The Best Bathroom Fans On The Market
Keep your bathroom free from mildew and mold with the best bathroom exhaust fan for your bathroom!
After taking a warm shower, the bathroom fills with steam. Stepping out of the shower, you breathe in this steam and feel revitalized and ready to overcome the challenges that lay ahead. You try to look at yourself in the mirror, but it is hazed over with a layer of fog. You reach for your towel and dry off a portion of the mirror. Within seconds, the mirror is fogged over again. The once relaxing and moisturizing steam has now become an annoyance. To fix this problem, you need one of the best bathroom fans to help move the bathroom air.
Our Recommended Bathroom Fans
Finding the best bathroom exhaust fan can be a difficult task. There are many different features of a bathroom fan, and each of them assesses a certain issue. These features include power efficiency, operation sound levels (sones), humidity control, motion activation, and lighting options such as LED or CFL. Since there are so many different features, it becomes difficult to find which bathroom fan is perfect for you.
To make your selection process easier, we have compiled a list of our recommended bathroom exhaust fans. Our recommended list takes into account overall cost, power usage, sound level, and significant features such as humidity control.
Recommended Bathroom Exhaust Fans- 110 CFM
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Picture
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Name
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CFM
|
Features
|
Price
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Delta SIG110LED Bathroom Fan and light
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110
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DC brushless motor, 0.4 Sones, 8.4 Watt, LED light
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$168.62
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Delta SIG110H Bathroom Fan
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110
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DC brushless motor, < 0.3 Sones, Humidity Sensor, Adjustable CFM options
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$138.81
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Delta SIG110L Bathroom Fan
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110
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DC brushless motor, <0.3 Sones, 9.0 Watt
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$163.73
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Delta SIG110D Bathroom Fan
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110
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DC brushless motor, <0.3 Sones, Adjustable CFM options
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$123.65
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Delta SIG110 Bathroom Fan
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110
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DC brushless motor, <0.3 Sones, 8.4 Watt,
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$109.97
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Recommended Bathroom Exhaust Fans- 80 CFM
Picture
| Name
| CFM
| Features
| Price
|
 | Delta GBR80MHL Bathroom Fan
| 80
| DC brushless motor, Motion Detector, Humidity Sensor, 0.8 Sones, 6.9 Watt
| $155.42
|
 | Delta RAD80L Bathroom Fan with Light and Heat
| 80
| DC brushless motor, Heating Element, 1.3 Sones, 7.6 Watt
| $93.84
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 | Delta GBR80H Bathroom Fan With Humidity Sensor
| 80
| DC brushless motor, Humidity Sensor, 0.8 Sones, 8.0 Watt
| $88.95
|
 | Delta SIG80L Bathroom Fan and Light
| 80
| DC brushless motor, 0.3 Sones, 9.7 Watt, CFL Light
| $150.05
|
 | Delta GBR80 Bathroom Fan
| 80
| DC brushless motor, 1.0 Sones, 10 Watt, Galvanized steel body
| $62.56
|
Why Are These Bathroom Fans Recommended?
There are many different brands such as Broan, Nutone, Delta, and Panasonic. Each company makes similar products with similar parts, and the only real differences are technology and price.
Delta distinguishes their products with patented DC brushless motor technology. This technology offers extremely quiet motor operation and very low power consumption compared to other brands. Not only do they offer superior technology, Delta offers lower prices for the same type of product. For example, the Delta SIG110H Bathroom Fan is a comparable product to the Panasonic FV08VQCL5 Ventilation Fan. The real differences between these two products are their motors and cost. The Delta SIG110H features an energy efficient and quiet motor for only $138.81 while the Panasonic FV08VQCL5 comes with a standard motor for $258.52 per unit.
Sometimes higher cost equates to a better quality product, however that it not always the case. Companies like Delta offer superior technology and still maintain a lower price for their products. In reality, it all comes down to actually knowing the product and their quality.
How Much CFM Do I Need?
In order to find the perfect bathroom fan, the first thing you need to know is how much CFM you need. CFM stands for Cubic Feet per Minute, and it relates to how many cubic feet of air has been replaced. The most effective bathroom fans completely exchange the entire bathroom’s air in 7.2 minutes. Since the bathroom air needs to be completely replaced in 7.2 minutes for optimal results, it is important to have the correct CFM for your bathroom.
Here is a general guide for recommended CFM:
The next step is to find out how much CFM will be needed for your bathroom. To find the exact CFM needed for your bathroom, begin with this formula:
Cubic feet of your bathroom = length x width x height of your bathroom.
In most homes, bathroom ceilings are generally 8ft high, 9ft wide, and 11ft in length. If we apply the cubic feet formula to these bathroom specs, it would look like this: 8 x 9 x 11 = 792 cubic ft.
