Exhaust fans remove moisture, heat, and odors from your home. In Aiken's humid subtropical climate, proper ventilation is not optional -- it is critical for preventing mold growth, moisture damage, and poor indoor air quality. A well-installed exhaust fan protects your home's structure and keeps the air you breathe clean and healthy.
Unity Power & Light installs exhaust fans in bathrooms, kitchens, attics, and laundry rooms throughout Aiken, SC and surrounding areas. Every installation includes proper ductwork routed to the building exterior, secure electrical connections, and code-compliant wiring. We do not cut corners, and we never vent exhaust air into your attic.
Types of Exhaust Fans We Install
Bathroom Exhaust Fans
The most common exhaust fan installation we perform. Bathroom fans remove steam and moisture during and after showers, preventing mold on walls, ceilings, and grout. We install fans sized to your bathroom's square footage with ductwork routed through the roof or exterior wall.
Kitchen Range Hood Fans
Range hoods and kitchen exhaust fans remove grease, smoke, steam, and cooking odors from your kitchen. We install ducted range hoods that vent to the outdoors -- far more effective than recirculating models that only filter and recycle the same air.
Attic Ventilation Fans
Attic fans pull hot air out of your attic space, reducing temperatures that can exceed 150 degrees in an Aiken summer. Lower attic temperatures reduce the load on your air conditioning system and help extend the life of your roof shingles.
Whole-House Fans
Whole-house fans pull cool evening and morning air through your home and exhaust warm air out through the attic. During Aiken's milder spring and fall months, a whole-house fan can replace air conditioning entirely, saving significant energy costs.
Combination Fan/Light/Heater Units
Multi-function units combine exhaust ventilation with overhead lighting and supplemental heat in a single ceiling-mounted fixture. Popular for bathrooms, these units require proper circuit sizing to handle the combined electrical load of the fan motor, lights, and heating element.
Laundry Room Ventilation
Laundry rooms generate significant moisture from washers and dryers. An exhaust fan in the laundry room removes excess humidity that can damage drywall, promote mold, and make the space uncomfortable, especially in homes where the dryer venting is not optimal.
Why Exhaust Fans Matter in Aiken, SC
Aiken sits in South Carolina's humid subtropical climate zone, where average relative humidity regularly exceeds 70% for much of the year. Summer humidity levels frequently reach 80% to 90% in the morning hours. This persistent moisture creates specific challenges for homeowners that make proper exhaust ventilation especially important.
Mold and Mildew Prevention
When hot shower steam or cooking moisture is not vented outside, it condenses on cooler surfaces like walls, ceilings, and window frames. In Aiken's already-humid environment, this extra moisture creates ideal conditions for mold and mildew growth. Black mold in bathrooms is one of the most common complaints we hear from homeowners, and in most cases the root cause is an absent, undersized, or improperly vented exhaust fan.
Building Code Requirements
The International Residential Code, adopted in South Carolina, requires mechanical ventilation in bathrooms that do not have an operable window. Even in bathrooms with windows, an exhaust fan is the far more reliable option -- you cannot count on a homeowner to open a window every time they shower, especially in the heat of an Aiken summer or the cold of a January morning.
Structural Moisture Damage
Moisture that is not vented outside does not just disappear. It absorbs into drywall, wood framing, and insulation. Over time, this leads to peeling paint, warped trim, stained ceilings, and in severe cases, rotting wood structure. Replacing a rotted subfloor or ceiling joist costs thousands of dollars. A properly vented exhaust fan costs a fraction of that and prevents the problem entirely.
Energy Efficiency
Attic exhaust fans reduce attic temperatures significantly during Aiken's hot summers. When your attic is cooler, your insulation works more effectively and your air conditioning system does not have to work as hard to keep your living space comfortable. Many homeowners see a noticeable reduction in cooling costs after installing a properly sized attic ventilation fan.
Our Installation Process
Assess Ventilation Needs and Duct Routing
We evaluate the room size, ceiling construction, and attic layout to determine the correct fan size (CFM rating) and plan the most efficient duct route to the building exterior. Shorter, straighter duct runs with fewer bends provide the best exhaust performance.
Cut Opening and Install Housing
We cut a precise opening in the ceiling drywall and secure the fan housing between the ceiling joists. For retrofit installations in finished ceilings, we work carefully to minimize drywall damage and keep the opening clean.
