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What is the Best Bathroom Exhaust Fan?
An efficient, high-performing bathroom exhaust fan is critical for more than odor control. Choosing the best bathroom exhaust fan for your commercial property or residential new construction is necessary to properly remove humidity that can wreak havoc on bathroom walls, paint, and wallpaper. And, proper exhaust of moist air from these small areas will reduce the levels of airborne contaminants that can affect the health of children, the elderly, and anyone with a compromised respiratory system.
Here, we will discuss the 3 key elements you need to consider when choosing the best bathroom exhaust fan for your property - air flow capacity, noise level, and performance-enhancing features.
3 Important Features of a Bathroom Exhaust Fan
The Right Air Flow Capacity
For proper ventilation of bathroom spaces, it is suggested to select a bathroom ceiling exhaust fan that can deliver eight air changes per hour or have the ability to move at least 1 cfm of air for every square foot of space. After you've determined the square footage of the area you need to ventilate, choose a bathroom exhaust fan that has an airflow rating with variable speed to meet your requirements. Additionally, consider:
- bathrooms with ceilings higher than 8 feet tall will require a higher rated fan
- bathroom facilities with multiple toilets and sinks must add 50 cfm for each toilet and each shower
- commercial bathrooms larger than 100 square feet also require a higher CFM rating
The best exhaust fan for a commercial facility must adequately move steam and moisture into the venting system and out the building while also providing the blower power to quickly eliminate odors.
Consider Noise Level
Unlike residential ceiling fans, commercial bathroom exhaust fans must operate quietly. You can judge the noise level by the sones rating (not decibel) of the product. The lower the number, the quieter the fan will operate. It can sometimes be a trade off when picking a larger CFM fan and one that meets your requirements for quiet operation.
A bathroom ceiling exhaust fan with a sones rating between 0.5 and 1.2 means the fan is exceptionally quiet. But, even a 1.5 to 2.0 sones is a good choice for most commercial applications. Bathroom fans that operate in excess of 4.0 sones may be too noisy for most facilities.
Exhaust Fan Features
Consider design features and smart technology options that will greatly enhance the appearance performance of the bathroom ceiling exhaust fan. These include a compact design that hides the interior components and fans that feature flush ceiling mount to enhance commercial and institutional interiors. Some commercial exhaust fans also feature overhead lighting or a night light for added safety.
For greater energy-efficiency, consider an exhaust fan with motion sensor technology that will turn on the fan when the bathroom is occupied and turn off within a set time after no motion is detected. Choose the best bathroom exhaust fan with a removable blower assembly and a plug-in permanently lubricated motor for fast servicing and easy cleaning.
If your commercial or light industrial facility is prone to high moisture levels in the air, consider a humidity-sensing, bathroom ventilation fan that automatically switches on when high levels of humidity are detected. And finally, for heavy-duty operations, consider a variable, in-line duct fan with solid-state speed controls that can either supply or exhaust air at temperatures up to 140 F / 60 C.
Industrial Fans Direct supplies a wide range of bathroom ceiling exhaust fans with compact design, quiet operations, and permanently lubricated motors for ease of servicing and cleaning, available to fit multiple duct sizes including common 3” (CF50) & 4” (CF70).