Bathroom Exhaust Fan

[deadwing]

I'm looking to replace my bathroom exhaust fan/light.  I suspect the one that I have isn't sufficient for my preference for hot and steamy showers.  There is a light coating of mildew above my shower/tub that is slowly spreading.  I also plan to treat the ceiling with some mold/mildew spray and repaint with Killz primer, followed by BM Aura Bath&Spa paint (I have this on the walls and it's held up beautifully - definitely gets a light mist when the shower is on).

I'm looking at one of these for the new fan:

www.homedepot.com/p/Broan-NuTone-Roomside-Decorative-110-CFM-Ceiling-Bathroom-Exhaust-Fan-with-Square-LED-Panel-and-Easy-Change-Trim-ENERGY-STAR-AERN110LTK/307583607 (definitely in stock locally)

www.homedepot.com/p/Broan-NuTone-Roomside-Series-Decorative-White-110-CFM-Ceiling-Humidity-Sensing-Bathroom-Exhaust-Fan-with-LED-Panel-ENERGY-STAR-AERN110SLW/307581385 (there is ONE store near by that might have it in stock, I'll have to take a drive to determine if they really have it or not)  

I prefer the second one for the humidity sensor.  I like the look of the first one better and it sounds like it's designed to be easy to install.

I am reasonably handy, but this will be my first time working with electricity.  I could call my dad to help with that part if I get in above my head, though.  

Any general advice on this project?   Other fans to consider?  Does my plan to deal with the existing mildew seem OK?  I am not prepared to replace the drywall at this time.

[simpsongal]

I haven't installed one - just wanted to say I have a couple that have Bluetooth - fund for listening to music in the shower

[kitty]

Is your current fan vented to the outside properly? I know people who discovered that their fans are exhausting into the attic. If the vent isn't correct, a new fan alone probably won't help.

DH just installed a new one but it was a job that had to be done from the attic since our old unit was just heat/light with no exhaust and so old we couldn't find anything with the same footprint. It was a lot of time perched on rafters in an uncomfortable space but hopefully you will be luckier and able to do it from below.

We have our bathroom fans installed with a countdown timer switch:

www.amazon.com/Leviton-LTB60-1LZ-Incandescent-Resistive-Inductive-10-20-30-60/dp/B00313JXB0/ref=sr_1_6?crid=2G0T5A502QYSA&dchild=1&keywords=countdown+timer+switch&qid=1623161723&sprefix=countdown+timer+s%2Caps%2C163&sr=8-6

so you can leave it on for a while after you finish your shower and have it turn off on its own. They do make switches with humidity sensors but in reading reviews it seemed like they had a high failure rate and were designed to work with the door to the bathroom closed. Since I prefer to leave the bathroom door open, it didn't sound like a good fit. Not sure if the unit with the humidity sensor would be expecting the same.

I recommend Microban to treat the ceiling. It is stronger than what you can buy at Home Depot but you can find it online on profession janitorial supply websites.

[deadwing]

I *think* the fan is vented properly. There is an external vent on the side of my house in the location I would expect the fan to vent to. I refuse to go into my attic/crawl space, but I've had work done in there and I was told it was in good shape - no signs of moisture, etc. So I'm pretty sure the fan isn't venting into that space.

The timed switch is a pretty cool idea! I'll have to keep that in mind. I tend to leave the fan running when I'm done showering, but it's so quiet I might forget about it and let it run for a few hours. Having a 20 or 30 minute timer would be nice.

[carmenere]

Make sure the new fan is compatible with the existing hole. You may have to go up in the attic at some point.

When we remodeled our bathroom, replacing the fan was a problem because the contractor needed to access it from above but the eaves are so shallow that he couldn't get to it. Ultimately he was able to fit the new fan onto the existing box, but if they hadn't been compatible it would have been a problem.

[icedcoffee]

I don’t know but we had an energy audit and part of it was they replaced our bathroom fan with one that runs 20 minutes of every hour automatically. It’s supposed to make the whole house more efficient somehow. I don’t remember the details but something to consider. #nothelpful

[aspentosh]

Jun 8, 2021 16:55:27 GMT -5 icedcoffee said:

I don’t know but we had an energy audit and part of it was they replaced our bathroom fan with one that runs 20 minutes of every hour automatically. It’s supposed to make the whole house more efficient somehow. I don’t remember the details but something to consider. #nothelpful

Any chance you know the model name or anything? 

[Deleted]

Make sure that you get a fan that is big enough for the square footage of your bathroom and also make sure that you are running it for long enough after your shower so that all of the moisture can get out. I definitely recommend getting a timer, we don't have one in our main bathroom but do in our secondary bath and it's great to just set it and forget it. To add one to our main bath H would have to completely rewire the outlet, so keep that in mind when you are doing your project.

[icedcoffee]

Jun 9, 2021 9:27:10 GMT -5 aspentosh said:

Jun 8, 2021 16:55:27 GMT -5 icedcoffee said:

I don’t know but we had an energy audit and part of it was they replaced our bathroom fan with one that runs 20 minutes of every hour automatically. It’s supposed to make the whole house more efficient somehow. I don’t remember the details but something to consider. #nothelpful

Any chance you know the model name or anything? 

So the fan looks like it's just your basic Delta bathroom fan.  The switch has a label that it's an Air Cycler Whole Building Ventilation Control.

The reason they installed it is because they said we don't comply with Pepco (our electric company) and ASHRAE indoor air quality standards which require a whole house ventilation system.

Basically, they did a blower door air leakage test on our home and determined it was "tight" and the fan improves ventilation. 

I don't know.  I wish I understood more, but the guy got our electric company to pay for it and was super nice so I pretty much just trusted him blindly.

We like it though!  We haven't had bathroom mold issues since it was installed either.  The ceiling used to get some mold in the summer.

The fan is set right now to run for 20 minutes of every hour by that ventilation control system.

This is the switch:

www.aircycler.com/collections/shop/products/smartexhaust?variant=289420470

[deadwing]

I'm pretty sure this is the fan I currently have. Based on the reviews I'm kind of impressed that mine is still working - it's probably close to 10 years old.

www.lowes.com/pd/Harbor-Breeze-2-Sone-80-CFM-Nickel-Bathroom-Fan-with-Light/1057483