Bonnie,
Sure you can, if your code permits it, that's part of what this thread is about.
Personally, I hate those louvered vents for the same reason birds love them. It does bring a big grin to my face, when I see birds fly out of them.
venting a bathroom fan
Aug 25, 2007
33 Replies
A word of caution when using plastic vent pipe. Be sure it is not exposed to sunlight through eave vents or doormer vents. The UV destroys the plastic [the 4" plastic vents are not UV protected.]
Sure can. You just use the same wall vent used for dryer vents. It has louvers or a flap in it to keep the critters out an prevent the wind from blowing in.
Paul F.
Broan makes a roof or gable mount where the blower and motor are mounted while the vent is ducted. That way you don't hear the "motor" in the bathroom.
Maybe you could use something like this as the grille over the housing that comes with the Fantec. The plastic grill just snaps in, you don't have to use it. The backdraft flap is part of the housing, not the grille.
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(Click on 6" round opera grille after the page opens)
A little pricey, but definitely vintage looking.
Paul F.
that was actually my original question, consensus seems to be "yes."
nate
Absolutely. Among the best are Panasonic's "WhisperWall" model:
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These draw only 18 watts and are
Absolutely. Among the best are Panasonic's "WhisperWall" model:
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These draw only 18 watts and are
Yep-- Fantech makes a great one:
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installed one of these and while it's overkill for my fan (it's rated for 20 amps, my fan is 18 watts) it's the best timer switch I've ever used. Hit the 30 min button when you enter the shower and forget it. It's also lighted, so it's easy to see it in the dark and/or tell how much time is remaining.
It's white and comes with a Decora plate.
-kiwanda
The vent supplied with the Panasonic Whisperwall (the through-wall version) is actually very nice and quite robust steel. Installed through the wall, the fan uses an 8" duct and the outdoor vent is about 10" square, with an integral damper and a very heavy screen over the opening. No way any bird will get in there, and the damper seals tightly whenever the fan is not running. It's much easier to install than any ceiling solution, and since the total run is just the thickness of the wall you won't have any problems with dropoff or condensation that you'd have with a long attic run.
-kiwanda
Another option: Vent them out through the soffits. The bathroom fans on my house are done this way, and it's a nice, clean look.
Certainly would be an option, _if_ the bathroom is located on an exterior wall.
Rather pointless, _if_ the bathroom is surrounded by interior walls. You would not be able to use this fan.
Believe it or not, I don't have any soffits. Roof ends just at the wall of the house.
nate
Yes but make sure there aren't any "droops" in the exhaust flex line if you re using that to get from the fan to outside. If there are any sagging areas, especially in cooler wall/attic/ceiling spaces you run the risk of condensation forming within the pipe and running down into the sagging area creating quite a heavy weight of water in the pipe over time
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