We live in an apartment with two bathrooms. The complex was built in 1991 and each of the bathrooms has a fan in the ceiling. I noticed the other day that when the fan is on, it's blowing air from somewhere. Last night, I took the grille off and found that it was only a fan. No inlet or outlet. I told someone about it and they said that was standard and only to be used for circulating the air. I always thought that the purpose of a fan in the bathroom was to extract the heat and moisture. Anyone know for sure? If it was hooked up like that and it's supposed to have an exhaust, it explains why both bathrooms get so hot.
Having a mold certification, I can tell you that a bathroom exhaust fan is a necessity when showering. Bring it up to the landlord. A working fan is much cheaper than the issues cause by condensation.
Having a mold certification, I can tell you that a bathroom exhaust fan is a necessity when showering. Bring it up to the landlord. A working fan is much cheaper than the issues cause by condensation.
I'll ask this, How did they deal with it before the advent of an exhaust fan? I'd love to add one to my bathroom if only so the mirror isn't fogged over, But Mold isn't getting through that 2" plaster walls, maybe if it was that cheap drywall, but I'm not even sure if that can be used in a bathroom setting by code, Thought it had to be mold resistant drywall and durarock
I'll ask this, How did they deal with it before the advent of an exhaust fan? I'd love to add one to my bathroom if only so the mirror isn't fogged over, But Mold isn't getting through that 2" plaster walls, maybe if it was that cheap drywall, but I'm not even sure if that can be used in a bathroom setting by code, Thought it had to be mold resistant drywall and durarock
My best answer is that some folks understood that condensation built up, others not so much.
Mold does not enter a home through the walls. It is a molecular particulate that enters through any opening larger than 3 microns. Mold concentrations are surprisingly higher in certain regions, and at certain seasons than you can imagine. Your home right now is covered in it. Build date, quality, and maintenance all factor in to how a home performs. Along with numerous other interesting things. The air outside is even more infested with this mold. It is what it is.
The best defense is to keep air flow. Condensation is damaging to most building materials. We have learned this over practice. Some follow the rules, others not so much.
Originally posted by Tony Kania: My best answer is that some folks understood that condensation built up, others not so much.
Mold does not enter a home through the walls. It is a molecular particulate that enters through any opening larger than 3 microns. Mold concentrations are surprisingly higher in certain regions, and at certain seasons than you can imagine. Your home right now is covered in it. Build date, quality, and maintenance all factor in to how a home performs. Along with numerous other interesting things. The air outside is even more infested with this mold. It is what it is.
The best defense is to keep air flow. Condensation is damaging to most building materials. We have learned this over practice. Some follow the rules, others not so much.
I have a feeling that as they do everything to make homes energy savers, making them air tight, the mold issue will be a huge one in the future..
My house was built in 2009, to local code and inspected. Has 2 lighted bathroom vent fans. One in the ceiling above the space where the toilet itself is, and another in the larger space where the shower/sink/tub are located. Both vent to the outside via duct work. The one in the larger area, also has a strip heater in it and 2 different fans and 2 switches. One fan vents outside, the other circulates inside air and heats it, depending which switch you select. (the heater part is pretty useless imo.) I've never seen a mirror or even the shower door condensate up, but it's a fairly large bathroom. .
[This message has been edited by maryjane (edited 10-26-2017).]
National Building Codes required that any bathroom without an external window must have an exhaust fan that exhausts to the outside. Bathrooms with windows still aren't required to have a fan.
In apartments, it's generally handled by running the vent hose through the ceiling or between the ceiling and the upstairs floor, to an outside wall. It's not only for reducing moisture, but as we all know, prevents nefarious odors from being circulated throughout the home by the central heating and air system.
E. Furgal. Before the advent of the bathroom exhaust fan, the walls of the outhouse had large spaces between the boards, but even that wasn't sufficient. Helped people get in and out quickly, whether it be in the heat of summer or the chill of winter.
Originally posted by Tony Kania: This thread is about ventilation.
I have found that most mold cases are due to a person not taking care of their surroundings. Not mother nature.
Yep. Mother nature provides a constant and very very high population of mold spores everywhere, even in the desert southwest. The trick, is not providing those spores with the things they need to grow and multiply. Warmth, stagnant air, and humidity/moisture in the correct proportions and at the right time. Having said that, I sometimes think the chemicals we use to combat mold are/may be as bad or worse than the mold itself, and I'm a big proponent of using chemicals in our daily lives.
