Property Management Blog

Does your property need a humidity sensor?

Does your property need a humidity sensor?

I have seen a lot of mold and mildew in bathrooms lately.  This is a serious health hazard and a potential liability to you, as a property owner, if left untreated.


But what causes mold or mildew in a bathroom?  Most of the time, we have determined that an improper exhaust system to be the culprit.  An exhaust fan motor should be a minimum of 1 CFM per Square Feet in the bathroom.


But what if you have a fan - but the tenant doesn't turn it on?  Many years ago, we thought we could solve this problem by wiring the fan to the same electrical circuit as the light switch.  Hooray!  Problem solved!    


Whoa Nelly - not so fast.  The typical person most likely will turn off the lights when exiting the bathroom -- therefore turning off the fan as well.


The fan needs to kept running for approximately 15-20 minutes to properly dissipate the moisture in the bathroom.  Failure to do so can result in mold and mildew starting to grow.

Therefore, we highly recommend installing a bathroom fan with a humidity sensor - or installing a humidistat in the fan itself.  The fan will turn itself off after the humidity in the room has fallen to an acceptable level.

As part of our inspection and turnover process, we will test the fans in your bathrooms - and will let you know if a humidity sensor is recommended.

If you wish to be proactive and have one installed now - please contact us for pricing.

The images are actual mold/organic growth on a bathroom wall.
Mold on Wall

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