Bath Room Fan Page

Bath room fans are very simple to select if you use a process of elimination.

There are 3 basic operations to consider when purchasing a fan.

  1. Venting odors.

  2. Venting humidity.
  3. Noise factor.

 
First:
To vent a bath room properly, figure out the area of the bath room you want to vent. This is done by measuring the length and multiplying it by the width of the bathroom. This will give you the square footage. All bath fans will have a recommended square footage they will vent.

At this point, most manufactures will have multiple fans that may be suitable for the bath area.

Second:
The next step is to determine the cfm you want to have. Cfm is "cubic feet (of air) per minute. The higher the cfm number is, the more air the fan will move. This may be desirable if you have a tub or shower in the bath area. A higher cfm will vent the moisture out at a higher rate.

If the bath only has a stool area, a lower cfm fan may work best. A lower cfm fan will not pull your heat or air conditioning out of your house as fast.

Third:
The next option to consider is the noise factor. Fan noise is rated in sones. The higher the sones, the more noise the fan will make. Most customers want the quieter fans. This would be 2.5 sones or less. A fan rated 3 - 3.5 sones is an average noise level. Fans rated 4 sones and higher are the loudest fans.
I've had occasions where the noisier the fan, the better. This is because the bathroom is located in the central area of the house. The louder fan noise will mask other noises associated with the bathroom area.

Finally:
Look for the design you want.
Bath fans come in a variety of shapes, colors and styles.
Plastic covers are very common. Wood and metal fan covers are also available. Covers come in rectangle, square and round shapes.

Bath fans also come with lights, bulb heaters, fan forced heaters, and night lights.

Below are a few examples.