Yes, I have worked on and replaced most brands, styles, eras, and build qualities of windows. I understand the issues just as much as the next professional, and I would say even more. I have certificates, documentation, and continue to acquire local, state, and federal approvals.
If you have questions that are realistic, I will answer them. But, if you are attempting to paint me into a corner on this subject, then you will fail like a drugged out stripper in family court.
Why can't some people let other's be? For ****s sake people. I had shat sent to my home. All fun and games until idiots destroy that in which they did not earn.
A few months back I wanted to start a tread giving my free learned advice on fellow members home issues. I am really good at what I do and wanted to help all of you as I have been doing, but on a more personal level. I planned on keeping a tread going in which I offer out free information to people that I do not know. I own my own company, and I do not advertise. I do not wear my name on my shirt, nor is my rig marked up in hopes of gathering work. No, my name is what is known, and folks keep calling. This was going to be a gift to all here, but how can I do this when we are getting deliveries of shat to the home in which my family lives?
Sorry, Mr. Duck. Rant over. I will answer your questions.
So a serious quesiton.... I would think that the living spaces of most homes are more airtight than in the past. Things like tyvek wrap are now atandard on most builds, then things such as spray foam insulation (which is still only used in a minority of builds) all help
quote
Originally posted by Tony Kania:
Yes, I have worked on and replaced most brands, styles, eras, and build qualities of windows. I understand the issues just as much as the next professional, and I would say even more. I have certificates, documentation, and continue to acquire local, state, and federal approvals.
If you have questions that are realistic, I will answer them. But, if you are attempting to paint me into a corner on this subject, then you will fail like a drugged out stripper in family court.
Why can't some people let other's be? For ****s sake people. I had shat sent to my home. All fun and games until idiots destroy that in which they did not earn.
A few months back I wanted to start a tread giving my free learned advice on fellow members home issues. I am really good at what I do and wanted to help all of you as I have been doing, but on a more personal level. I planned on keeping a tread going in which I offer out free information to people that I do not know. I own my own company, and I do not advertise. I do not wear my name on my shirt, nor is my rig marked up in hopes of gathering work. No, my name is what is known, and folks keep calling. This was going to be a gift to all here, but how can I do this when we are getting deliveries of shat to the home in which my family lives?
Sorry, Mr. Duck. Rant over. I will answer your questions.
My house ... has 2 lighted bathroom vent fans ... . One has a strip heater in it and 2 different fans and 2 switches. One fan vents outside, the other circulates inside air and heats it, depending which switch you select.
Exactly. There are two types of fans found in bathroom fixtures:
1) Exhaust fans - Required by code for ventilation in bathrooms (and laundry rooms) without an openable outside window. They must be vented outside.
2) Air circulating fans - Used primarily for convection space heaters, they may also be used to help cool the housing of ceiling/wall mount radiant heaters. No external venting is appropriate.
As maryjane notes, it's not unusual to find both types of fans in a single bathroom fixture that provides both exhaust ventilation and/or heating. Or they can be separate. A bathroom may have one, but not the other.
[This message has been edited by Marvin McInnis (edited 10-26-2017).]
So a serious quesiton.... I would think that the living spaces of most homes are more airtight than in the past. Things like tyvek wrap are now atandard on most builds, then things such as spray foam insulation (which is still only used in a minority of builds) all help
Sealed better from the elements, but air circulation is necessary and coded as such.
Look at the roofs and eaves of older homes. Less venting. A building that can breathe is healthier if that makes sense.
Yes, I have worked on and replaced most brands, styles, eras, and build qualities of windows. I understand the issues just as much as the next professional, and I would say even more. I have certificates, documentation, and continue to acquire local, state, and federal approvals.
If you have questions that are realistic, I will answer them. But, if you are attempting to paint me into a corner on this subject, then you will fail like a drugged out stripper in family court.
Why can't some people let other's be? For ****s sake people. I had shat sent to my home. All fun and games until idiots destroy that in which they did not earn.
A few months back I wanted to start a tread giving my free learned advice on fellow members home issues. I am really good at what I do and wanted to help all of you as I have been doing, but on a more personal level. I planned on keeping a tread going in which I offer out free information to people that I do not know. I own my own company, and I do not advertise. I do not wear my name on my shirt, nor is my rig marked up in hopes of gathering work. No, my name is what is known, and folks keep calling. This was going to be a gift to all here, but how can I do this when we are getting deliveries of shat to the home in which my family lives?
