Turn up the exhaust – using a two-speed exhaust fan

Over the past several year’s indoor air quality (IAQ) has become a major focus when it comes to residential homes. We continue to gain knowledge regarding the air we breathe and the effects it can have on us. Properly ventilating the home is at the forefront of creating a quality living environment.

A newer trend in residential home ventilation has been the usage of two-speed exhaust fans. Lets take a look at exactly how a two-speed exhaust fan operates. The exhaust fan has a low speed that typically runs continuously at a very low sound level to provide a constant air exchange in your home. You probably won’t even be able to tell the exhaust fan is operating. Studies have found that by exchanging the air of your home (exhausting the stale, contaminated air inside the home and bringing in fresh air from outside of the home) multiple times per day will increase your indoor air quality. There are also national building codes that require a certain number of air exchanges per day depending on the size and occupancy of your home.

While the low speed provides the amount of airflow needed for the daily air exchanges, when the bathroom is in use you typically need a lot more power. This is where the high speed comes in. The high speed will generally be two to three times that of the low speed and provides the power you need to properly ventilate the bathroom when it is in use.

There are multiple ways to control how the exhaust fan switches from low to high speed. The most common is a wall switch, but there are also automated solutions such as motion sensors or humidity sensors that when activated (either by someone entering the room or a rise in humidity) will turn the exhaust fan to high speed.

When choosing a two-speed exhaust fan, you want to take into consideration items such as where it will be located, the sound level and how you will switch from low to high speed. To learn more about two-speed fan options from Air King’s visit www.airkinglimited.com.