If you’re not using your exhaust fan every time you shower, you should, or if it’s broken you need to get it fixed ASAP.
The exhaust fan in your bathroom is responsible for removing excess moisture, odors, and stale air. Without it, bacteria and mold will thrive.
When you flip the switch on your bathroom’s exhaust fan, air is exhausted out of the room through a vent duct that empties through the roof or through an exit vent on the side of your home’s exterior.
There are a variety of bathroom vent fans available that incorporate different features and styles to suit not only the aesthetic of your bathroom but also enhance the fan’s function. Some fans have a timer that sets the ventilation system to run for a designated period of time. Other fans include humidity sensors that automatically kick on when your bathroom’s moisture levels cross a certain threshold.
Without proper ventilation, your steamy shower can wreak havoc to your bathroom’s walls and plumbing. Paint and wallpaper will peel when the air is too damp, and excessive moisture can lead to wood rot and structural damage as it softens drywall.
Bathrooms with too much moisture are at a higher risk of developing mold and mildew. This can happen within your walls or start to grow in your tub and shower. Mold spores are also airborne, meaning they can be carried out of the bathroom and reach other parts of the home, triggering illness respiratory problems.
Even if you keep your bathroom clean, excess moisture will give microorganisms a place to grow. Your family will be more susceptible to contracting illnesses through germs that grow on plumbing fixtures.
For any of your plumbing and HVAC needs, contact the experts at Hero Plumbing, Heating & Cooling today at (612) 324-1004. Whether you want to install a bathroom exhaust fan or take care of a leaky pipe, we’re ready to help whenever you need us.
Q. In winter, I’m wondering if it would help bring moisture to my house and reduce leakage of warm air if I don’t use the bathroom exhaust fan while taking a shower. I don’t want mold to grow in the shower, but I know all that warm air is going right out the ceiling.
Barb H.
Milwaukee, Wis.
A. Dearest Barb,
Reader support helps sustain our work. Donate today to keep our climate news free. All donations DOUBLED!
One Time
Monthly
$120
$180
Other
$10
$15
Other
Have you considered leaving the fan off for good and redecorating your bathroom with a jungle theme? You know, green walls, potted bromeliads, monkey shower curtain? That way, the occasional clouds of steam will just add to the ambience.
Of course you haven’t, Barb, because that would be a highly inefficient way to deal with moisture buildup in the bath. But you’re right that one of the standard solutions to the fogged-up mirror issue – running the bathroom exhaust fan – is problematic in the cold months (and the hot months too, if you have AC). The fan’s job, after all, is to shoot your humid, heated air out of the house. That household air needs to be replaced from somewhere, and when that somewhere is the frigid Wisconsin winterscape outside, your heating system has to kick in to get the new air supply up to snuff.
Running the heat more than necessary: Boo! But nobody likes a dripping bathroom, either, for mold as well as laundry reasons. Here’s a deceptively simple solution: Leave the door open when you shower. The steam will dissipate more evenly into the house, keeping the bathroom drier while increasing humidity elsewhere. And that, you may recall, is an energy win because the more humid the air, the lower you can set your thermostat while still feeling comfortable. Note: This approach requires cooperation from any housemates you may have, and perhaps an opaque shower curtain (those monkeys are looking better and better).
If this is a nonstarter, you can still deal with the steam buildup without venting your precious heat outside. What about a fan? Even a small one can move moisture from the powder room out to the hallway, and I’m hearing that doorway fans are particularly nice for forcing air from one room to another. Or how about a small dehumidifier, Barb? Its sole purpose is to wring out sopping air, and a small and/or Energy Star-rated machine cuts down on electricity use. Both of these methods require energy to run, unlike that open-door policy above, but they skip the part where your heater has to fire up again.
All this said, it’s not a terrible idea to run the exhaust fan, Barb, if you do it sparingly: Try 5 or 10 minutes after your shower, then flip the switch. Even better if your fan is Energy Star-approved and correctly sized for your bathroom – too much power just means wasted electricity. It’s a lot more efficient than opening a bathroom window in February, anyway.
I should mention that there are home technologies out there that do an even better job of dealing with shower steam and more: Heat recovery ventilators (HRVs) and energy recovery ventilators (ERVs) are whole-house systems that transfer most of the heat (and water vapor, in the case of ERVs) from the outgoing air to the new air they pull inside to replace it. These systems can even be set to vent from rooms like the bathroom and kitchen and to pump the fresh stuff into bed- and living rooms. HRVs/ERVs are best for very tight – that is, energy-efficient – houses and can be quite expensive, especially in certain climates, but they’re worth a look if you’re ever in the market to remodel.
Otherwise, Barb, you can speed up the bathroom-drying process by hanging wet towels on the outside of the door, not inside. And though I know this sounds like torture in those cruel Midwestern winters, a shorter, cooler shower will also help keep the steam levels manageable (and save still more energy, plus water to boot!). Hey, the Scandinavians swear by it.
Muggily,
Umbra