Sorry, Mr. Duck. Rant over. I will answer your questions.
I asked a simple question as the old single pane, multi glass pane windows were made of wood that contracts and swells so it can never be air tight and still open and close, when they are they don't move.. So I don't understand how decades older homes can be or were more air tight, enlighten me.. As they didn't have the gasket seals between the moving glass panes wood frame and the window case like newer say Anderson wood windows do.. Same with doors, as no one cared much if the heat escaped as fuel was cheap. As soon as heating fuel oil/wood got costly was when homes started to insulate to keep the heat in and the cold out.
[This message has been edited by E.Furgal (edited 10-26-2017).]
As for a fogged up bathroom mirror, I'm good with that.
As long as you understand (I'm sure you do) that along with the mirror, any other cool surface(s) in the bathroom is also getting condensation on it including walls and ceiling and any nooks and cranny therein
Exactly. There are two types of fans found in bathroom fixtures:
1) Exhaust fans - Required by code for ventilation in bathrooms (and laundry rooms) without an openable outside window. They must be vented outside.
2) Air circulating fans - Used primarily for convection space heaters, they may also be used to help cool the housing of ceiling/wall mount radiant heaters. No external venting is appropriate.
As maryjane notes, it's not unusual to find both types of fans in a single bathroom fixture that provides both exhaust ventilation and/or heating. Or they can be separate. A bathroom may have one, but not the other.
The unit we seem to have in our bathrooms is just a fan. No heater and no inlet or outlet to speak of. Wondering if there was when the complex was originally built in '91, but they have been replaced by lazy maintenance crews since then.
As long as you understand (I'm sure you do) that along with the mirror, any other cool surface(s) in the bathroom is also getting condensation on it including walls and ceiling and any nooks and cranny therein
Yup. Including all of my very personal, and generous but still pretty "cool", nooks and crannies.
Condensate and evaporate. As long as the latter event happens without undue delay, mold and mildew problems usually aren't a real big problem.
As you aptly observed earlier, prolonged moisture, warmth and lack of sunlight, (UV), beget the nastiness.
[This message has been edited by randye (edited 10-27-2017).]
The unit we seem to have in our bathrooms is just a fan. No heater and no inlet or outlet to speak of. Wondering if there was when the complex was originally built in '91, but they have been replaced by lazy maintenance crews since then.
Probably not. The duct to the outside would have to be pretty long and would take a substantial cfm fan to move much air to the outside or from the outside in. Just a fart mover, or mixer to dilute the odor with other air in the room. There are fire related codes in building multi-family units that would probably restrict or be cost prohibitive to having individual apts all ducted out. (I'm not up on all that at all so the last sentence is mostly speculation)
Probably not. The duct to the outside would have to be pretty long and would take a substantial cfm fan to move much air to the outside or from the outside in. Just a fart mover, or mixer to dilute the odor with other air in the room. There are fire related codes in building multi-family units that would probably restrict or be cost prohibitive to having individual apts all ducted out. (I'm not up on all that at all so the last sentence is mostly speculation)
We live on the 3rd floor, so exhausting the bathrooms shouldn't be much of an issue I don't think. But we lived in an apartment complex in Tampa and the bathroom fans there were all routed outside. But that complex was built less than 10 years ago too. Oh well, we're probably not going to stay here past a year anyway, so it's not a big deal.
I would recommend that any bathroom that does not have a vent fan, have one added. And make sure it gets vented to the outside and NOT just vented into the attic.
I would recommend that any bathroom that does not have a vent fan, have one added. And make sure it gets vented to the outside and NOT just vented into the attic.
And for gawd's sake, don't vent it into a bedroom....unless it's m-i-l's bedroom or the bedroom of the apt next door....
seriosly tho, if you do run a vent outside, make sure you install a good screen over the exit point, and not just once of those little hinged flap things. Wasps and other insects will find their way inside and many birds can learn to lift the flaps and will build nests in the vent ducting. I put SS screen over mine after I heard a strange noise in the bathroom ceiling above me & eventually found crackles were flying up to the louvers, flipping open the flap and going right in.
[This message has been edited by maryjane (edited 10-27-2017).]
Helped people get in and out quickly, whether it be in the heat of summer or the chill of winter. 
Have you ever been in an older home in the winter with single pane(thickness) multi pane double hung windows 