Now that we know the total cubic feet of the bathroom, we need to know how much CFM it will take to refresh the air every 7.2 minutes. To calculate this, simply divide the total cubic feet by the refresh time. In our example, this formula would look like this:
792 cubic feet / 7.2 minutes = 110CFM
It is important to note that the minimum CFM building code requirement is 50 CFM. If your bathroom is smaller and requires a 40 CFM fan, a 50 CFM must be used to meet the standards. Another important note is that a refresh time of 7.2 is optimal for circulation of bathroom air. Any slight deviations of this refresh time are still acceptable.
Why Do I Need A Bathroom Fan?
The main reason why a bathroom fan is needed is because it prevents damage to bathrooms caused by excess humidity. Mold and mildew thrive off warm, moist environments. When a bathroom is allowed to gather moisture on the walls, any vulnerable part of the wall will become victim to corrosion. It only takes a week for mold to become visible on a bathroom wall. Once mold spores are introduced into the bathroom, it becomes increasingly difficult to completely remove them.
To prevent bathroom damage, an efficient bathroom fan is needed. The best method to prevent damage is to turn the bathroom exhaust fan on before taking a shower. Doing this will remove a large amount of excess moisture and will ensure that the bathroom walls are protected. The most effective bathroom fans are ones that run continuously and increase speed when in use. Bathroom fans, such as ones made by Delta, are able to run continuously for only $7 a year. Due to their highly efficient motor, they are able to largely reduce power consumption and noise.
What Is The Best Bathroom Fan For My Home?
Finding the best bathroom fan for your home depends on your needs, room size, and budget. As seen in the recommended bathroom fan section above, each bathroom fan comes with its own unique features. If you live in a cold state, one of the best features to take advantage of is a built-in heater. These powerful units heat the bathroom to a comfortable temperature and remove the terrible feeling of a cold floor. Other features include humidity control sensors, high or low CFM ratings, continuous running, motion sensor activation, pre-set run time dial, and CFL or LED lighting.
Based on the listed features above, the best bathroom fan depends on your specific need. Some bathroom fans make their use extremely convenient while others accurately control the level of humidity within the room. For each added feature, a higher amount of power usage is needed. Depending on the feature, the higher the cost will be to operate the fan. However, Delta fans are highly recommended over all other brands. Their unique and innovative motor uses very low amounts of power which helps save on cost every year.
How Much Do The Best Bathroom Fans Cost?
In recent years, the costs for bathroom fans have significantly decreased. The cost for a standard high-quality bathroom exhaust fan is $100 on average. Most bathroom fans at this price are simple exhaust fans without any added capabilities. Depending on the features added, the price could greatly increase. Features such as a heating element could increase the price to an average of $250 for Broan models and $150 for any Delta models.
What Other Bathroom Fans Are Recommended?
The popular QTX110HFLT bathroom fan comes with 4 function setup including heat, vent, florescent light and night light. This fan is compliant with the California Title 24 and surpasses the energy saving requirement code. By the simple flip of a switch, this bathroom fan provides soothing warm air and creates a unique experience. The most important feature of this fan is that it is quiet. Producing a mere 0.9 Sones, you may not even notice that the fan is on. The unique design of this bathroom fan allows for superior bathroom heating while providing clean light from its center.
Nutone ZN110M Bathroom Fan
The Nutone ZN110M is one of the most advanced bathroom fan in terms of motion sensing technology. This bathroom fan begins operating when motion is detected and continues until the bathroom is adequately ventilated. A unique feature in this fan is the telescoping mounting frame. This frame is able to be retrofitted in drywall openings and does not require attic access. To make installation even easier, this bathroom fan is combined with an easy-to-insert snap in blower and housing. Since noise level is important to consumers, this fan only produces less than 0.3 Sones.
In terms of quality parts, the Panasonic FV08VQL6 is definitely a leading bathroom fan. This bathroom fan is extremely compact and comes with a powerful 32 watt fluorescent light. Provided with a powerful light source, it is almost unnecessary to even turn on traditional bathroom lighting. The Panasonic FV08VQL6 is compliant with performance standards and meets the requirements from Ashrae, Energy Star, and LEED. All of these requirements are met with a low noise level on 0.3 Sones.
Panasonic FV08VK1 WhisperGreen Bathroom Fan
The WhisperGreen Panasonic bathroom fan utilizes the most intelligent technology called SmartFlow. This unique feature enables the bathroom fan to perform at a constant CFM. It is common for a bathroom fan to be rated to perform at a certain CFM. However, due to length of ducts and bends in the tubing, the actual CFM performance could be lower than expected. This SmartFlow technology is able to detect the actual amount of CFM and boost the fan’s performance to meet the expected CFM rating. Since this fan can adjust the CFM to make up for loss, installation is easy because it requires less hassle with compromising tubing.
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