I love those moments when you’ve finally come home and can’t wait for that hot, relaxing shower. Most of us do this, we take the shower and turn on the bathroom exhaust, but after we’re done, we figure it’s still humid in the bathroom and decide to leave the fan on to help clear the air. While ventilating the bathroom is a good idea, it’s only so up to a certain point. Running that fan a little while longer will help remove the excess heat and humidity from the small, interior space. It helps limit the amount of those pesky microorganisms that like to grow in humid spots. But, you also need to me sure not to over-ventilate which is what happens when you leave that fan on for too long. The exhaust fan pulls the air form the bathroom and deposits it outside, and while it’s pumping the excess heat and humidity out of your home, it’s also pulling in more air. By running for too long, the exhaust fan begins to build negative pressure in your home and causes outside air to enter through every available crevice throughout the structure. Now if you’re doing this during the summer (though the same goes when you run your heater), you are forcing your a/c to do unnecessary work and driving up the cost of your energy bill. It’s best not to run your exhaust longer than 20 minutes after a shower. If you think you might not always remember or have children that are likely to forget, consider installing a timer or a humidity sensor that cuts the exhaust of for you. So here it is, just another little tip that could help you keep a few dollars in that pocketbook.
As always, thanks for reading,
Bryan
Bryan Hayes, along with his brother Todd, is a co-owner of a Sanibel Air Conditioning company on Sanibel, FL. They also own and operate an island-based electrical service company Sanctuary Island Electric, Inc. Bryan can be reached at Bryan@Sanibelair.com
