Bathroom Dehumidifier Vs Exhaust Fan – Choose the Right One for You

Humid air is not the best companion for your bathroom. When it comes to increased humidity levels, protecting our home against household mold growth, mildew build-up, excess moisture that will follow us to every room in the homes, we think of dehumidifiers. Most of the time, homeowners forget the need to protect their bathrooms as well. Bathroom mold can cause equally serious health problems. Every bathroom in your home needs protection, you need to find the perfect solution to control the humidity levels in your bathroom and keep bathroom mold away.

One of the many options available to protect the bathroom in your home is installing either an exhaust fan or a dehumidifier. Most people are unaware of the benefits of having bathroom dehumidifiers or an exhaust fan in the bathroom. Let us learn more about them both and check which would suit your home when it comes down to bathroom dehumidifier vs exhaust fan.

Do exhaust fans remove humidity?

If you ask does an exhaust fan removes humidity from the air around you, well it DOES NOT. It is important to first understand what an exhaust fan does. It simply acts as a ventilation system that can circulate air within the room in which it is installed in. The exhaust fan is in contact with the air that is outside, so it does air circulation, between the inside and outside. This action makes an exhaust fan provide some relief from the dampness or heat that exists inside the rooms. It does not act as compensation or replacement for an air conditioner, it does not control the humidity level.

The bathroom is a very damp place. No matter how hard one tries to keep it dry and fresh at all times, the bathroom is a place that is exposed to moisture and water on a regular basis. The shower walls and the shower especially are bathed in water, making them excellent breeding grounds for mold and mildew. The increased condensation level in the bathrooms makes it easy prey for structural damage as well. You must remember, not every member in the house will always remain unaffected by the mold growth in bathrooms. You cannot dismiss this part of your home easily.

The shower walls and bathroom ceiling are equally important as the crawl space and basements in your home. An exhaust fan is not capable of removing the humid air or altering the humidity levels within bathrooms; but, they are excellent are keeping the space dry and bringing in fresh air, which makes it unfavourable for the growth and sustenance of bathroom mold.

For this very reason, most people are convinced of using an exhaust fan in a bathroom. A vent fan or an exhaust fan is also a more feasible option when it comes to water removal. Bathroom dehumidifiers most certainly are on the expensive side in comparison to an exhaust fan.

Is a bathroom dehumidifier better than an exhaust fan?

A bathroom dehumidifier is always better than a fan. The action and damage of humid air can be removed completely by investing in the right dehumidifier for the bathroom. If you look into the pros and cons of having an exhaust fan, you will realise that it cannot alter the humidity levels in a bathroom. Although exhaust fans are responsible for bringing in fresh air from the outside via the windows’ they are installed in, they are not equipped to deal with the humidity. If the atmosphere outside has humid air, an exhaust fan will end up circulating humid air within the bathroom.

Whereas, here is what dehumidifiers can do. It can remove the excess water content from the humid air that exists inside the bathroom. It makes the air dry, removes the allergens that are invisible to the naked eye, and makes the air within the bathrooms safe. The difference with bathroom dehumidifiers is that they make sure that you have a place that does not aggravate health problems due to mold and dampness. They prevent structural damage and keep the walls, shower, ceilings, and air moisture-free. Although the investment in a bathroom dehumidifier is more than an exhaust fan, it is always worth it. It is a small unit that offers the perfect solution to control the humidity levels in bathrooms.

How many CFM do I need for my bathroom exhaust fan?

The CFM that exhaust fans in the bathrooms require is calculated by taking into account the area of the bathroom. Experts suggest that there must 1 CFM for 1 square footage of the bathroom. Let us assume that the length and width of a bathroom are 7 feet and 10 feet respectively. Therefore the area is 70 square feet. Hence, the exhaust fan that you install in your bathroom must have at least 70 CFM. This threshold is expected to be met to handle condensation efficiently.

Why do some bathrooms do not have fans?

The role of exhaust fans is not welcomed in a lot of residential setups. For this reason many look for alternative options or a better solution to deal with condensation, rather than using exhaust fans. The way in which exhaust fans work involves circulating the air from the inside to outside and vice versa.

This is not an ideal method of work when it comes to hotels or homes without appropriate ventilation. If the odor and moisture from within the bathrooms are going to be expelled out into the open, into a place where some other family or person will have to deal with it, then exhaust fans are not the best choice despite the pros they come with.

This is exactly why many apartments and hotels prohibit the use of exhaust fans, fearing the problem of causing discomfort to others. In such scenarios, when it comes to the deciding between bathroom dehumidifier vs exhaust fan, they prefer going with bathroom dehumidifiers. Be it exhaust fans or dehumidifier for bathroom, the excess moisture in the air has to be brought under control.

