Ventilation Fan

Ventilation fans in the home are very useful for maintaining ideal temperature and air quality. Kitchen, bathroom or whole house systems improve ventilation and expel the bad to make the indoor environment better. Find out how they work, their benefits and ventilation fan options for your home.

What Do Ventilation Fans Do?

Ventilation fans are used to remove excess moisture and unwanted odours from a particular room or area. They are often found in bathrooms and kitchens where moisture can build up due to activities such as showering, washing or cooking. By providing ventilation to areas, they reduce the formation of chemical fumes and remove other contaminants that can be harmful when inhaled.

How Do Ventilation Fans Work?

Ventilation fans draw odours, fumes and moisture from an area of the home and exhaust them to remove them. The fan uses a motor to rotate its blades, and this motor functions to draw air through the space. Stale, damp or dirty air is exhausted through the exhaust vent and leaves the house.

Ventilation fans are electrically powered. They can be controlled by a wall switch, or certain models have a thermostat that notifies the unit to switch on when certain temperatures are reached in the area.

Benefits of Fans

Using fans is very beneficial for the home, indoor air quality and the comfort of travellers.

Fans can quickly cool areas that become very hot from activities such as cooking or showering. Hot air is exhausted and the temperature of the space is lowered without the use of air conditioning.

Fans remove excess moisture that can damage the home. Condensation from hot water use can accumulate on walls, ceilings and other surfaces and cause mould growth.

Fans improve indoor air quality by removing moisture, odours and pollutants. They provide adequate ventilation for areas where these air quality-impairing substances can accumulate. Stagnant air is forced out of the home and conditioned air is allowed to fill the space.

Types of Fans for Houses

Many different fan models are available for use in homes. Exhaust fans are vented directly to the outside or connected to your home’s ventilation system, either through the unit itself or through specialised ductwork. Wall and ceiling mounted exhaust fans, commonly used in bathrooms and hood exhaust fans in kitchens, are typically vented directly to the outdoors. In-line exhaust fans are models that connect to the home’s ductwork, exhausting air through the home’s existing ventilation system.

Here are some ventilation fan applications you may encounter in your daily life.

Kitchen

The kitchen fan in the house is usually small in size and is usually a fan with a propeller that is mounted on the window or wall of the kitchen. For the wall-mounted type, you will need to drill a hole in the wall of the kitchen when building or renovating your home.

There are many types of propeller fans on the market, so it is always a good idea to source a suitable fan with the appropriate specifications.

Rooftop

Attic fans are used to draw the outside air into the house on summer nights when the outside temperature is lower than inside the house. In this way, the inside of the house is cooled without the use of any air conditioning.

Using fans to cool the house in this way reduces operating costs by using cold air from outside. Propeller fans are usually used with a cfm that gives a minimum of 2 air changes per minute. Ductwork connecting several rooms to a centrifugal fan can also be used.

Exhaust

This type of fans have a capacity of up to 80,000 cfm and are used to remove hot or corrosive fumes in places such as factories. Duct work is required for hood application.

Problems Related to Fans

Exhaust fans are not useful to homeowners if they are not working properly or if they are not used in the first place – the two most common problems with this equipment.

If the exhaust fan is not properly installed, heat and moisture may be escaping to other areas of the home. If the unit is not properly insulated, air drawn from indoors may be lost in the attic of the house, which can lead to moisture problems.

Poor installation can cause the exhaust fan to be noisy when in operation. This running noise sometimes prevents users from using the exhaust fan when they should, such as when taking a long hot shower, cleaning with chemicals or cooking food in the oven or on the hob. Failure to use exhaust fans leads to humidity problems in the home, persistent odours and poor indoor air quality.

FIND AN EXHAUST FAN INSTALLER NEAR YOU

Improve comfort and air quality in your home by installing exhaust fans in key areas. A qualified HVAC contractor will identify areas in your home that need exhaust fans, help you select the equipment that best suits your needs, and provide superior installation for guaranteed performance.