Venting enclosed room ?

We have a vacation cabin in the remote mountains. This place was built many years ago, and this county is so remote, not much attention is paid to building codes, etc.

I have a very small bathroom adjacent to an upstairs bathroom, that was built as an after-thought. It is real nice, but it has always had a problem. It has NO ventilation. It is **fully** enclosed, except for the door, which leads off our bedroom.

Because the bathroom has no ventilation, it stinks, not so much from human use, but from mice droppings/ dead mice that get trapped in the walls, etc. I know that if I could air it out, it would be 100% better.

I have thought of a small window. I know that would allow it to air out, and would do the trick. Yet, that is a bit costly, and would not "match" the exterior lines of the house.

I have also thought of a ventilation fan, but I know nothing about them. Are they really, really, effective ? I know they usually ventilate through a ceiling vent, but I would prefer not to go through my roof. Can they be vented horizontally, with a hole on a side wall? Most importantly, would a good exhaust fan do as well as having a small window that I could open from time to time ?

There is another possibility..... on the single door on this small bathroom, there is a transom area, currently covered with paneling. I could physically install an exhaust fan there, but of course it would be blowing out into the bedroom. The bedroom has plenty of windows, and thus is well-ventilated.

Some of my ideas or comments may sound like I am a greenhorn, and I am.

I will appreciate constructive ideas and comments. I suppose one of my main questions is how well an exhaust fan would ventilate this small bathroom, especially compared to a small window.

(Please note: Although I want things to be safe and effective, there is no worry about building codes here).

Thank You !!

James

Reply to
James
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Interesting post. But if cabin is in the remote mountains does the outside appearance of one small extra window matter very much; if at all? Also since it is a remote area one assumes that some sort of generator (intermittent availability of power etc.) is used to provide electricity. Since the possible use of a fan is mentioned, is whatever electrcity available regular North American 115/230 volts or some other type such as 12 volts from a battery/wind charger etc. In which case something using say a computer or ex-motor vehicle 12 volt fan could be employed? Since no building codes almost anything that works and is sensible and safe could be used? Here, in this part of Canada electricity is available in many organised 'Cabin areas' but in remote regions, sometimes only a few miles from a town/city there is none.

Reply to
terry

Reply to
RBM

Is there an accessible attic above? Is the bathroom close to a sidewall that gets a good breeze, downstream from windows? If you can get power in the ceiling, you can easily add a normal bathroom fan with a through-wall vent. If any of the bathroom walls are outside walls, you can install a through-wall fan, but those are prone to air leakage and frost buildup problems.

-- aem sends...

Reply to
aemeijers

We do have electricity. There is no way to exclude the mice. We know from 30 years experience.

The wall mounted exhaust fan may be a good idea...

Yes, you are correct that the odd window should not matter on this cabin, as we have no neighbors...

James

Reply to
James

Sure. It's done all the time. In fact the 'code' in my area requires a bathroom to have either a) a window or b) a fan-driven vent.

So, to answer you question, you can install a fan-driven vent and exhaust the air up through the roof or sideways through the wall.

Among other things to bear in mind:

  • The more powerful the fan, the more air that will be sucked from the living quarters; the more air sucked from the living quarters, the more outside air that must come in to replace it. This may be a climate issue.

  • The outside vent should have some sort of flap, else critters will get in and die, build nests, store nuts, or all three.

Reply to
HeyBub

No access to attic. Bathroom is located on an outside wall. Through wall fan may be good idea, except for your notation that they are prone to air leakage and frost buildup.

James

Reply to
James

The window route is cheaper than the fan route in the long run, and more effective. As for the Mice, get a good ultrasonic pest repellant unit and run it "wide open" when you are not there. They DO work. At my brother's trailer he had a real infestation, and 2 weeks after he installed the "noise maker" the traps were empty..

If you decide to go with a fan, there are wall-mount (through the wall) fans as well as ceiling fans that can be vented out the side - the wall-mounts tend to be "colder" - ie - they leak more air.

They are also, generally, more effective (larger)

A fan could be left running constantly regardless whether it was raining, or whatever, while a window might need to be closed - and the fan could be set on a timer to run for a short while every day even when you are not there - while for security reasons a window would need to be closed.

Just a few things to think about.

Reply to
clare

Clare, these are good points, except that we tried the ultrasonic units years ago, and they made no difference whatsoever.

