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Author:
ericsandstone (MD)
My shower is a ceramic tile space recessed past a wall in bathroom. I have a exhaust fan and tend to take hot showers. I do not run the fan after done and tend to turn the light off after as well.
This is resulting in constant mold growth as not much light is concentrated on the shower area, water tends to cling to the tiles and perhaps I am not running the fan long enough after done.
My solutions are: purchase and use a squeegy to remove excess water after use. Another I am thinking of is to install a light which will cover the area better as I feel mold thrives in dimly lit places.
Your thoughts and suggestions appreciated. Thank you.
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Author:
packy
in problem areas, the fan should be run for 20 minutes after you use the shower.
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Author:
HelpMePlumb (FL)
Keep a spray bottle of bleach/water in the shower and do a quick spraydown of the walls after you shower. Mold hates bleach more than light.
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Author:
jimmy-o (CA)
The principal enemy of mold is fresh air. You are causing the problem by not running the fan. I doubt that increased light will help. It would take a very bright light on continuously to make a difference.
If the fan annoys you, replace it with a modern higher cfm/lower sones model
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Author:
LemonPlumber (FL)
Eric if just leaving the bath room door open and the ac on is not going to dehydrate the area you need to reconfigure both use and engineered valve .
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Author:
mr leak (CA)
You need air movement period
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Author:
NICK (CA)
I agree with jimmy, light isnt the issue. Air movement is what you need. Squeegee is also good and i squeegee my glass and some tile every time i take a shower. Bleach is excellent for initial clean-up, but would be a little inconvenient to use it regularly. I just installed a broan 150 cfm exhaust fan in a bathroom that literally had an 1/8" puddle of water on the window sill after showers. This bathroom had no openable window and there was a cheapie fan that i still dont know if or where it ever vented to. This fan was a little overkill for the size of the bathroom but it was for a rental condo and mold on paint and shower was a major problem. This fan required 6" duct also. The great thing about it is that it was only 1.4 sones and you can hardly hear it. Have never had a bit of moisture since it was installed. Get a good fan and crack a window and be sure the door undercut isn't extremely tight to the floor and you will be good to go.
Edited 1 times.
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Author:
Wheelchair
Mold is active bacteria. You can neutralize grows with Chlorine, but it will re-activate with the proper heat and moisture conditions. Air flow, reduces the growth and chemicals with neutralize. Personal habits and construction design will also aid in the growth or non-growth of bacteria.
Best Wishes
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Author:
ericsandstone (MD)
thank you for answers. I have belief that I should consider an appropriate fan which is stronger in moisture/air removal, efficient and has a low sone value. I'm also under the impression that I would wind up being the installer.
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Author:
NICK (CA)
Just a thought...Has your existing fan been cleaned? The dust build-up on the blades and in surrounding take away from the efficiency. there is a formula too find the right cfm. here is the link [www.iaqsource.com]
And If you have a cheapie broan 50 cfm there is an upgrade kit but it really only increases about 10 cfms. If you have good ducting, like out the roof or venting out the side of the house, that is a plus, becuase if you have to install a new unit, you can use this. It may be just some plaster or drywall cutting and blocking. hopefully you have three switched hots incase you need a model with heater and light. Good luck
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