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I have a 2nd floor full bath with no windows (no outside wall), 5 x 9 feet in size. LOML has repeatedly complained about moisture problems caused by the shower. My two teenage sons use this bathroom. They don't have much restraint with regard to the length of their showers or how hot they are. (Translation: they put out the moisture equivalent of 2.3 normal humans each). We have problems with mildew and mold on the paint on the upper reaches of the walls, in spite of consistent use of the ceiling mounted bathroom vent during showers.
My spouse (and painter) has put me on notice that the new paint job in progress must not be tainted by said moisture problem. We already tried having the boys leave the door cracked open in hopes that this would improve ventilation flow. I also confirmed that the vent had some suction by placing a sheet of 24 lb printer paper over the opening. The vent holds it quite securely in place, and the paper drops when the vent is turned off.
The vent exhausts to the outside world via a flexible. insulated plastic tube in attic. The tube run is probably 25 feet, and terminates into a plastic flapper vent. (You can hear the flap bouncing during windy days). The vent was installed by the builder several years ago, so I don't know its CFM rating. The vent has the HVI 2100 label. Given most home builders penchant for low cost, I wouldn't be surprised if this fan has the lowest rating available.
I visited the HVI web page and found recommendations for bathroom ventilation. My 5 x 9 x 8 foot space requires at least a 45 cfm fan. In theory, that would be fine. But since this is a newer house and is (hopefully) well sealed, and there is no window to the outdoors, I suspect that the theoretical capability of a fan may not match reality.
So here is my question. Does anybody out there have experience dealing with a similar problem? Is my solution as simple as finding a more powerful ventilation fan (a high CFM rating) and installing it?
My spouse (and painter) has put me on notice that the new paint job in progress must not be tainted by said moisture problem. We already tried having the boys leave the door cracked open in hopes that this would improve ventilation flow. I also confirmed that the vent had some suction by placing a sheet of 24 lb printer paper over the opening. The vent holds it quite securely in place, and the paper drops when the vent is turned off.
The vent exhausts to the outside world via a flexible. insulated plastic tube in attic. The tube run is probably 25 feet, and terminates into a plastic flapper vent. (You can hear the flap bouncing during windy days). The vent was installed by the builder several years ago, so I don't know its CFM rating. The vent has the HVI 2100 label. Given most home builders penchant for low cost, I wouldn't be surprised if this fan has the lowest rating available.
I visited the HVI web page and found recommendations for bathroom ventilation. My 5 x 9 x 8 foot space requires at least a 45 cfm fan. In theory, that would be fine. But since this is a newer house and is (hopefully) well sealed, and there is no window to the outdoors, I suspect that the theoretical capability of a fan may not match reality.
So here is my question. Does anybody out there have experience dealing with a similar problem? Is my solution as simple as finding a more powerful ventilation fan (a high CFM rating) and installing it?
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