What Happens If You Ignore Bathroom Ventilation?

If you’ve already decided on a bathroom remodel in Maryland means you should consider getting proper ventilation for this room if it doesn’t have it already. But what if you decide that you don’t want to do this? Or that the home you’ve moved into is an older one that doesn’t have this type of ventilation in place?

What if you decide not to build in that ventilation? What can happen to a bathroom that doesn’t have it?

Bathroom Remodel – It’s Legally Advised

While you may be able to get away with an older building not having ventilation for the bathrooms, new structures are subject to modern building codes. This means that when building a new bathroom, a bathroom vent of some type is required, and that may be a window, or it may be a motorized fan and vent system, or both. In the case of a fan system, the air that is circulated by a fan must be vented outside; it can’t empty into the attic, ventilation ducts that heat or cool the house, or any other destination that doesn’t allow for a clear exit.
 
So this explains what’s expected of you if you’re going to be adding a new bathroom. But what if you’re just remodeling an old one that doesn’t have a vent? Does this affect the state of your bathroom?

Moisture Has A Big Affect

The reason ventilation is now considered important for bathrooms is that even more than a kitchen, a bathroom is capable of generating huge amounts of humidity. The water that comes out of tubs and showers and the steam that hot baths or showers create concentrates moisture in these rooms. All of that moisture has to go somewhere, and depending on what you do, it may not go or do what you’d hope with something as important as your home.
 
For example, humidity has an amplifying effect on the existing temperature. This means that a humid area feels colder in the winter, and it feels hotter in the summer. Without proper ventilation, this means that a bathroom can be the most uncomfortable room in a home temperature wise.

Moving Beyond The Bathroom

The other big issue with ignoring the ventilation needs of a bathroom is this means that any areas adjacent to a bathroom will get hit with the extra moisture once the door opens. For a master bedroom with an attached bathroom that has no ventilation, this can make things uncomfortable near bedtime.
 
For bathrooms on the first floor, this can bring a sizable amount of steam drifting out into the hall, kitchen, living room, or other areas near the unventilated bathroom.

More Cleaning

A final consequence of extra moisture is that this the ideal environment for mold and other types of bacteria. Homeowners face a much greater build-up of this type of germ and bacterial risk, and that means either having to work harder to keep bathrooms clean or if it is ignored, living with an unsightly bathroom as the build-up gets worse over time.