AboutSteve Young Expertise I will answer questions dealing with home improvement. My specific areas of expertise are flooring (except carpeting), all types of carpentry, water treatment, and minor electrical. I have also built several treehouses and am currently considering expanding my business to concentrate on children's play areas. I love working with all kinds of wood. My favorite types of home repair/remodeling are water treatment, hardwood flooring, cabinetry, bathroom remodeling, and kitchen remodeling. I also have knowledge in residential water treatment, including filters, softeners, reverse osmosis systems and various other types of treatment systems.
Experience I have been working in various forms of construction both personally and professionally for the past 20 years. I am currently the Owner/Contractor of a home repair/remodeling company.
Education/Credentials I have a BS in Environmental Engineering and have done Masters work in Management Development. I have also attended various community college and fine arts classes in the Piedmont Triad area and EPA water quality certification classes.
Question QUESTION: hello, This question may seem involved, but is mostly backgroun info. home is about 50 years old with nutone exhaust fan, no light and...may be original to the house... model 880, 881. I Can't tell the cfm rating on this unit but it does have 60 cyc stamped on it. 6 1/2 X 8 1/4 box dimensions..8 inches high. Seems to be vented properly and runs fine. By my calculations, the fan should be 65 cfm minimum. Now the problem. I'm getting what seems to be extreme moisture after showers with the fan running....droplets on ceiling and water collecting on walls, fogging mirror etc. I say the kids simply take too long in the shower, wife thinks we need a new/bigger? exhaust fan. Will a bigger...higher CFM unit, alone, fix the problem, or is the solution more involved? Does the ceiling opening need to be bigger? Also, the unit is located in the right rear corner of the room to reduce the duct run distance. It is not inside the shower/tub area and is not in the center of the room. Your input would be greatly appreciated. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. jim
ANSWER: Hi Jim
What is the square footage of your bathroom? Is the vent insulated as it goes out to the outside? Approximately how long is the exhaust vent - from the bathroom ceiling to where it goes outside? Are there any bends in the vent? If so, how many?
If you will answer these questions I will see if I can give you an answer.
I will wait to hear back from you.
Steve
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QUESTION: Thanks for the quick reply. I just made the crawl again tonight. Bathroom sq footage..not cubic...~495ft2. 16 inch center joists with ceiling insulation for the most part. Seems like they picked up the insulation from the box to the vent bend, ran the metal vent, NOT wrapped/insulated, and laid the insulation loosely on top of the vent tube so i guess it is not really insulated. It's a pretty tight fit for me to see and measure if there's more than 1 bend and how long but it appears to be about 24" to the bend and only 1 bend downward would be my guess. Just a note, the vent itself does not drip, just water accumulation on the ceiling and walls. Thank you again. jim
ANSWER: Hi Jim,
Are you sure about the bathroom square footage of 495? That seems really high to me and if it's correct your fan is way undersized. Please check that again and let me know. (Most large master bathrooms run in the range of 150-200 sq.ft. A medium regular bathroom is about 100 sq. ft.) So, let me know and we'll see if we can get to the bottom of your problem.
Steve
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QUESTION: You're right, that'd be about half of my main floor living area.
65 ft2 would be closer. The vanity and commode sit in the main section about 52 ft2 and the bath shower combo in what i would call an alcove measure about 13.33 ft2. About 65 ft2 added together and the bath/shower area ceiling isn't quite as high. thanks, jim
Answer Hi Jim,
I have considered everything and I really think that you need a larger (CFM) fan. The opening size is Ok but you should have a fan with a minimum of 100cfm. I think you are also right - the kids may be taking longer showers. Are they turning on the fan as soon as they go in the bathroom before starting their shower? If not, they should. You didn't mention where you live but one thing that also could be causing the problem is if it is cold outside and the R value of the insulation in your outer walls is not that high.
I was not able to find out anything about the current fan that you have. It must be an old one. The 60cyc. stamped on it just refers to the electrical requirements, ie 60 cycles (120v). If you decide to buy a new fan be sure to also check the sones rating of the fan, in addition to the cfm rating. Try to find a fan with a sones rating of less than 3. I prefer a maximum of 1.5 personally but most people are ok with less than 3.
I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any questions. Take care and have a good weekend.
Steve
