Are Humidity Sensing Bathroom Fans Worth It?

Every new and modern bathroom should have humidity-sensing fans. You must be wondering now why are they so important? There is a reason why so many bathrooms have them installed. In this article, we’ll explain some of the key benefits that humidity-sensing bathroom fans have and what they provide. So, let’s start!

So Are Humidity Sensing Bathroom Fans Worth it? Bathrooms that are exposed to high humidity levels need to have humidity sensing fans installed. They are used to control the humidity level in the bathroom after the shower. Without them, moisture will form and damage the interior and the walls of the bathroom, causing the damage.

However, some households have these devices installed in their bathrooms but often forget to turn them on. Installing a humidity-sensing fan in the bathroom is an expensive project. These devices cost almost twice as much as standard fans.

Therefore, many people wonder if it pays to invest money in such a thing at all. By reading this article, you will be convinced that installing a humidity-sensing fan is a very profitable investment that benefits the homeowner. Below we will explain why the humidity sensing fan is better than the classic fan.

Also, if you are thinking about installing a humidity fan, this topic might interest you: Can Drop Ceiling Be Used In A Bathroom?

Prevent Moisture Damage By Having Humidity Fans

The basic task of a humidity sensing fan is to keep the moisture level in your bathroom under control. It should be noted that the humidity in the bathroom is the cause of many problems. Therefore, the sensing fan will be a great tool that can be used to create a pleasant atmosphere and fresh air in your bathroom:

1. Prevent Peeling of Paint

The walls in the bathroom must always be in good condition. If you notice that the paint on the bathroom wall is peeling, you are probably wondering what the cause is, how to solve it, and how to prevent this problem from happening again.

When the humidity in the bathroom is too high, paint from the walls begins to peel. This usually happens when a bathroom fan is not used. From too much moisture, water accumulates on the walls. If the fan is not used in such conditions, the walls remain soaked with water for hours!

For that reason, it is important to use a humidity-sensing fan in such situations. This device will detect excessive humidity levels in the air, activate automatically, and start drying the water accumulated on the walls. This will prevent the paint from peeling off.

2. Prevent Growth of Mold

It is known that mold grows in a damp environment, making the bathroom ideal for spreading this dangerous fungus which causes ugly stains on walls and floors. You also need to know that it is very difficult to get rid of mold. On some surfaces, mold causes such intense stains that it is impossible to remove. A humidity sensing system with a fan that activates automatically in each bathroom will maintain the humidity level such that the development of mold is impossible.

3. Smell of Moisture

The higher the humidity level in the bathroom, the more unpleasant the smell of moisture begins to be felt in the room, which can spread to the whole house at a certain point. No one wants that! To avoid this, it is enough to install a humidity sensing fan system in the bathroom that will quickly and efficiently remove the ugly smell from the room.

4. Prevent Warping of The Door

No one wants their bathroom door wrapped. But if your bathroom does not have a humidity-sensing fan system, such a situation is inevitable. Moisture has a negative effect that leads to wrapping, especially when it comes to wooden doors. To prevent wrapping, you should install a humidity control system.

5. Bad Habits

There are situations when we literally run to the shower because we are late. No one cares about turning the fan on in the bathroom in such cases. In the long run, such situations will undoubtedly cause damage to your bathroom. Therefore, it’s best to install a humidity-sensing fan system that works on a very simple principle to avoid things like that.

After installation, you just need to set it up. The system will start every time there is too much moisture in the room and automatically return to sleep mode when it’s finished, lowering the humidity to an acceptable level.

Save Energy By Using Humidity-Controlled Fan

The great thing about humidity sensing fan systems is that they save electricity consumption and thus make your bills lower. Everyone knows that it is important to turn off your bathroom fan when it is not in use.

When it comes to normal fans that need to be turned on manually, they should work in the bathroom between 30 and 60 minutes after showering. Imagine how much electricity is wasted when you forget to turn them off after your finish.

It should be noted that fans in bathrooms do not usually consume a lot of electricity. However, the largest cost is done by a heating/cooling system. When the fan runs for a long time unnecessarily, the energy of the cooling/heating device is wasted.

Think of a situation where you forgot to turn off the fan in the morning before you went to work. This means that a fan draws heat from your home to the street for a whole day. What an unnecessary waste of energy!

