Fogged Up Mirrors Can Be Fun
Who doesn’t like writing on fogged up mirrors or glass?
I did it every winter when it was super cold outside. Hearts, happy faces, snowflakes and stars. That was a kid’s favorite pass-time during the Winter. Now, as an Adult in remodeling, they aren’t so fun.
Fogged Up Mirrors in bathrooms mean trouble: accelerated corrosion of metal finishes, mold growth, bacteria, and inadequate ventilation in bathrooms.
I’ve been remodeling a bathroom and every day, it has been hot in there. A little too hot. When we first purchased the house and tested the vents, I said, “Nope! It’s not strong enough!” I purchased a new one and Luis recently changed it.
“Why are we doing this again? “, he asked, twisting about like a pretzel just after being in a blazing hot Texas attic for thirty minutes. I could hear frustration and exhaustion in his voice.
“Because I don’t like fogged up mirrors.” I stated it quite simply, looking up at the ceiling where he worked on removing the old exhaust vent and adding a larger and newer one. “I don’t know about you but I don’t want any of the new finishes rusting out within several months of finishing this bathroom.”
Luis didn’t say anything. He was too busy fussing with the vent.
It started to get hot again and I started to feel that damp feeling you get while being in a sauna while not being in a sauna. You know the one that makes your clothing cling to you and makes you feel really uncomfortable? yes, that one.
Humidity Is Not My Friend. It’s Not Your Home’s Either.
The day we bought the house, I noticed corrosion on the door hinges, the door handles and the shower curtain rods. This is really frustrating because I noticed the plumbing valves were rusting and Luis would not let it go. Fast Forward to today and here I am, trying to figure this out.
I look up and see something that made me squinch. My eyebrows twitched. I run over to the other bathroom and lookup at the ceiling. Then I run over to get a leveler to use as a tool to open the vents in the bathrooms. I’m not talking about the one Luis was installing. I’m talking about the HVAC vents because someone had closed them!
“What are you doing?” By this time, Luis is watching me like I’m some kind of crazy woman – which he believes I am – and I say nothing but stare up at the vents as I pull them open. “Why are you doing that?”
”Did you know that, contrary to popular belief, the cause of fogged up mirrors are a combination of two things: the power – or lack of power – in the exhaust and the introduction of new air into the room.”
He looked confused. “You can’t suck out air if you don’t replace it: there isn’t an even exchange.” He still looked confused. “It’s like the air conditioner units: you can’t use the condenser without the air handler? One pulls while one pushes?”
He finally understood. Then he pointed upwards to the vent. “Did I just change that thing for nothing?”
”Of course not. The old one was inadequate. The CFM rating on it is for a powder room, not a full bath. The fogged up mirrors thing is a sign that it’s not exchanging air fast enough. And closed vents don’t help, either. Let me know how clear the mirrors stay when you take those piping hot showers you love to take, ok?”
”Oh my God!” Those words coming from my husband’s mouth are enough to make me go running.
”What? What happened?”
”Look at the mirror.”
I look and see an extremely clear mirror, right after his evening shower. I smirked. “Hmph. New fan, open HVAC vent, adequate ventilation and even air exchange? That works.”
”What now?” he asked, seeing my eyes going back up to the vents above.
”While we no longer have fogged-up mirrors, I’m wondering why anyone would close them, to begin with. I mean…
Design & Order is a blog series I created for personal topics: My trials and triumphs while dealing with my nightmare client – my husband! Married to a designer, he’s a joker, and a prankster whom is constantly trying to make me laugh because I take everything so seriously. He has made it his job to make things easy because every response is indirect and it leaves it open to interpretation. I always choose to go with positive outcomes.
