Is a Bathroom Fan Necessary?

[paulrh]

Is it necessary to install an extractor fan in a camper van combined toilet/bathroom?  Plan is to have two fans, one in the kitchen area and the other over the permanent bed.  The kitchen fan would be on 24/7 to control the humidity with the fan over the bed being used as the inlet, not powered unless specifically required.  A Nautilus shower screen will be used as the bathroom "door".  Even for a quick shower at a moderate temperature the bathroom will probably steam up but with the given van ventilation the humidity should be quickly reduced to prior shower levels.  Am i thinking along the right lines?  I do not want to put unnecessary holes in the roof that will affect the amount of solar I can install at a future date but then again I do not want mold issues either.

 

[highdesertranger]

it all depends, location, time of year, relative humidity, etc.

most people here do not recommend putting a vent directly over your bed. if you ever have a leak it will soak your bed. even if you forget and leave it open during a rain storm.

back to the bath room, you could put a marine mushroom vent in the bath. they will easily install under a solar panel. but being under a solar panel you will have to go with no fan type. all the fan types that I have seen run on their own little solar panel.

in case you don't know what I am talking about here is one,

https://www.jamestowndistributors.c...amilyName=Vetus+Mushroom+Ventilators#QAHeader

highdesertranger

 

[tx2sturgis]

You don't HAVE to have a fan in the shower area, but it helps.

If space on the roof is a concern, you might consider the smaller Ventline Vanaire roof fans, they are about 6" in diamater and only raise up about 3-1/2 inches when open. 

They are kinda noisy, and only one speed (you could add a speed control) but for shower ventilation and you know, 'clearing the air' after toilet use, it would only be running for a few minutes.


https://www.etrailer.com/RV-Vents-and-Fans/Ventline/VP-543SP.html

 

[B and C]

Ventilation to keep things dry is the key to no mold in a shower.

My setup: I have a Roadtrek with the shower in the aisle and a reversing roof vent in the middle of the aisle where the shower curtain goes around it making a 360 degree enclosure. When I am through showering, I pull the curtain all the way around and turn the fan on reverse (blow into the van) to dry the curtain by blowing past the curtain and out the bottom before I put it away. If I need to get past it while it is drying, I push the curtain to the side and squeeze past. I only have the one roof vent and find that on warm nights, it is on exhaust (with a thermostat) to pull air in through the side window in the bedroom by my head. I have never needed the window by my feet to be open. This way it gives me a breeze where I need it. I could close the bedroom window and crack a window up front for a breeze there too. I also have a vent-a-hood (exhausts out the side wall) over the stove top that I rarely use because the one vent in the middle takes care of most of the cooking moisture.

Maybe with your shower door, open and close it a couple of times to use the built in squeegee and then close it while in it to towel dry the whole shower including door? With no air gap at the bottom to let air flow in to help dry it, toweling is the only other suggestion I have.

 

[paulrh]

most people here do not recommend putting a vent directly over your bed. if you ever have a leak it will soak your bed. even if you forget and leave it open during a rain storm.

On the fan above the bed my thought is have a Maxxair Deluxe that can be open and not allow rain in. As for a leak we will be able to spot that pretty quickly as we will be in the van full time.

Perhaps I need another Maxxair with electric vent opening for the bathroom. I could easily reach the ceiling to open a manual vent but there is no way my wife could.

 

[maki2]

Is a bathroom vent necessary? Of course it is not essential, but isn't it nice to be able to quickly remove the unpleasant odors that can initiate in bathrooms? Especially on a rainy day when you don't want to open all the doors and windows.


Here is a youtube video showing the step by step installation of the Vanair Ventline fan in a metal roofed van.

 

[paulrh]

Is a bathroom vent necessary? Of course it is not essential, but isn't it nice to be able to quickly remove the unpleasant odors that can initiate in bathrooms?

Thank you for the link. Is the statement below a generic disclaimer or is there a serious concern about using the vent in a small bathroom with shower?

Note: Not for use above tubs, showers or range cooking surfaces.

 

[tx2sturgis]

If that warning came from a website, then we should let Casita know, they have been using the ventline fan in the shower of those trailers for years.

Yeah, don't install it right above a source of flames, smoke, or grease. Duh. 

But in a shower stall or bathroom it is fine. 

Just FYI, if you buy and install one, make sure to test the rotation after wiring it up: Black wire from the fan is POSITIVE. It will run backwards if you reverse the wires, but it will NOT move air that way.

Be sure to use butyl rubber to seal it, AND Dicor or some other self-leveling goop on it. Also, dab a bit on the screws that attach the dome.

