I am always amazed at bathrooms that have been build with very little or no ventilation. You may think that a window that opens is enough, however most of the time it is inadequate to ventilate the bathroom. Bathrooms produce a lot of steam which should be vented out or it will sit on the walls and ceiling. Also the more people that use the bathroom the more this ventilation problem is compounded.
Bathroom Ventilation Tips
- Always have a window that can open
- Have an exhaust fan installed
- Mould resistant paint for any painted areas
- Make sure all water drains away
Serious health problems can result if mould is is allowed to grow and it likes wet and warm environments just like your bathroom. If your bathroom walls and ceiling are wet after a shower then make sure you have the correct ventilation. In extreme cases people have died as a result of mould growing in their home and this has a direct relationship with a lack of ventilation.
Loading ...Types of Bathroom Ventilation
- Static – Means an open window for ventilation.
- Active – An electric exhaust fan vented into the ceiling.
- Active – An electric exhaust fan vented outside of the home.
- Static And light – a roof window that opens
Ventilation removes the moist air and helps to dry out the condensation that forms when we have hot showers and run bath etc. Most people combine an exhaust fan with heat lamps for winter time comfort while still getting the correct ventilation. The best type of ventilation is an exhaust fan that vents the moist air outside so on mould can form inside the home or in the roof cavity. Also any painted areas should have a anti mould additive in the undercoat and the top coat. This will stop any mould from growing.
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
i am a pensioner in south australia my home is made of cement
the bathroom has only a little window and an exhaust fan
during winter i get droplets of water dropping off the ceiling
onto me as i have a bath can you help
p.s. money is tight so make it cheap if possible mark
Hi Mark
Thanks for your question. You need to increase the air flow and remove has much steam from the bathroom as possible. Check your extraction fan is clean from dust build and that it has enough size/volume for full air flow. Steam will form on cold surfaces if there is eoungh of it. The only way to solve this is to increase the air extracted from the bathroom.
Two options:
All the best
Steve
hi,
I have a small bathroom with no window. i have recently installed a IXL which is good to extract the steam in to the roof. I was wondering is it good to let the steam into the roof. will i have any major problems with this like mold in the roof timber or termite problems.
much appreciated if u can some advise on this.
cheers,
roy.
Hi Roy
It all depends on the amount of steam going into your roof. It you have a large family and a small roof cavity it may be a problem and ducting it out would be best. However if you have a well ventilated roof of normal size it should not be a problem. Just make sure your roof has ventilation in the form of vent holes or wind or solar powered rotating extractor. Generally you don’t need to always duct the stream out but it does depend on your house roof type. Hope this helps
Steve Robinson
Hi,
My bathroom has one small window that opens and an extraction fan mounted on the other small window. The room is always covered in steam/condensation after shower is used, even with the fan and window in use. I would like to improve the ventilation and add heating, but as I am in a ground floor apartment I cannot do anything on the ceiling, what would you suggest?
Thanks,
Mariena
Thanks for your question Mariena. The best way to add ventilation for you is to try to buy a higher air volume fan, or to fit a larger vent fan to the wall. Also you get more condensation in a cold bathroom room so adding heating will help. You may also be able to add a heat/fan/light unit. The way to do this in an apartment is to buy a unit with a ducting kit that ducts out the side (they are available) and add a false ceiling to run the ducting to take it outside. This is not as hard as it sounds as you install timber battens over the existing ceiling and then re-line the ceiling and install your heat/fan unit. Any tradesmen worth his/her salt will be able to do this.
Thanks and good luck
Steve Robinson
Hi Steve,
Our Landlord has installed an exhaust fan now, however I was wondering what is the best method to clean the walls after a month of showers, there has been an incredible build up of moisture at times which has left watermarks down the walls. I was planning on cleaning them with sugar soap, but then thought maybe there was a better option. Many Thanks Ange
Hi Ange
Thanks for your question. If you have mould on the walls you should kill the mould first with a bleach solution. However if you only have water marks and a bit of grime/ dust then sugar soap will be fine. Just remember to rinse the walls with clean water after the sugar soap. This is because sugar soap will leave some residue if not rinsed off. If your walls are tiled walls (not painted) kerosene will restore the shine however only use clear kerosene not colored and don’t use on painted walls.
Kind Regards
Steve Robinson
hi Steve,
We live in a unit and there is a cavity about 200mm deep between the concrete and the plaster board in the bathroom, and we have an exhaust fan in the roof.
I take it this is not the perfect situation as we are sucking steam into such a small area , Are there anyways around this?
Hi damon
Your right its not a good idea to suck steam between the concrete the plaster board because of mould problems. The best solution is to run a pipe or duct from the bathroom to roof exhaust fan but only if it is not longer than 4 meters or so. Flexible duct pipe is available from most good hardware stores and can fit in tight spaces. The only other solution is to have an exhaust fan installed directly into the fixed glass bathroom window. A hole is cut in the glass the correct size and a small exhaust fan is installed which still will allow you to open the bathroom window. Remember steam turns to water drops very quickly so it must find its way outside.