Rental season is here – is your ventilation ready for guests?

With a growing number of families owning rental properties or being part of a service like Airbnb there are always things to take care of. Is the rental clean, did anything break, when are the next guests coming and so forth. Then there are things that are not as much at the forefront of our minds but could have an impact. One of these is the ventilation in the rental. Yes, we are talking about the exhaust fans in the bathrooms. Now before you just tune this out with an “Are you kidding me” hear us out on this one.

We have already addressed the importance of proper ventilation within a home and especially in the bathrooms in some of our previous posts. Now we want to apply that to a rental property. It’s just a fact that most people are not going to take care of the place they are renting as well as if it were their own home (for those who do – thank you!). That means things like exhaust fans probably are not going to be used to their fullest potential – as in they won’t be turned on. This can lead to problems such as mold, mildew, or moisture damage in and around the shower. No one wants to have to spend extra time and money cleaning or repairing something that could be avoided.

Here are a few things to consider on how to combat the issue:

NOTE: All electrical work must be done in accordance with all local and national codes. If you are unsure, hire a licensed electrician to do the work.

1.     Add a motion sensor (or occupancy sensor) to control the exhaust fan. There are models that have this function integrated into the unit or you can add this feature as a wall switch. This will ensure that the exhaust fan turns on each time someone enters the bathroom.

2.     If it is a fan/light combination, wire the light and the fan together. This way every time the light is turned on, the fan will also be turned on. This can usually be done very easily even after the fan is installed.

3.     Add a humidity control to the fan. As with the motion sensor, there are many exhaust fans that have this function built in but there are also wall controls that can easily be added to most installations such as the Air King DH55.

4.     Install a dual speed fan. These fans have a low speed that runs continuously, providing constant ventilation. The high speed provides ventilation when the bathroom is in use. A wall switch or a built-in humidity and/or motion sensor can control this.

5.     Think about installing a larger CFM exhaust fan. While the general rule of thumb is 1 CFM of exhaust per square foot, this is a minimum, not a maximum. Generally, rentals are going to be used a little harder than normal living. Instead of an 80 CFM fan for your 80 square foot bathroom, a 100 CFM fan will be more effective. You don’t need to go crazy, but something in the 10% to 20% extra ventilation should do the trick.

With so many other things to be concerned with on your rental property, why not eliminate one of them by ensuring your bathrooms are properly ventilated. Happy renting.

For more information about Air King’s ventilation solutions including motion sensing, humidity sensing and dual speed fans as well as wall control switches, visitwww.airkinglimited.com.

The 50 CFM Exhaust Fan Dilemma

We will admit it; most people are not staying up late at night thinking about their exhaust fans. For most homeowners, it is that thing in the bathroom that makes a lot of noise. The mindset is because it is making noise; it must be working – right.

Unfortunately, that might not be the case. The most popular fan size sold is a builder grade 50 CFM exhaust fan. These models are typically low cost which makes them attractive but they are loud and might not be doing the job they are intended for. Some of the issues come from the fact that they are installed in rooms that are bigger than their intended use. In an ideal situation (which never exists) a 50 CFM fan is good for a room about 50 square feet. In a real-world setting, it is probably closer to being able to handle a room between 35 and 40 square feet. If you have one of these installed in your bathroom, you probably notice things like the mirrors fog over when you shower and mildew seems to build up quickly. The good news is there are a few things that you can do. These vary from inexpensive to a bit of an investment.

1. Get on top of the situation. If you are buying a new construction home, talk to the builder about what they are installing. You might need to push a little, but it will be worth it. Sometimes you will hear things like “we put this fan in all our homes” or “we’ve been using this one for years”. That might be true but a little upfront work will save you money and headaches later. Many builders are also realizing that the old standby is not getting the job done and are already upgrading the exhaust fans. Also, make sure they are using a minimum of 4 inch ducting – 6 inch is even better and they are sizing the fan correctly. It is okay to oversize the fan a little. When we talk about a fan being able to handle a room X square feet – that is a minimum, not the maximum size.
2. Replace the existing one. Replacing an exhaust fan is a somewhat easy DIY project as long as you can access it from the attic. One issue that typically happens is a mismatched duct size. Most builder grade 50 CFM exhaust fans use 3 inch ducting. You will want to change that to 4 inch at a minimum. You can install a 4 inch to 3 inch reducer but that will decrease the airflow of the unit and cause the sound level to be higher. Definitely better to change the ducting if you can. If you are not sure about doing it yourself, licensed electricians or handyman can typically do this in an hour or two. To have a properly sized and functioning exhaust fan it will be worth the costs.
3. Let it run. If replacing the fan is not an option, extending the run time of the fan is the next best thing. Instead of turning the fan off as soon as you are done in the bathroom, allow it to run. The run time will be dependent on a bunch of factors. It might need to run for 20 to 60 minutes or more. Remembering to come back and turn it off might not be a practical solution. Installing a timer switch can be a good solution. An even better one is to install a wall mounted humidity sensor like the Air King DH55. These replace the wall switch and can usually be installed very easily (again, if you are not sure how to do this, contact a licensed electrician). It is also recommended you leave the bathroom door open to allow as much air exchange as possible to help reduce the humidity.

To learn more about Air King vast selection of exhaust fans and Indoor Air Quality Ventilation Systems, visit www.airkinglimited.com

Homes of the future

From time to time Air King has the opportunity to participate in a model home project. These projects are typically ones that a builder or design group uses as a way to showcase the latest technologies in a real-world setting. Air King had the privilege to participate in the KB Home Projekt (yes it is spelled Projekt) called Where Tomorrow Lives.

