It’s moisture in the air and your bathroom has a lot of it. You know all that moisture on your bathroom surfaces when you get out of the shower? That’s caused by humidity and if you don’t lower the humidity, you’re asking for trouble. A main issue of too much humidity is it creates a perfect environment for mold and mildew. They love it.

There are two types of bathroom fan sensors:

one that tracks the humidity levels in the room; and
one that senses movement in the room.

Some fans have both types of sensors and some only have the humidity sensor.

A fan with both types of sensors are your best bet, because they can also tackle the other job fans are responsible for — removing nasty smells. By having the motion sensor, the fan can start when it detects movement in the bathroom. Now you don’t have to worry about your child turning on the fan after using the bathroom.

A humidity sensing fan is also an asset in other areas of your home. Take a look at your laundry room and basement to see if they would benefit from this type of fan.

There are several benefits to having a fan with humidity and motion sensors.

By keeping the moisture under control, it prevents the growth of mildew, mold, and bacteria.
It eliminates smells.
It can help maintain bathroom furniture. Wood products soak up that excess moisture which causes warping. High humidity can also make paint peel. A humidity sensing fan keeps humidity at bay, eliminating these issues.
It’s energy-efficient and saves on utility bills. With the built-in humidity and motion sensors the fan only works when needed and will turn itself off. So it only runs when needed unlike older fans which run non-stop until you remember to turn them off. Look for ENERGY STAR certified devices.
The automatic control means ease of use. Never worry about forgetting to turn on or off the fan again.

When you are buying a fan with a humidity sensor, there are a few things to consider.

Room size – This will help determine the size of fan you need. On the fans packaging look for the CFM (cubic feet meter) number. This indicates how much volume of air the fan can move. It is directly related to the size of your bathroom and important in deciding which fan to get.

It is recommended that your fan is able to completely refresh the air in your bathroom eight times an hour (every 7.5 minutes). The rule of thumb is one CFM per square foot room for bathrooms up to 100 square feet. For bathrooms larger than 100 square feet, you will need to calculate the needed CFM by dividing your bathroom’s volume — to determine your bathroom’s volume, multiply its length by width by ceiling height — by 7.5 — which is how long in minutes you want the refresh cycle to be.

Air flow needs – Refers to how much air the fan can exhaust. You don’t want a weak and undersized fan.

Fan speed – Fans come with either fixed or adjustable speeds.

Sensor type – Humidity sensor or humidity and motion sensor.

Fan housing – You want to make sure it fits in the space you have to install it.

Noise levels – Fan noise levels are measured in sones, so if you want a quiet fan look for the one with the lowest sones. Anything over 2.5 sones is considered loud.

Features – Fans come with different features. There are fans with built-in Bluetooth speakers, emit warm air, have timers, and include a light feature.

Number of fans – If you have an enclosed shower area or toilet stall, you should get two fans.

Bathroom fans are wired directly into your home electrical system. If you are replacing your fan with a fan that fits in the same space, it is a job a confident DIY-er can do. However, if you aren’t comfortable working with electricity, your bathroom doesn’t currently have a fan, or the new fan doesn’t fit into the old fan’s space, you need to hire a certified electrician to install it.

As you can see, bathroom fans have come a long way. Nowadays, you can find a fan to satisfy even your inner “techie-geek”.

There are two types of bathroom fan sensors:

one that tracks the humidity levels in the room; and
one that senses movement in the room.

Some fans have both types of sensors and some only have the humidity sensor.

A humidity sensing fan is also an asset in other areas of your home. Take a look at your laundry room and basement to see if they would benefit from this type of fan.

There are several benefits to having a fan with humidity and motion sensors.

By keeping the moisture under control, it prevents the growth of mildew, mold, and bacteria.
It eliminates smells.
It can help maintain bathroom furniture. Wood products soak up that excess moisture which causes warping. High humidity can also make paint peel. A humidity sensing fan keeps humidity at bay, eliminating these issues.
It’s energy-efficient and saves on utility bills. With the built-in humidity and motion sensors the fan only works when needed and will turn itself off. So it only runs when needed unlike older fans which run non-stop until you remember to turn them off. Look for ENERGY STAR certified devices.
The automatic control means ease of use. Never worry about forgetting to turn on or off the fan again.