The solution to keeping mold away is something that cannot be avoided. Hence, a lot of homeowners and hotel owners carefully evaluate the pros and cons of having bathroom dehumidifiers and exhaust fans to identify which would provide maximum comfort for every user, while also handling excess moisture wisely.

Do I need a dehumidifier if my bathroom has no exhaust fan?

Not every user can afford to invest in a dehumidifier for the bathroom. However, if the area you reside in is famous for the high humidity level that shoots up the possibility of mold damage, it is better to look for some form of ventilation system that can prevent damage to health and property. A shower area is indeed a damp place that has good chances of becoming a hazard to health and property.

Problems to health like asthma and respiratory diseases might either develop or aggravate if someone at home already has it; damp walls, paint bubbles causing the paint to peel off, damp and weak ceilings could be the structural damages that might occur. If your bathroom has no room for an exhaust fan or not permitted to have an exhaust fan installed in it, it is advised to purchase a dehumidifier for bathroom.

The bathroom must have an outlet for the humidity to dissipate effectively. If you find it too expensive an investment, then you can check if there are sufficient windows or room for sunlight to come into the bathroom to keep it moisture-free and shun mold and mildew growth.

Where a dehumidifier should be placed in a bathroom?

When it comes to having a dehumidifier for bathroom, you must make sure that the place it is located in is helpful to control the humidity level of the room. There is a big difference in the place you choose to install a dehumidifier. Firstly, you need an electrical outlet to plug in dehumidifiers. Check if your bathroom has the facility for this.

Dehumidifiers require clearance for air to flow in and out of the unit. What you can do, is set the dehumidifier closer to the source of moisture in the case of a large room. When it comes to a smaller room, you can place the dehumidifier in the centre of the room for complete coverage. It is recommended that you keep the doors and windows shut when the dehumidifier is on. When it comes to using bathroom dehumidifiers, you can maybe run it for 20 minutes after a shower to best control the condensation and humidity.

Best exhaust fan for bathroom:

Broan-NuTone AE110 Invent Flex Exhaust Fan Review:

Get rid of bathroom condensation by using the Broan-NuTone AE110 Invent Flex Exhaust Fan. This Energy Star qualified, single-speed ventilation fan operates at 110 CFM and 1.0 Sones. It has a duct diameter of 4 inches, with which it can cover a bathroom area of up to 105 square feet. This quiet operational fan is powerful and efficient in function, working to eliminate moisture and humidity.

The Invent fan has TrueSeal Damper Technology which reduces air leakage by up to 50%, which results in better performance via blower door tests and reducing cold and warm air backdrafts. Moreover, it has been UL listed for use over tubs and showers with a GFCI circuit, this means you can capture the steam before it spreads throughout the room. All you have to do is to install it exactly where it is most needed. Save your bathrooms from moisture damage if you are convinced that this exhaust fan has the features that will come to your rescue.

Pros and Cons of Broan-NuTone AE110 Invent Flex Exhaust Fan:

• Good performance, works as promised
• Easy to install
• It is noisy, not as silent as advertised

Best Dehumidifier for Bathroom:

Honati Home Dehumidifier

Keep your bathrooms moisture-free, dry, and safe from mold damage using the Honati Home Dehumidifier. This is one of the best bathroom dehumidifiers that can remove up to 750 ml of moisture per day from the air. It has a 2000 ml capacity tank and is the best type among all of the bathroom dehumidifiers available in the market, that can cover small spaces of about 100-269 square feet. You get a guarantee to keep the noise level below 39dB, with its advanced technology with no compressor. The whisper-quiet operation ensures you that the disturbance is minimal.

You also get an Auto Shut-Off protection system with this unit that will shut down automatically when the tank is full, to prevent flooding. The size is portable and can be conveniently used anywhere; RV, garage, basement, boat, closet, crawl space, caravan, etc. You must remember that the optimal operating temperature is 59-86°F, which is the rule of thumb for all small dehumidifiers. It has been advised that it must not be used below 41°F. Another added advantage of this model is being an energy-saving model, where the energy consumption is low and your bills are saved.

Pros and Cons of Honati Home Dehumidifier

• Noise level is minimal
• Portable design and size
• Water tank capacity is good
• There is more scope for improvement in performance

Wrapping Up

Hope you are now aware of the benefits of having dehumidifiers and exhaust fans within bathrooms, their roles, advantages and disadvantages. It is essential to invest in a good dehumidifier or exhaust fan to get rid of the dampness for the safety of those residing in the house. Which do you think is the right fit for your bathroom? A Dehumidifier or an Exhaust Fan? Let us know!