Originally Posted by
Steve D'Gerolamo
One thing the inspector did not check was the performance of the bathroom fans...he checked to see that they worked but did not have an anemometer or other meter required to measure air flow.
I don't know of any home inspector who checks "the performance" of any fans. That gets way ... WAY ... *WAY* ... beyond what is reasonable to expect a home inspector to check. If you want that done, you either should be asking for an HVAC person, or, a construction consultant leading toward litigation, and then you would need to specify that you would like that checked - WAY TOO MANY other big things to check for to make the best use of your money.
Of course, though, if you want it done, a construction consultant or HVAC person 'can' check it for you. Typically, something like that is only done if you have a specific problem and that is suspect as a cause.
What is the code requirement of sizing of residential bathroom fans (I'm guessing 1-2 cfm fan size per sq ft but the ceiling height in the bathroom is 10' so there's lots of volume here)?
Scott gave the minimum ventilation requirements, and code is only minimum.
Our master bathroom fan does not keep steam from forming on the mirrors and clearing the mirrors and shower doors of steam takes 15-20 minutes after finishing the shower.
You would not want a fan in your bathroom which would be capable of keeping that from happening? I think they are called 747's or something like that.
If the bathroom is large, you would want several exhaust fans (however, one el cheapo builders model at 50 cfm would meet the minimum requirements).
Question: How cold do yo keep the house and how hot do you use the water, for how long? Keeping the house cold lowers the dew point when you use hot water, causing the water vapor in the air to condense on the mirrors and glass more than if those items were warmer. The longer you use the hot water, and the hotter the water is, the more moisture there will be in the air to condense on those cooler items. There is also a good possibility that condensation is forming on the bathroom cabinets too (and you just have not noticed it).
The location of the fan could also be part of the problem. It is only required to be 'in the bathroom', but if it were 'near the moisture source' (i.e., near the shower, but *not* over the shower), then it would be more effective than if located far away from the shower.
Also, if you have a separate toilet room, that requires its own exhaust fan.
As Jerry Mc. says:"A cursory look at your "fix" list reveals many legitimate problems and some that are not. However, as a consultant I would spend a fair amount of time evaluating your list, but that takes time and time is money. I recommend you retain a qualified construction consultant (code certified) and have him/her perform a thorough evaluation of your new house including everything on your list. Personally I would like to have seen more photos, i.e.; water heaters located in the attic, master-bathroom whirlpool tub, and both the attic and foundation crawl spaces."
I see items in those photos which may not have been addressed (or may have been and were just not noted in what was made available to use).