Repair & Improve

Illuminate And Ventilate, Don’t Just Decorate

Lights, Ventilators, Relaxation in the Bathroom

by Tom Kraeutler & Debby Robinson

The American bathroom is undergoing a major renovation.  The standard 5’x8’ bathroom with a tub-and-shower combo is giving way to spa-like setting with artistic styling and unique materials.

What hasn’t changed? The lighting and ventilation.  Most bathrooms feature a typical fluorescent light bar over the sink and a conventional dome light overheard.  And the ventilation, if it exists, is frequently underpowered to handle the steam, humidity and warm temperatures found in bathrooms.

But, there are many new options that help you create a bathroom that looks great and performs, too.

Light the Right Way
Bathroom lighting is moving from pure function to stylish design.  Fluorescent lighting tends to give you a greenish glow, something that isn’t very appealing before that morning shower.  Ideally, your bathroom should feature three kinds of lighting – task or general lighting, accent lighting and decorative lighting.  Natural light also is important in today’s bathroom.

Your bathroom task lighting should illuminate your sink area for grooming with 60 watt, 120 volt bulbs.  If you have a wide vanity, consider a four-lamp fixture or bar light on the wall above the mirror that shines directly down. There are a wide variety of stylish European lights available at lighting design shops such as Lightology (www.lightology.com).  But for a lower cost alternative, purchase a light base at your home improvement center and mix-and-match shades to complement your bathroom style.  It will cost approximately $50, instead of $400 for its European counterpart.

For a pedestal sink, use vanity wall sconces as accent lighting on each side of the mirror to illuminate the space.  These typically use 40 watt, 120 volt bulbs and range from simple styles to elaborate bases with handblown art glass.

You also need task lighting in the shower.  For women, there’s nothing worse than trying to shave your legs in the near dark.  Install a flush ceiling light with 100 watt, 120 volt halogen lamp for great light and a brushed stainless steel housing to prevent rust.

Then, use decorative lights to showcase the architectural features of the bathroom.  If the bath has tall ceilings and crown molding, consider a small antique chandelier to dress up the room.  Or, if there is a stand-alone whirlpool, use decorative pendant lights to provide subtle lighting for the bath.  You also can use toe-kick lighting under a sink vanity.  Check out www.junolighting.com for innovative decorative lighting products.

For more bathroom lighting ideas, visit the Lighting Solution Center at www.gelighting.com.  The Virtual Lighting Designer lets you try out various lighting combinations to find the right mix for your bathroom.
For natural light, use glass plastic block to create windows that let in light but still provide privacy.  Hy-Lite (www.hy-lite.com) makes glass block windows and partion walls that are easy to install and look like glass, without the weight or assembly.  Or, install skylights that flood the bathroom with sunshine.

Picking the right kind of light bulb is as important as selecting the right light.  There are a myriad of choices on the market today, so you need to know what kind of light bulb your fixture requires before you visit your local hardware store.

• HALOGEN – With bright, white light, halogen bulbs offer 50 percent energy savings over conventional bulbs, are more compact, and provide direct light.
• CFL – These bulbs offer long life – up to eight years -- and energy efficiency – with 75 percent savings.  Available in a wide variety of formats, it also works for three-way and dimmer switches.
• FLUORESCENT – For soft, diffused general lighting, fluorescent bulbs are ideal.  They require less energy and last longer than incandescent bulbs, and come a range of flattering colors.
• INCANDESCENT - The least expensive bulb available, incandescent bulbs have long life, color-enhancing options, are ideal for dimmers, and come in a variety of shapes and wattages.

Another option that can dramatically change the existing lighting in your bath is to simply replace your old fashioned toggle switches with dimmers.  Lutron (www.lutron.com), the electronics company whose founder Joel Spira invented the dimmer in 1961, offers a variety of easy-to-install dimmers that can add personality to any bath space.

 For example, Lutron’s Quoto push-button dimmer can be used to adjust sink/mirror lights from mid-range to high level brightness for daily grooming.  Over a double vanity, multiple controls can even allow each person to adjust his or her own light levels.

Vent Your Steam
The bathroom is a hot spot for mold and mildew growth, with warm temperatures and lots of humidity.  This uncontrolled humidity can cause allergy problems and damage windows, walls and ceilings by encouraging the growth of molds, mildew, bacteria, dust mites, dry rot and insects. To prevent your bathroom from becoming a Petri dish, you need the proper ventilation.

There are three kinds of fans that can do the job – bath fans, remote fans and energy or heat recovery ventilators.  Bath fans are installed directly in the bathroom, usually on the ceiling, and discharge moisture to the exterior via a duct.  Remote fans, also known as multi-port ventilators, are mounted elsewhere in the building, such as in the attic, and use ducts to exhaust air from one or more baths at the same time.

In addition to being able to handle larger baths, one popular advantage of multi-port ventilator is that they are extremely quiet.  Since the fan is mounted in a remote location, very little sound is transmitted to the bath.

Today’s newer homes may, but don’t always, include bathroom ventilators.  Surprisingly, in some areas of the country, builders are not required to install a bath fan if the bathroom has a window – as if you could just leave a window open on a chilly winter morning!  If your builder expects you to shower in sub-zero conditions, make sure you ask for a real bath fan to be installed when the room is built.

In addition, it is very important that bath fans be vented correctly.  One of the most common mistakes builders make is venting the bathroom into the attic or back into the house, which just transfers the moisture and mold problem elsewhere in the home.  Efficient bathroom ventilators must vent to the outdoors, sending moisture back into the environment.

Typically, the exhaust vents should be located over or near the shower or tub and in an enclosed water closet.  With windows closed, exhausted air will be replaced by makeup air from adjacent rooms or forced air system registers. Bathroom doors should also be undercut by at least 1” to allow makeup air to enter the room.

Your bathroom ventilator should be left on for 20 minutes after use of the bathroom. A timer is a good solution, allowing the fan to turn off automatically at the proper time.

For steam showers it is best to have a separate fan in the steam room that can be turned on after use.

For bathrooms up to 100 square feet in area, the Home Ventilation Institute (HVI) recommends that an exhaust fan provide 1 CFM per square foot (approximately eight air changes per hour) to properly ventilate the bathroom.  For example, if the bathroom is 8'x5' (with 8' ceilings), your bathroom area is 40 square feet.  At 1 CFM per square foot, the minimum recommendation is a fan rated at 40 CFM.

For bathrooms above 100 square feet in area, HVI recommends a ventilation rate based on the number and type of fixtures present, according to the following table:

• Toilet 50 CFM
• Shower 50 CFM
• Bath Tub 50 CFM
• Jetted Tub 100 CFM

For example, if the bathroom is 20'x12' with a tub (without jets), a shower enclosure and an enclosed toilet, each fixture will require 50 CFM, so the minimum recommendation for a ventilator is 150 CPM.

For bathrooms this size, you have two options:

1. Install a 50 CFM fan over the tub, one in the shower and in the water closet. This method is very effective and will provide ventilation where you need it, when it's needed.
2. Or, install one 150 CFM fan. The air will then be pulled through the entire room and exhausted at a central location.
   For more information on bathroom ventilation, visit www.hvi.org.

No matter how beautiful the bathroom, two common complaints are that the bathroom is too dark and that the mirror always fogs up.  By illuminating and ventilating properly, you can create a bathroom with both style and performance.

Print Version

Search Related Topics: Bath Remodeling, Decorating & Design...