Bathroom Vents Into Attic
On my home inspections it is still a common sight for me to see bathroom vents going directly into the attic spewing moisture.
Bathroom vents into attic. You d often blow air from one bathroom into the other and local building inspectors wouldn t approve it. Bathroom ventilation codes require a bathroom exhaust fan to vent to the exterior not the attic for health and structural reasons. This setup requires an in line centrifugal fan mounted in the attic drawing air simultaneously from both bathrooms see photo. The problem with this approach is that all of the moisture in the air goes onto the wood sheathing insulation wood rafters and wood ceiling joists which can lead to mold growth and rot.
First you ll partially block your roof vent with the piping reducing the flow of cooling air through your attic. If you vent the bathroom exhaust fan to close to the soffit vents which are vented plates under your homes outer edge and roof your home the air can be sucked right back into the attic from the soffit. While this may seem obvious homeowners may out of convenience direct the vent into either of these locations. Bathroom ventilation fan duct routing routing a bath vent duct down out or up through an attic or roof out.
I was listening to one of your shows earlier and you were talking about how the bathroom vents are vented into the attic. Second during cold winters you ll be blowing warm moist air onto a cold surface the roof vent and roof plywood. Mike in iowa is on the line with a venting question. This section notes that air exhausted from the bathroom must be sent outdoors not indoors to the same residence or indoors to any other dwelling unit.
Bathroom exhaust fans perform an important function by removing excess moisture from your home. In all cases the ducting needs to conduct the exchaust to the building exterior and needs to terminate in an animal proof vent cover. But while you can t have two fans with one vent you can make one fan and one vent serve two bathrooms. No you cannot vent the bathroom exhaust fan into the soffit vents.
Can you vent a bathroom exhaust fan into the soffit vents. Bathroom fan vent code requirements include no venting to attic areas to help reduce mold or structural problems. When venting a bathroom exhaust fan make sure to vent the air to the outside rather than into your attic where it can cause mold and mildew to form. This article describes routing bath exhaust fan duct upwards through an attic or roof space or downwards through a floor or crawl space.
Options for venting a bathroom exhaust fan include best to worst.