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venting bathroom exhaust fan

4 years ago

Our house was built 1963 and the original bathroom exhaust fan was 6” straight shot up through roof. We had a new roof done less than 2 years ago and they put a new vent cap on but there was no flue inside and we definitely felt outside air from the vent. The fan was very loud and rusted too so we bought a replacement broan fan (model below - pretty standard square side vented model) installed by the HVAC company who was replacing our attic insulation and sealing up attic.

I expected them to place an elbow and adapters to connect the new fan to the existing larger roof vent but instead they ran a 4” flex hose to our eave vent and just stuck it up against the rodent guard. About a 10’ horizontal run.

So I contacted them and asked if that hose I see through vent is the bathroom exhaust and they said they will “fix” it when they return to finish the other stuff they are working on.

So my question is - is there any reason other than laziness that they would have done this? A longer horizontal run seems inferior but I know vertical vents can have rain blow in and condensation drip down into ceiling.

When they return to fix what should I be checking for when I go up to look in the attic?

https://www.homedepot.com/p/NuTone-Roomside-Series-80-CFM-Ceiling-Bathroom-Exhaust-Fan-with-CleanCover-ENERGY-STAR-AERN80K/307749054

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Comments (2)

mike_home
4 years ago
The main reason is laziness and cost. What they should have done is installed an insulated 4 inch flexible duct to a capped roof vent. It needs to be insulated so the warm air does not condense in the winter and drip into the fan. Your old fan probably got rusty because there was no roof cap and the duct was not insulated.
Tmnca
Original Author
4 years ago
Thanks - that’s what I suspected. I’ll make sure they do it right this time.

I think there was a cap on the vent in the past but we did the roof when we bought the house anyway, and over 60 years in a coastal location I’m not surprised there was some rust!
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First of all, don't vent it out the soffit. The moist air will just get pulled right back into the attic thru the soffit vents. Obviously, many here are trying to have you avoid the attic all together, and if you agree, the soffit venting idea mitigates that. Having said that, I'm not a "sky is falling" type when it comes to attic venting and mold. I presently live in a house built in 1954 and my master fan goes straight to the attic. Judging by the fans' construction and the jet plane noise it makes when I turn it on, it's been there since day one. There is not one hint of moisture or mold in that attic. I know the signs of mold, and there are zip, zero, zilch, nada...get the picture :) Here's what I would do. Send the president of the association an email confirming his "...that's what everyone does..." statement. When he responds, print it out and throw it in a file you'll never lose. Now go ahead and vent that puppy straight up to the attic and forget about it. If the you know what ever hits the you know where, you simply pull out your never lose file and smile.
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Yes. I considered doing this for our two bathrooms, but ultimately decided to keep them separate. Our fans are from Fantech. I talked to them about two fans with one exhaust. They said this would work fine with a "Y" adapter and a backdraft damper above each fan but below the junction. Fantech RSK6 backdraft damper: Fantech Y connector Depending on your fans, you might need 4" or 6" ducts from the fan up to the connector; you probably want 6" from the connector to the roof. Fantech makes a 644 version with two 4" ends and one 6" end, or a 666 for all 6" openings. The dampers are available in 4" or 6" versions as well. -- Eric
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