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How to Choose a Bathroom Fan

The Quietest Room in the House Just Got Quieter

To properly ventilate your bathroom, remove stale air, unpleasant odors, and reduce harmful moisture buildup there are three criteria you need to consider when choosing a bathroom ventilation fan.

Size, Design, and Features

No matter what your budget or tastes, the two most important criteria are sizing the fan properly to your bathroom, and how quiet the fan is.

Size Matters

Size Matters

Not all ceilings are created equally.

Make sure to measure the depth of your ceiling before ordering. The Home Ventilation Institute (HVI) recommends the air in your bathroom should be changed or moved eight times per hour.

The amount of air changed or moved per cubic feet per minute (CFM) is based on your bathroom’s square footage. To determine the size of the ventilation fan, use the following guidelines for bathroom ventilation.

50 CFM

50 CFM

For bathrooms smaller than 50 square feet, we recommend a 50 CFM fan.

1 CFM/ft²

1 CFM/ft²

For bathrooms 51 to 100 square feet in area, an exhaust fan should provide 1 CFM per square foot.

For example, an 8 ft x 10 ft bathroom has an area of 80 feet, so it needs an 80 CFM fan.

Add Up Fixtures

Add Up Fixtures

For bathrooms greater than 100 square feet, ventilation is based on the number and type of fixtures present.

These fixtures require the following minimum CFM:

  • Jetted tub – 100 CFM
  • Shower – 50 CFM
  • Toilet – 50 CFM
  • Tub – 50 CFM

PRO TIP

Installing the right size fan is essential to maximizing the fan’s performance.

Improperly sizing your fan (installing a fan that's too small for your bathroom) puts stress on the fan, shortening its life and performance.

Bathrooms over 9 feet may need to be sized up to the next CFM level.

How Loud is Quiet?

  • Bathroom fan sound levels are measured in SONES.
  • Simply put, a sone is a unit of loudness and measures how you sense loudness.
  • Your refrigerator operates at 1.0 sones and the sound of your television is 4.0 sones.
  • The lower the sones, the quieter the room.
  • AeroPure quiet bathroom exhaust fans operate at a range from less than 0.3 to 2.0 sones.
  • AeroPure fans run so quietly you may not even realize they are on.
  • We know from our fans that a little white noise is a good thing.

    Choosing a Style

Some like it hot. With our bathroom heater fans, you can step out of the shower or tub into a comfortably warm bathroom. Choose the right fit for you.

Features

Explore the features of our ventilation fans that enhance your bathroom experience.

FEATURES

Lights Icon Lights

Add some light to your bathroom! Whether you need a single light source or want to add accent lighting, a bath fan with light can light up the room.

Heating Icon Heating

The perfect alternative to heating the entire house so you don’t step out of a warm shower into a chilly room. Enjoy your morning shower in relaxing warmth.

Timers & Motion Sensors Icon Timers & Motion Sensors

Take the worry out of how long to run your bathroom fan! Motion sensor with a timer automatically turns your bath fan on when someone enters the bathroom and will continue to run for a pre-set time.

We recommend running your bath fan for at least 20 minutes after the use of the bathroom.

Humidity Sensors Icon Humidity Sensors

A humidity sensor, whether integrated into the fan or on a wall, keeps moisture from building up in your bathroom.

Once the room’s Relative Humidity reaches a pre-set level, your fan will turn on and continue to run until the RH falls below the pre-set point. Use this to comply with CALGreen.

How to Install

A licensed professional must install your new bathroom ventilation fan. However, here are a few things you should know about installing the fan.