Buzz
A well-functioning exhaust fan in your bathroom helps eliminate moisture, odors, and pollutants, enhancing indoor air quality. Upgrading your fan ensures a cleaner, mold-free bathroom.
Bathroom fans are often overlooked, but they play a crucial role in managing humidity. High humidity and water vapor can foster mold and mildew, and even damage paint and wallpaper. If your exhaust fan isn’t working properly, it’s easy to replace it yourself.
Before you begin, ensure you purchase a fan that can adequately ventilate your bathroom. Use this calculator or apply the formula (bathroom length x width x height x .13 = minimum CFM rating) to determine your fan's ideal CFM (cubic feet per minute). Always round up when selecting a fan. Also, check the sones rating to see how noisy it is—choose a fan with a sones rating of 1.5 or less (lower numbers indicate quieter fans).
You can find a high-quality fan with a low sones rating for $100-$150, with some models even offering built-in lighting options.
To install the fan, start by turning off the breakers to disconnect the electrical supply, and make sure you're comfortable accessing the crawlspace to complete the ductwork. If the new fan is larger than the one you're replacing, you'll need to trim the drywall to create a bigger opening. The video above provides step-by-step instructions to guide you through this DIY project.
