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Well ventilated air is important to the comfort and hygiene of your bathroom. Besides odors, bathrooms are susceptible to moisture and the damage it can cause. Moisture can collect on walls, in fixtures, and other surfaces as condensation and make a breeding ground for molds and other unhealthy things. The solution is to minimize moisture in the air by eliminating it from the room with adequate heat and ventilation. Many bathrooms use a small fan unit in the ceiling to ventilate air. Older bathrooms may not have such a vent, relying on air circulation through the home to remove air from the room. In modern homes with energy-efficient insulation, windows, and doors, there may not be enough ventilation without at least a minimal vent fan and system. Local building code will tell you how much ventilation your new bathroom needs. Inspect the existing ventilation system, if any, by removing the cover and looking for a power tag that tells the unit’s power in watts (W) or displacement in cubic feet per minute (c.f.m.). Visually inspect the vent for obstructions or damage. Most vents don’t have filters so dust and hair can attach itself to the fan unit and clog flow. Clean it with a vacuum. The next part of this inspection isn’t as easy, depending on the design of your house. Vent systems must vent air to somewhere. Where? You’ll need to crawl up in an attic or check an exterior wall vent to make sure that the bathroom air really is leaving the building. Alternately, you can hire a house inspector to check your home’s vent system and tell you what you’re working with. Remodeling Savings Most states don’t license home inspectors so just about anyone can get cards printed up and be in the home inspection business, qualified or not. However, they do have a trade association, American Society of Home Inspectors; www.ashi.com). ASHI has a standards of practice and a code of ethics.
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