36
votes
Exhaust fumes seeping into our 4th floor apartment at night through bathroom and shower vents/fans
PLEASE seek professional assistance immediately.
There are two main issues with exhaust that can make you feel ill like this: Carbon Dioxide and Carbon Monoxide. Both are harmful, if not fatal, if ...
- 1,958
35
votes
Accepted
Bathroom exhaust fan without duct
Is this a big problem? I assume the fan has been like this for 15+ > years. If it is, I will look into getting a duct there, which is complicated by the inaccessible attic space.
Moisture in the ...
- 5,551
25
votes
Does a portable fan work for drying the bathroom?
You need a dehumidifier.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dehumidifier
If there is no way to blow the humid air out, run it thru a dehumidifier. You can keep it in the bathroom running on a timer or ...
- 5,498
21
votes
Does a portable fan work for drying the bathroom?
When the things in a bathroom dry the water is not simply disappearing, rather it is converting from liquid you can see and feel on the surfaces and towels into vapor in the air. In other words, ...
- 19.6k
18
votes
Will it cause problems to shower without the exhaust fan and only turn it on afterwards?
Condensing water is never good. The vapor will creep in places where it may not quickly evaporate once it has condensed. It will condense easily but dry slowly in cold places and badly ventilated ...
17
votes
Accepted
How can I offset 6" ducting by just a few inches?
30 inches of height? 3 inches of offset? You need to learn how to use multi-section rigid duct elbows, which can be rotated to be considerably less than the 90 degrees you buy them at. You have plenty ...
- 134k
16
votes
Accepted
Trying to replace bathroom vent, but housing is stapled to the rafter
You've already pretty well mangled the housing and you're planning on replacing the whole thing anyway, so just go to town hacking at it. A pry bar, a hammer, a pair of tin snips, and some sturdy ...
- 29.4k
13
votes
Bathroom fan fluctuates in power when using countdown timer switch
There are actually two problems, and they are related:
Low Power Fan
First I found a customer review on the Lowes web site that said:
I gave this only three stars as no where on packaging or ...
12
votes
Trying to replace bathroom vent, but housing is stapled to the rafter
A small prybar, cold chisel, or a screwdiver you don't like much (this is screwdriver abuse) can be driven under the staple to get it moving. There appears to already be space there. Even a large nail ...
- 134k
10
votes
Exhaust fumes seeping into our 4th floor apartment at night through bathroom and shower vents/fans
Although not an answer different from the others but I'd like to point out, and considering its importance in this case, it probably can be tolerated in an answer of its own rather than buried ...
- 279
9
votes
Why are my bathroom light and fan wired to the same switch?
Many apartment owners wire the fan and light to a single switch. The reason I have done it is to limit moisture build up. Not all renters are responsible enough to turn on the fan while using the ...
- 10.9k
9
votes
Bathroom fan and clothes dryer share an exhaust duct
The only good solution here is to run independent duct lines to the exterior, as should've been done initially. It's a violation of codes for good reason, as you've seen. Both ducts should be rigid or ...
- 104k
9
votes
Accepted
Bathroom fan fluctuates in power when using countdown timer switch
Take it back and get a different timer
The stock Lutron MA-T51 does not need neutral; however, it accomplishes this by trickling power through the load. This is fine for large loads, but for low ...
- 72k
8
votes
How can I quiet a bathroom exhaust fan that became loud only after the duct was added?
There more restricted the airflow is, the more noise there will be. All contributing factors to noise:
Diameter of duct (larger is better)
Overall length (shorter is better)
Number of turns/bends (...
- 28.3k
8
votes
Exhaust fumes seeping into our 4th floor apartment at night through bathroom and shower vents/fans
Seek medical attention immediately, and have the doctors provide a report on your health and diagnosis. Find out from them how dangerous it is to continue to expose yourself and your family to those ...
- 3,223
8
votes
Accepted
What tool/process do I need to remove this bathroom exhaust fan from motor?
The "small hole on the inner side" is a set screw. You will see that it lines up with the flat surface milled into the side of the shaft. You must unscrew it with a hex wrench, aka an Allen ...
- 12.8k
7
votes
Will it cause problems to shower without the exhaust fan and only turn it on afterwards?
Not a big problem but moisture is almost never a good thing in a house unless you live in a very dry climate. Why not turn the fan on first thing? In addition to mildew, moisture isn't good for ...
- 7,589
7
votes
Bathroom exhaust fan without duct
Venting into an attic is terrible in North American climate zones (6,7,8 in linked map below); less so in arid southern zones (1,2). This will give you a sense of how bad this might be. Beyond that, ...
- 15.7k
7
votes
Bathroom exhaust fan without duct
Ack's answer is very good, so I won't repeat what they wrote.
I will add that molds can definitely create a significant health hazard.
I would get the attic inspected for the presence of hazardous ...
6
votes
Fast trick to figure out to where bathroom fan vents out
If you have access to the attic; and presumably the top of the bathroom fan, you may be able to follow the duct.
If you don't have access to the top side of the fan, you could remove the cover and ...
- 128k
6
votes
Accepted
Can I place ventilation ducting on top of joists if there is space?
I'm confused/surprised by the existence of the void, but if you've got the space, then go for it.
The only bit of mathematics to be concerned with is matching the cross section of the various ...
- 15.7k
6
votes
Accepted
Bathroom exhaust vent into crawlspace
No, at least not under the international residential code (IRC):
M1501.1 Outdoor Discharge
The air removed by every mechanical exhaust system shall be discharged to
the outdoors in accordance with ...
- 833
6
votes
Accepted
Bathroom fan duct connection for maintainability
I'd think about stopping the rigid duct about two feet from the fan and connecting a piece of aluminum flex duct to the end of the rigid and on to the fan. You'd have some flexibility in removing the ...
- 53.6k
6
votes
Ventilating a cat box through the dryer exhaust duct
Sharing ducts in that way usually isn't allowed by code for health, comfort, energy efficiency, and fire reasons, among others. It's not a good idea, as you won't balance venting force without a ...
- 104k
6
votes
Accepted
Where can I find a replacement bathroom fan with this uncommon electrical plug?
You shouldn't be seeking out that connector.
The problem is, you have not removed the fan. You've removed only part of the fan assembly. The thing that plugs into is more parts of the fan assembly. ...
5
votes
Accepted
Do I need a vent fan in an interior laundry room?
No, this is not a code requirement for laundry rooms in dwelling units (at least in the 2012 IBC).
In fact, most dryers are essentially acting as exhaust fans when they run because they take air from ...
- 1,042
5
votes
Exhaust fumes seeping into our 4th floor apartment at night through bathroom and shower vents/fans
(I'm an American living in Austria.)
My first thought was something related to the heating system too (although we're not heating yet in Vienna).
I would still call the Rauchfangkehrer (chimney ...
- 151
5
votes
Disconnected Loud (IMO Useless) bathroom exhaust fan
The accumulated dust is going to have minimal affect its performance as a fan. But feel free to vacuum/brush it if that makes you happier. Lacking a description of the noise, it probably needs bearing ...
- 134k
5
votes
Accepted
What Type of Ducting Should Be Used for a Bathroom Exhaust Fan?
I used insulated flex ducting like below for my bath vents.
Try to keep it flat or sloping toward the outside to avoid condensation pockets.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Master-Flow-4-in-x-12-ft-...
- 2,432
5
votes
How to wire 3 separate switches to a single exhaust fan
The answer to your question depends on many exact details of your existing circumstances. Are you building anew, or are you modifying an existing construction? If modifying, do you have access to run ...
- 12.8k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible