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We have an open floor plan, and on the main floor is a bathroom (only a toilet/sink, no shower or tub).

The house was built in 1995, and because this is an open floor plan, the vent goes into the basement. It's just the wife and I, but we find this pretty disgusting.

Can I vent this to the outside without going through the roof? I don't even think I could get to the roof if I wanted to but it would be a pretty easy installation just routing it horizontally, only about a 12-13' run. I have a drop ceiling in the basement so it's easy to get to.

Any other considerations I need to make code-wise? I'm in SE Michigan. If allowed, what kind of external venting connection would I use?

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  • Unclear why "open floor plan" means "no roof access"
    – Ecnerwal
    Commented Jan 22, 2022 at 14:59
  • The bathroom is essentially in the center of the main floor in it's own "box".
    – LarryBud
    Commented Jan 22, 2022 at 15:20

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Sure, you can run it out through the wall from basement level. If possible with the space available, establish a slope so that any condensate drains outside.

Wall vent terminations (use those words in your search engine of choice) are fairly stock, if more often seen on dryers. Unlike a dryer vent, metal mash to prevent creature ingress is a good thing (collects too much lint when used on a dryer vent, IME) and like a dryer vent a flap or louvers to prevent backdrafting when the fan is off is also good.

Solid ducting is slightly more effort to run, but flows much better due to the smooth walls than flexible ducting. Condensate also drains better from solid ducting.

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  • Thanks. Any reasonable limit on the run? For example, if I go one direction out of the house, the vent would be fairly visible (12-13' run) but if I go in another direction, I could put the vent under the deck, but that's probably about 20'. I wouldn't expect any condensation since it's just a toilet.
    – LarryBud
    Commented Jan 22, 2022 at 15:21
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    Length impacts resistance to flow (pipe friction) - if possible, increase duct size if choosing a long route. The stock 3" or 4" duct becomes an impediment fairly soon (precise length where it's a problem depends on the fan itself, but more length equals less airflow regardless.) An alternate approach is to use a fan that's in the larger section of duct (which can also be quieter than a typical "in the ceiling" fan, as it can be far from the actual area being vented.)
    – Ecnerwal
    Commented Jan 22, 2022 at 16:30

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