Where do apartment bathroom vents go? This is a burning question among tenants searching for apartment units.
Bathrooms are dump and require regular airflow to get rid of odors and smells and keep them fresh.
However, with modern residential apartments’ increasing capacity and height, proper ventilation is a huge challenge.
With poor ventilation, foul odors are transferred between the units and mainly across the bathrooms.
Therefore, to avoid uncomfortable situations and bad smells, it is crucial to understand how the bathroom ventilation system of your apartment works. So, Where Do Apartment Bathroom Vents Go?
Apartment bathroom vents go to the outside. The exhaust pulls the moist and smelly air from the bathroom and pushes it outside. This prevents the smell from moving across bathrooms. However, fans from different units are connected before exiting the building.
The apartment vents are connected but separated by dampers to prevent air from one apartment from entering the neighbor’s bathroom.
If you experience bad smells when your neighbor flushes their toilet, you need to replace the damper.
Signs Of Bathroom Ventilation Problems
As already stated, all apartment bathrooms should have adequate ventilation for proper air circulation, odor removal, and humidity control. And for effectiveness, bathroom vents should go to the outside through a duct or something similar.
Unfortunately, there is a lot of air pollution in modern apartments. This is because they are airtight and highly insulated.
Airtight and highly insulated apartments help deal with extreme temperatures, reduce carbon emissions, and energy bills.
However, this creates a higher potential for indoor pollution. Below are signs that the bathroom ventilation of your apartment is wanting:
- Foul odors smell and steam from your bathroom
- If you get a flash of foul odor when your neighbor flashes their toilet
- The growth of mold in the bathroom resulting from a plumbing leak or excess moisture in the bathroom.
- Foggy mirrors after taking a shower
How To Fix Apartment Bathroom Ventilation Problems
Mold spores are hazardous and result in serious respiratory illnesses and allergic reactions. While foggy mirrors and bad odors are disturbing and annoying, preventing mold growth should be the number one reason you are working on bathroom ventilation.
Below are some options to help you fix your bathroom ventilation:
1. Bathroom Exhaust Fan
If you are struggling with your bathroom’s ventilation, install a bathroom exhaust fan, (View on Amazon) which is a device that removes moist air and odors when water is being used in the bathroom or after flushing the toilet bowl.
Modern bathroom fans add to the décor and lighting of the bathroom, and they are quieter.
Note that the fans are not created equal, and therefore, you should purchase a size fit for your needs. To avoid making mistakes, lean on fans with speed controls that enable you to adjust depending on the amount of moisture in your bathroom.
What’s more, when installing the bathroom fan, always consider where the fan will vent. As already mentioned, the venting should be to the outside because you want to remove the moisture and odors from the house as they come.
On that note, there are different types of bathroom fans. Some can be installed on the wall and vent through the wall to the outside.
Other types are installed on the ceiling of the bathroom. The suctioned air is expelled through ductwork to the outside via the roof. This allows for fresh air to enter the bathroom from the outside as well.
To get the ductwork to the outside, a hole must be made on the roof. Therefore, ensure that it is installed by a professional to prevent roof leakage in the future.
There is a misconception that you can keep your windows closed once you install the bathroom fan. However, ensure to open your windows from time to time to prevent the growth of mold.
2. Recirculating Fan In A Half-Bath
The Recirculating bathroom fan does not exhaust air to the outside. It passes the polluted and moist air through a fan and removes the odors. This fan is only workable for a half-bath, which does not produce a lot of moisture to fill the bathroom space.
3. Commercial Ductwork
This option is applicable for large buildings, with small apartments with high ceilings. Instead of using long ducts from each apartment, each could feed the central duct that extends to the outside.
The commercial ductwork does not only get rid of the moist air but can serve as an aesthetic feature, as seen in some hotels or restaurants.
FAQs about Apartment Bathroom Vents
1. How do I Know Where To Install My Bathroom Fan?
There should be at least an 18-inch clearance between the fan and the bathroom ceiling or windows. Also, ensure that the top of the fan is 6 inches away from obstacles. Lastly, there should be at least a 1-inch clearance on both sides of the fan.
If you are not a professional plumber and the calculations above are not clear, contact a professional to get the installation done the right way.
2. How Much Bathroom Ventilation Do I Need?
Bathroom ventilation is key to reducing bathroom odors and moisture. Regular exhaust fans remove one cubic meter per minute of air.
The best ventilation for your bathroom should be able to clear the moisture in 15-30 minutes. If the fan takes more than 30 minutes at its highest speed, you should increase the ventilation capacity of your bathroom.
3. Where Should Bathroom Fans Vent Outside?
The vent pipe should be at least 1.2 meters long, 2.4 centimeters in diameter, and at least 6 inches away from any doors or windows.
Exhaust fans release polluted air to the outside and draw in the fresh air. Also, open the bathroom windows often to facilitate the air exchange process.
Where Do Apartment Bathroom Vents Go?: Final Thought
Apartment bathroom vents go to the outside to ensure that the odors and airborne moisture from the bathroom are released to the outside immediately.
Sufficient bathroom ventilation is essential because it prevents mold growth in your bathroom and leaves you with healthy and fresh breathing indoor air.
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