Save Money By Installing Humidity Fans

We have already pointed out that humidity-controlled bathroom fans turn on automatically only when needed. This is a big advantage that reduces energy bills. But this system helps save money in other ways as well.

With a humidity-sensing fan system in your bathroom, the walls will remain intact for years, free of ugly stains caused by mold. This way, you avoid the cost of repainting the bathroom, which is not negligible. Also, this system will help prevent the accumulation of moisture in other rooms in the house, such as attics, whose restoration due to moisture penetration can cost you thousands of dollars.

Perfect Choice If You Have Family

Small children often forget that it is important to turn on a fan in the bathroom before taking a shower. That’s why it’s great to have a humidity sensor fan in bathrooms where it automatically turns on with the help of a sensor or a moisture-sensitive switch.

As a solution to such situations, installing a fan ignition switch, which is connected to the light ignition switch, is imposed. But there is another problem – the fan will work for 30 to 60 minutes every time someone turns on the light, which in the long run represents an unnecessarily large loss of energy. Because of such situations, my recommendation is to install a humidity-sensing fan or switches.

Rental Properties Need To Have Humidity Sensing Fans

Having a humidity-sensing fan system in the bathroom is important if you are dealing with real estate rentals. Tenants in rented apartments and houses do not feel that they have to take care of the space in the long run, so they often do not turn on the manual fans in the bathroom after showering. But that won’t stop them from complaining to you as a landlord when they see mold stains or paint peel off on the walls in the bathroom.

Such problems with tenants will not occur once you install a humidity control system in the bathroom. Tenants will be happy and satisfied because their quality of life and air in the home will increase. Also, you will no longer have to worry about activating the fan. 

Lastly, the system will also provide savings for the landlord, whose goal is always to ensure rent collection without covering additional costs. Increasing profits, no doubt, sounds good to any landlord.

Things to Consider When Buying Humidity Sensing Fan

I could now recommend you some of the best models of humidity-sensing bathroom fan systems, but I won’t! This is because each bathroom is different, and each model is specifically made for a particular bathroom, depending on its size. But when getting a humidity-sensing fan, I advise you to consider the following:

• Capacity (CFM)
• Cutout dimensions
• Noise level

Humidity-Controlled Switch Option

In a situation where you already have a manual fan in the bathroom, you probably don’t feel the need to replace it with a new device. No reason to worry, there is a solution! If you want your bathroom fan to become automatic, you can simply buy a humidity-controlled switch that can be installed into a fan you already have.

This way, you will easily transform your old fan into a humidity-sensing fan. There are numerous versions of such switches on the market, and I personally recommend buying the TOPGREENER Dual-Tech Humidity Sensor Switch. This model can turn on the light and a fan at the same time. If you think you can install such a switch yourself, you can use a diagram for that DIY project.

Don’t Buy Cheap Humidity Bathroom Fan Models

Surely you have heard the saying that when you buy cheap things it will cost you the most in the long run. This also applies when it comes to buying a humidity-sensing fan system for the bathroom. Cheap models usually have low-quality sensors that can break easily. 

Some models can break even in the first year after you buy them! So choose a brand that has good reviews. With cheap systems, the most common malfunction is that the fan starts to turn on even when it is not needed, which is due to a low-quality sensor.

If you want to install a humidity fan in your bathroom, then check this great Youtube video that explains this in a step-by-step process:

How Do Humidity Sensing Bathroom Fans Work?

Now that you know why it’s great to have a humidity-sensing fan in the bathroom, it’s time to understand how it works. It is a really simple system. Inside the device, there is a sensor whose basic function is to detect increased humidity in the room.

When the sensor detects too much moisture, the fan automatically turns on and pushes out the bathroom’s moist air through the vent. When the humidity level in the room drops to an acceptable level, the sensor is activated and the fan is switched off. This process will be repeated each time the amount of moisture in the room increases.

If you want to learn more about home improvement topics, be sure to read How to Install Motion Sensor Light in a Bathroom?

Final Thoughts

If you install a humidity-sensing fan system in the bathroom, you get the opportunity to create the environment in your bathroom that suits you best. This system will protect your walls, and at the same time, heavy and humid air will no longer bother you. We conclude that the best function of the humidity-sensing fan system is an automatic on / off switch, which ensures its starts when there is too much moisture in the air and stops when the humidity level in the air is normalized.