I am now wondering if I shouldn't simply install some sort of vent-pipe through the wall. Just the smallest amount of fresh air from the outside would cure this problem, I am quite sure. Perhaps a six inch pvc pipe, with a mesh screen to defeat animal (more mice!) entry....

I bet there is something on the market that would work, I will look around....

James

Reply to
James

Dryer vent hoses are 4". What about using a louvered door insert between the bathroom and the bedroom? We did that for additional ventilation in our bathroom because we didn't want to keep the window open and didn't want to put in a ceiling or wall fan.

Reply to
hrhofmann

Hi, My vote is for a window which will give extra light as well. If thru wall fan with louver is installed, better find a quiet type. My cabin has that mouse chaser and never had mouse problem.

Reply to
Tony Hwang

How much do those ultrasonic mouse chasers cost? Is there a brand and model anyone can recommend? And do they drive dogs crazy? It is starting to get cold here, and I'm dreading the annual battle with the field mice looking for a warm winter home. (Pretty sure I know where they are getting in, but I can't do anything about it till I feel rich enough to tear out and replace the deck and some of the siding. No access.) I was thinking to put one high up in that part of the basement, or maybe in the cabinet under kitchen sink. I don't have a dog, but my neighbor 30 feet away does.

-- aem sends...

Reply to
aemeijers

Vent fans are sometimes wired so they go on with the electric light. I'd dare to guess that would give you enough air flow to help, a lot. No attic access sure changes the options.

What's below? Can you cut a vent hole in the floor, and tie that hole to the return air from your furnace? Or maybe run a ceiling fan to draw air from a floor vent? Run the tube along the cellar, and dump the stinky air out the side of the building?

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

The ones you can't hear are questionable at best. The ones that drive YOU nuts as well work.

Reply to
clare

Black and Decker makes one - Just don't put it in a hot attic - put mine in daughter's attic to chase squirrels out and the Piezo transducer blew. I had to replace it (that's the 'squawker")

Doesn't seem to bother cats and dogs too much, daughter's cat didn't mind at all. It has 3 "patterns" and 3 volume settings. Set to low when in residence, and shift to high when you leave.

Mine is a model 745-wb Made by Applica Consumer Products, 3633 Flamingo Road, Miramar Florida

33027 1-800-231-9786

(actually made for them in China) Marketed by Black and Decker.

Reply to
clare

James,

Take a look at the following link.

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They have both single and dual intake models available, as well as through the wall style fans. The motor portion of the "fan" unit mounts remotely (attic, knee wall, or closet, if need be, as long as you have a power source there) and you simply run insulated flex duct to the grill. No need for the grill to be ceiling mounted.

As someone else here mentioned, you may be able to tie both bathrooms together with one fan unit. On the ones that I have installed, I used a Leviton timer switch which provides a 5, 10, 15, or 30 minute delay time before turning the fan off.

Hope this helps.

Peter.

Reply to
Peter Bogiatzidis

James,

Take a look at the following link.

formatting link
They have both single and dual intake models available, as well as through the wall style fans. The motor portion of the "fan" unit mounts remotely (attic, knee wall, or closet, if need be, as long as you have a power source there) and you simply run insulated flex duct to the grill. No need for the grill to be ceiling mounted.

As someone else here mentioned, you may be able to tie both bathrooms together with one fan unit. On the ones that I have installed, I used a Leviton timer switch which provides a 5, 10, 15, or 30 minute delay time before turning the fan off.

Hope this helps.

Peter.

Reply to
Peter Bogiatzidis

Interesting post. But if cabin is in the remote mountains does the outside appearance of one small extra window matter very much; if at all? Also since it is a remote area one assumes that some sort of generator (intermittent availability of power etc.) is used to provide electricity. Since the possible use of a fan is mentioned, is whatever electrcity available regular North American 115/230 volts or some other type such as 12 volts from a battery/wind charger etc. In which case something using say a computer or ex-motor vehicle 12 volt fan could be employed? Since no building codes almost anything that works and is sensible and safe could be used? Here, in this part of Canada electricity is available in many organised 'Cabin areas' but in remote regions, sometimes only a few miles from a town/city there is none.

===

sailboat (and rv?) supply places have 12v exhaust fans with solar cells

Reply to
charlie

thanks Peter and Charlie for these comments and advice....

James

Reply to
James

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