HOW DANGEROUS IS A BATH EXHAUST FAN?

1/31/2022 (Permalink)

Bathroom Exhaust

Bathroom exhaust fans are important for indoor air quality and comfort in the home. Moisture builds up in your bathroom when you shower, that’s why you have a bathroom exhaust fan that can vent moisture out and away from your home.  But did you know that bathroom fan could also be dangerous?

Many people are not aware of the fire risk lurking in their bathrooms and attic spaces. Bathroom exhaust fans are common piece of equipment and often overlooked during home maintenance activities. Neglected bathroom exhaust fan can lead to disaster if a failure occurs. Often homeowners will turn bathroom exhaust fan on when taking a shower of using toilet. Sometimes they are left on for an extended period to clear humidity and fumes out of the space, often unattended. If the bathroom fan fails, it can ignite combustible dust and structural framing materials which can lead to a major fire loss.

Bathroom exhaust fan fires are commonly caused by four different things:

• Faulty wiring
• Running the fan for extended periods of time
• Overheating the motor
• Failure to clean the fan

To prevent this from happening in your home, follow these simple maintenance steps

• Inspect and clean all bathroom fans regularly
• Those fans that are not easily accessible for regular cleaning, or those that appear to have heat damage, should be replaced with thermally protected units.
• Bathroom fans should not be used for prolonged period of time and turn off when you leave the house. Recommended time to run the fan is between 15 and 20 minutes.

For fire damage restoration and smoke cleanup services, please call us SERVPRO of Ventura at (805) 656-3911