 

[MrNoodly]

Most vent fans, wherever on the van roof you place them, are powerful enough to suck air from anywhere in the van. So maybe all you need is an air hole somewhere in the shower (maybe in near the floor) to let a bit of outside air in, and a gap at the top of the shower so steamy air can flow to the vent fan.

 

[MrNoodly]

...make sure to test the rotation after wiring it up: Black wire from the fan is POSITIVE. It will run backwards if you reverse the wires, but it will NOT move air that way...

Fan-Tastic Fans, and probably others, have switches on the fan to choose either direction of rotation (because sometimes you want to blow out and other times to suck in) so it doesn't really matter.

 

[tx2sturgis]

 so it doesn't really matter.

Sorry, no.

Fantastic fans and Max fans use a propeller type blade, which will move air turning ether way.

Ventline Vanair fans use a modified squirrel cage impeller (called a centifugal fan) and it is only effective turning the way it was designed to turn. In the reverse direction the vanes are angled wrong to 'inhale' the air.

I installed one on my pickup topper...trust me, it wont move much (or any) air running backwards.

That's why I typed out the notice about the black and white wires which must be hooked up correctly.

 

[tx2sturgis]

*centrifugal*

Where is that spelling checker when you need it?

:dodgy:

 

[maki2]

The Vanair fan has a different type of blade arrangement, here is an image of the fan blades. https://www.etrailer.com/Accessories-and-Parts/Ventline/BVD0217-00.html

Of course a small fan that is only 6" in diameter is not going to move as much air as a fan with a 12" diameter. However you are using it in a much smaller area with only a very small number cubic feet compared to the full interior of a van. You close the bathroom door. If you are not taking that into account the size of the space then you are missing a critical factor in the analysis of how large of a fan is needed.

 

[MrNoodly]

If you are not taking that into account the size of the space then you are missing a critical factor in the analysis of how large of a fan is needed.

A person would need to decide how much ventilation is enough. Do they want to take it from Amazonian dripping wet to merely Alabama summer humid? Or do they want to take it down to Death Valley sun-baked dry? Do they want to be able to suck in dirt and small animals from outside? And how quickly do they need to reach their desired level of dryness? 

 

[maki2]

The purpose of a bathroom fan is to move the air from inside of the bathroom to the outside.

Besides this is not a forum where people are typically living in a RV park where they have endless, steaming hot water showers. The reality is the bathroom fan in van dwelling is more about getting rid of the smells than it is about getting rid of humidity.

 

[paulrh]

The purpose of a bathroom fan is to move the air from inside of the bathroom to the outside.  

Besides this is not a forum where people are typically living in a RV park where they have endless, steaming hot water showers. The reality is the bathroom fan in van dwelling is more about getting rid of the smells than it is about getting rid of humidity.

Agreed.  Thanks everyone for all the input.  

I will run the cabling to where I would install a 12V fan but initially go without a fan.  The composting toilet will be vented through the floor and I may put a vent through the bathroom wall into the main van interior.

 

[MrNoodly]

...getting rid of the smells...

The aroma of your gas and poop is a product of your diet. If you can't stand your own stink, consider adjusting your diet.

https://www.squattypotty.com/blog/stinky-poo-why-it-reeks-and-what-you-can-do-about-it/

https://www.thrillist.com/health/nation/foods-make-your-farts-smell-bad-stink-gas

 

[flying kurbmaster]

If you want to install a vent on the side of your van to the outside from inside your shower, my step van has these niftly hingeless vents that can open front or back or if installed sideways could open up or down. They can be purchased from Mill supplies for around 25.00 made of alluminium easy to install and fairly flush when closed, they last, mine are over 30 years old, require no maintenance and are waterproof, google MIll supplies Cleveland look under step van, then down to vents and fans you will see a few variations of them. If you look on the side of a lot of stepvans they often have them usually near the rear of the van. I also think those marine stainless turn out vents would work well on the side maybe that is what HDR means by mushroom vents they look like mushrooms, those are pretty good as well, I had those on my boat they were good no fan on either of these,

 

[tx2sturgis]

The aroma of your gas and poop is a product of your diet. If you can't stand your own stink, consider adjusting your diet.

lol...but you know, even if your poop smells perfumey, it's probably STILL a good idea to ventilate those aromatic fecal matter molecules that are floating around in the vehicle, cuz you know, settling on toothbrushes, silverware, un-covered food on the counter. 

Yuk.

:dodgy:

 

[RVTravel]

Depends on your nasal tolerance.