How Can I Make My Exhaust Fan Smaller?

If your current wall exhaust fans are too noisy or causing doors to slam in your home or office, it may be time to downsize your exhaust fan. It’s easy to make your exhaust fan smaller once you understand the appropriate CFM for your residential or commercial space. This blog post will go over how to use our CFM calculator and find out what wall exhaust fans will work in your area. 

Problems That Arise With The Wrong CFM Exhaust Fan

When exhaust fans are installed, the contractor should have calculated the CFM (Cubic Feet per minute) of air that would be exchanged in the space every minute and considered the general ventilation of the space. If they had taken advantage of our CFM calculator, you would not be in the position you are in now. 

If the CFM of the wall exhaust fans in your building or home are too high, it can cause more issues than it solves. Rather than removing the pollutants and contaminants that can cause damage down the road, your fans are now making loud and intrusive noise. Common problems include:

• Waking up family members due to the loud noise

• Doors slam unexpectedly due to the increased airflow

• Indoor plants may become windburned 

• Hot and cold air may be pulled outside, increase your energy costs

Fortunately, finding the correct CFM and downsizing your fan will solve this problem. 

How To Appropriately Size Your Exhaust Fan

In order to determine what CFM you bathroom, office, kitchen, or other space needs, measure the space. You will need to know the length, width, and height of the area. In some residential and commercial spaces, the height of the room may not be consistent. To address this issue, simply use the average height of the room. Once you have the measurements, head over to our CFM calculator and plug in the numbers. 

You will see a required field that asks for the desired air exchange in minutes. If you aren’t sure how often you want the air exchanged in the space, don’t fret. We have provided general guidelines for most room types below the calculator. Identify the space that most closely aligns with the area that requires a smaller exhaust fan and add that number. Click the calculate button and voilà! You now know exactly what CFM your new wall exhaust fans must be in order to effectively clean your air without hindering your day-to-day life. 

Industrial Fans Direct has a broad range of exhaust fan options available to suit your residential or commercial space. Whether you need a fan with the smallest CFM or one that is incredibly large, we have the products and sales staff that can meet your needs. We encourage you to request a quote today for the exhaust fan that meets your or contact our sales team with any questions you may have about how much CFM you need. We look forward to helping to downsize your current fan!