Run Ductwork to the Exterior
This is the step that separates a proper installation from a problematic one. We run rigid or semi-rigid metal ductwork from the fan housing through the attic and out through the roof or an exterior wall, terminating with a weather-proof vent cap with a backdraft damper. We never vent exhaust fans into the attic. Venting into the attic dumps warm, moist air directly onto your insulation and roof decking, which causes mold growth, wood rot, and insulation damage -- the exact problems the fan is supposed to prevent.
Wire to Switch and Test
We connect the fan to a dedicated switch (or a timer switch for bathroom applications) and verify proper operation. We test airflow at the exterior vent to confirm the fan is moving air effectively. For humidity-sensing models, we calibrate the auto-on threshold so the fan activates when moisture levels rise.
Choosing the Right Exhaust Fan
Selecting the right exhaust fan means matching the fan's capacity and features to your room and your needs. Here are the specifications that matter most.
CFM Rating (Airflow Capacity)
CFM stands for cubic feet per minute -- the volume of air the fan moves. The Home Ventilating Institute recommends 1 CFM per square foot of bathroom floor area, with a minimum of 50 CFM for small bathrooms. A 100-square-foot bathroom needs a 100 CFM fan. For kitchens, range hoods are typically rated at 100-400 CFM depending on the cooktop size and type. An undersized fan runs constantly without ever adequately clearing the moisture or odors from the room.
Sone Rating (Noise Level)
Sones measure how loud the fan sounds during operation. Lower is quieter. 0.5 - 1.0 sones: Very quiet, barely noticeable. 1.0 - 1.5 sones: Quiet, a soft background hum. 2.0 - 3.0 sones: Moderate, clearly audible. 4.0+ sones: Loud, comparable to a typical older bathroom fan. We recommend fans rated at 1.5 sones or below for bathrooms. Modern fans are dramatically quieter than the loud, rattling fans found in many older Aiken homes.
ENERGY STAR Rated Options
ENERGY STAR certified exhaust fans use significantly less energy than standard models while providing equal or better airflow. They also include more efficient motors that run cooler and last longer. Since bathroom fans should run for at least 20 minutes after every shower (and many now run on automatic humidity sensors), energy efficiency matters over the life of the fan.
Humidity-Sensing Auto-On Models
These fans include a built-in humidity sensor that automatically turns the fan on when moisture levels rise and turns it off when humidity returns to normal. This is the most effective option for bathrooms because it eliminates the need to remember to turn the fan on and ensures it runs long enough to clear all the moisture. We recommend humidity-sensing fans for any bathroom installation.
Common Exhaust Fan Problems We Fix
Many Aiken homes have exhaust fans that were incorrectly installed, undersized, or have deteriorated over time. Here are the most common problems we encounter and correct.
Fans Vented Into the Attic
This is the most damaging and most common installation mistake we see. A bathroom exhaust fan that terminates in the attic -- rather than exiting through the roof or an exterior wall -- dumps warm, moist air directly onto your attic insulation and roof decking. Over time, this causes extensive mold growth on the roof sheathing, soaked and compressed insulation that loses its effectiveness, and wood rot in the framing. We reroute these fans to proper exterior termination points.
Undersized Fans
A fan that is too small for the room it serves never fully clears moisture from the air, no matter how long it runs. The mirror stays fogged, the walls stay damp, and mold eventually appears. We calculate the correct CFM rating for your room and replace undersized fans with properly rated models.
Noisy Fans (Worn Bearings)
That loud rattling or grinding noise from your bathroom fan is usually caused by worn motor bearings. A noisy fan is annoying enough that many homeowners simply stop using it, which defeats its purpose entirely. Replacing an old fan with a modern, quiet model (1.0 sone or less) makes a dramatic difference in comfort and encourages regular use.
Fans Not Vented at All
Some older homes and budget renovations include exhaust fans that are not connected to any ductwork. The fan runs and makes noise, but the air simply circulates inside the ceiling cavity without ever leaving the building. These fans provide zero ventilation benefit. We connect them to proper exterior-vented ductwork or replace them with correctly installed units.
Exhaust Fan Installation Pricing
Unity Power & Light provides flat-rate pricing for exhaust fan installation. Your quote includes the fan, all ductwork and venting materials, wiring, and labor.
The final cost depends on the fan selected, duct routing distance, ceiling accessibility, and whether new wiring is needed. We assess your specific situation and provide a firm quote before any work begins.
Exhaust fan installation pairs well with other bathroom or home improvement projects. We also install recessed lighting, GFCI outlets, and other residential electrical upgrades that can be completed in the same visit.
Need an Exhaust Fan Installed?
Serving Aiken, SC and surrounding communities including North Augusta, Graniteville, New Ellenton, Jackson, and Clearwater. Get your flat-rate quote today.