Bathroom fan exhaust vent

[jk96]

Do the panasonic fans have lights too?

Some do and some don't. Depends on the model. Ours all have led lights and are very bright. For our two single person size showers this is the only light and they are plenty. For the larger master shower we have a single led can and the panasonic light and also puts out plenty of light between the two.

 

[QRTRHRS]

LOL, you would not want to follow me after I get done smelling up an improperly vented bathroom!

As mentioned by others, I have seen a number of vent pipes going to the soffits. There are actual fittings available where you cut a circular hole in the soffit material and insert a round fitting. I suppose that would be a bit better than having the tubing butt up against the soffit grill.

 

[dieselscout80]

Is it acceptable to run the bathroom vent through a side wall to the outside?

 

[EddieWalker]

Duct work in the attic must be a Florida thing. You don't see that in cold climates.

Probably because of basements versus concrete slabs for foundation. Most new construction also puts the HVAC unit in the attic. I hate this because very few people ever go into their attic to do maintenance, or even look at it unless there is a problem. Number one problem is the condensation drain becomes plugged up because nobody added bleach to it, and then the overflow in the pan becomes plugged up, and the pan overflows, causing water stains in the ceiling. Job security for me, but a waste of money for the home owner. Even worse, a lot of them have filters on the units in the attic that you have to go into the attic to change. Elderly people just can't do this, so they either ignore it, or pay to have them changed.

Back in the olden days, before flex lines where used for ducting, the HVAC people would cut the rafter braces to get a line where they wanted it. Over the years, the sheetrock would crack and the doors would jam up. Most common thought was that their foundation was bad. Sadly, a lot of people paid huge amounts of money to have their foundation fixed. Since the problem was in the attic, the problem persisted until somebody like me looked up there and saw what was done.

 

[EddieWalker]

Is it acceptable to run the bathroom vent through a side wall to the outside?

Mine go through the wall. I put metal vents with a flapper on them that keep bugs out, but allows the air to flow freely when the fan is on.

 

[Tractor Seabee]

Is it acceptable to run the bathroom vent through a side wall to the outside?

Yes, it has become popular to reduce the number of roof penetrations. Try to slope it down outside to help drain any condensate. All of my vents go through the sidewalls including the condensing furnace. Follow Eddies advice on the flapper damper.

Ron

 

[ray66v]

As mentioned by others, I have seen a number of vent pipes going to the soffits. There are actual fittings available where you cut a circular hole in the soffit material and insert a round fitting. I suppose that would be a bit better than having the tubing butt up against the soffit grill.

The problem can be that the warm moist air may rise right back into the attic, via the sofit vents.

So, you need to disable any sofit vents that are nearby to prevent this.

That will in turn reduce the amount of intake air your attic has, which is not ideal.

 

[ultrarunner]

I have always installed custom made oversize pans placed under attic Air Handlers... the pans have a separate dedicated line piped to daylight over a window and it works...

Seeing a trickle of water from a pipe over a bedroom window always results in action... often, as Eddy says it is nothing more than neglect/deferred maintenance...

 

[teejk]

Is it acceptable to run the bathroom vent through a side wall to the outside?

Ours does (and passed inspection by a very fussy inspector) but that is a "whole house" unit where 5 vents (3 baths with one having a separate toilet enclave plus 1 in the kitchen) enter into the unit in the basement. It's a large exit though 6" round transitioning to 8" oval at the wall but that single outlet is all we needed and it doesn't look bad at all. Might have to observe the same rules as to proximity to windows/doors that you have for heating equipment. An HVAC person would know.

 

[clemsonfor]

I'm late to the party. I'm sure it's covered by now but yes it should be ducted to the outside.

 

[hr3]

Yes, it should be vented. Are they always vented in every house? no I used to be very paranoid about this, but over the last couple of decades, it's so common that I no longer even pay attention to it in homes that I'm working on. I have never seen any moisture issues or mold from a non ducted vent. I personally install the ducting because it's simple and that's how it's supposed to be done, but I wouldn't lose any sleep over it if there wasn't a duct, or if it just goes up into an attic and not outside.

Do you see any sign of moisture or mold?

I've seen them do a lot of damage vented into the attic at least in Maine. Hot steamy shower = rain and ice in the attic..