As the designer puts it – “KB Home Projekt: Where tomorrow lives, is research and development on steroids, pulling together a dream team of experts, first to imagine, and then to design, engineer, and build a home whose structure and systems deliver real-time responsiveness, nimbleness and adaptability, energy and water use conservation, and health and well-being features, functionality, and measures.”

One thing that can happen with these projects is they are so over-the-top that they are unattainable. Sure the technology in the home is great, but not everyone has millions of dollars to spend on it. While there are some things you might not see in your everyday house tours, KB designed this house to be within reach of many families. At the base of the project, it is about creating a better living environment using the technology available. When you strip away some of the extra bells and whistles – yes we are talking about having your own robot roaming around the house, almost all the technology is within reach. Using things such as Google home takes existing products and incorporates them into the home. KB is not recreating the wheel by creating new systems, they are simply making existing products and systems all work together.

In past blogs, we have talked about the importance of indoor air quality and creating a healthy living environment so Air King was proud to be a sponsor of the home – providing the bathroom ventilation as well as the fresh air intake for the home. This home takes that same indoor air quality knowledge and incorporates it into a real-world setting.

KB envisions this project as being a blueprint for how to build healthy homes for a multitude of budgets. They are breaking the mold for building homes the way that they have been built just because that is how we have done it for years and really looking to the future.

See what Jacob Atalla from KB has to say about Air King: https://youtu.be/4wAz3i8rrsA

To learn more about the project, visit: http://investor.kbhome.com/news-releases/news-release-details/kb-home-unveils-groundbreaking-projekt-home-where-tomorrow-lives

During this year’s CES (consumer electronics show), which is one of the largest shows in the country, Jennifer Jolly who is a USA Today Tech contributor took a tour of the home. You can see it at (sorry for ruining the surprise of the robot roaming around the house): https://www.usatoday.com/videos/tech/columnist/2019/01/07/smart-home-future/2499678002/

To learn more about other projects Air King is involved with, visit: http://airkinglimited.com/page/building-projects.html

Room-By-Room Home Audit - Part 4, The Rest

We are continuing our series on making your home more efficient and comfortable. Last time we went through items in the Mechanical Room. We finish up the series by looking at the other areas of the home. While the first three areas (Kitchen, Bathroom and Mechanical Room) might have the “big ticket” items that can make a significant impact, there are other areas of the home we don’t want to forget. Here are a few:

1.     Clothes Washers: As we have mentioned with other larger items like furnaces or water heaters, it would be great if everyone went out and replaced their unit with an ENERGY STAR® certified one. We know that is not a practical solution but there are ways to increase the efficiency of your current one:

a.     Fill it Up – Clothes washers use about the same amount of energy regardless of the load, so run full loads whenever possible.

b.     Wash in Cold Water – Water heating consumes about 90% of the energy it takes to operate a washer. Unless you are dealing with oily stains, washing in cold water will generally get the job done. Even switching from Hot to warm will cut energy usage in half.

c.     Avoid the sanitary cycle – Unless it is absolutely necessary, avoid using the super hot cycle as it increases the energy usage significantly.

d.     Activate the high spin speed option – If your current washer has a high-speed spin cycle, use it. This will remove more moisture from the clothes, reducing the drying time.

e.      If it is time to replace your washer, look for an energy efficient model. Considering how often you use your washer, spending a little more up front could have a large impact on your energy bills of the long run.

2.     Clothes Dryer: As with the washer, it would be great if everyone replaced their dryer with a high-efficiency one but again that might not be practical. Here are some things you can do:

a.     Sensor Drying – If your dryer has a sensor mode, use that instead of timed drying. If set properly, this will ensure that the dryer is not running longer than it needs to.

b.     Low Heat Setting – Longer drying cycles on a low heat setting will actually use less energy than a short, higher heat cycle.

c.      Clean the lint filter – The lint filter should be cleaned after every load to improve the air circulation as well as the safety of using the dryer. You should also regularly check the dryer outlet where it is exhausting to the outdoors to make sure lint has not built up there. This will decrease the airflow and cause the dryer to take longer to dry the clothes.

3.     Lighting: What type of bulbs do you have installed around your home? Switching to ENERGY STAR certified LEDs could save up to 90% in energy costs. When choosing a LED make sure you choose one that fits your lighting needs. For instance, you might want to choose one that is closer to natural light rather than a warm light, especially if you will be doing things like applying make-up.

4.     Audio Video: When it comes to our TV’s, DVD players, computers and so forth, we can think that their energy usage is insignificant compared to everything else. These items can account for around 12% of the total amount of energy used in the home. Switching to ENERGY STAR labeled models can save up to 70%. Here are a couple of other tips:

a.     Turn it off – When not in use, turn it off. Sounds simple, but think of how many times you leave the TV on when no one is in the room or your computer is on when not in use. Energy Saving modes are great and should definitely be used, but to save even more energy, turn them off.

b.     Unplug – Almost all electronics are using energy when they are plugged in regardless if they are actively running or not. Unplugging them when not in use cuts that standby energy use off. Yes, it is sometimes not practical to always unplug everything, especially the cable box where it needs to reboot once it is plugged back in but it is something to consider if you will be away for any length of time.

To learn more about ways to make your home more efficient, saving money and energy, visit www.airkinglimited.com or www.energystar.gov (Many of the facts and figures throughout this series have been taken from the ENERGY STAR website.)