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Home > Archive > Home Repair forum > December 2005 > Need fan in basement bathroom
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Need fan in basement bathroom
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| The house we moved into has a finished basement. There's a bedroom with a
half-bath, but no windows and no fan. I believe that's a no-no, code-wise.
But, more importantly, we have people who stay there from time to time and
I'd like to add an exhaust fan.
The problem is there's no place I can think of to put the exhaust. The
bathroom is in the corner of the house and the two outside walls are
concrete and below ground. Is there any such thing as a filtered fan,
something like for kitchens? I could exhaust into the utility closet, where
the well tank, water heater, and other plumbing is located. But I don't
want the odors moving out into the family room. And my father-in-law can be
aromatic.
Or would a kitchen-style fan exhausting back into the bathroom be enough?
Thanks.
--
--Marc
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| Oscar_Lives 2005-12-29, 12:21 am |
|
"Marc" <godboutm@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:2q2dnQoZYP3vwy7enZ2dnUVZ_tmdnZ2d@comcast.com...
> The house we moved into has a finished basement. There's a bedroom with a
> half-bath, but no windows and no fan. I believe that's a no-no, code-wise.
> But, more importantly, we have people who stay there from time to time and
> I'd like to add an exhaust fan.
>
> The problem is there's no place I can think of to put the exhaust. The
> bathroom is in the corner of the house and the two outside walls are
> concrete and below ground. Is there any such thing as a filtered fan,
> something like for kitchens? I could exhaust into the utility closet,
> where
> the well tank, water heater, and other plumbing is located. But I don't
> want the odors moving out into the family room. And my father-in-law can
> be
> aromatic.
>
> Or would a kitchen-style fan exhausting back into the bathroom be enough?
>
> Thanks.
>
> --
> --Marc
>
Just hook the exhaust into the return air of your furnace and let the filter
take care of it.
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| buffalobill 2005-12-29, 2:21 am |
| since you usually need to provide windows equal to ten percent of the
finished floor space, and 45% openable, smoke detector, carbon monoxide
alarm, water alarm, radon testing, and a permit, and to supply fresh
combustion and breathing air into the basement as well as bathroom
exhaust, let's move the guests into the main floor living room or
nearby motel for now.
and buy dad some bean-o.
also look at the radon mitigation fans that collect radon gas from your
basement and constantly blow it up a pvc chimney.
see various fans at:
http://www.energyfederation.org/con...hp/cPath/30_406
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| Oscar_Lives wrote:
>
> "Marc" <godboutm@yahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:2q2dnQoZYP3vwy7enZ2dnUVZ_tmdnZ2d@comcast.com...
[color=darkred]
> Just hook the exhaust into the return air of your furnace and let the
> filter take care of it.
Thanks, but I don't have forced hot air. However, you did give me an idea.
My water heater is propane and has its vent tube right in that next-door
closet. Maybe I can tie into that somehow. I would need some type of check
valve to keep the water heater's exhaust from going into the bathroom, but
it's a thought.
--
--Marc
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| Bill Kearney 2005-12-29, 11:21 am |
| > Thanks, but I don't have forced hot air. However, you did give me an idea.
> My water heater is propane and has its vent tube right in that next-door
> closet. Maybe I can tie into that somehow. I would need some type of check
> valve to keep the water heater's exhaust from going into the bathroom, but
> it's a thought.
Not a good idea. Don't take the existing, working exhaust and introduce
some new way to cause carbon monoxide to vent into the living space. Yes,
there are probably ways to do it but I'd have a professional do it AND get
the local building inspector's office to sign off on the plans before and
the work once it's done. Given the risks associated with exhaust fumes I'd
find a different solution.
But if that water heater exhaust runs somewhere, how about running something
else along that same route?
Alternatively you could run the vent up through the walls above the
bathroom. They do make booster units that'd let you tie into the exhaust
vent for another nearby bathroom. Companies like Fantech make solutions for
this. You might be lucky enough to have closet or something above the
bathroom that'd lend itself to being ripped up to facilitate installing the
new ducting. Otherwise it's easy enough, but messy, to rip open a wall and
put up new drywall.
| |
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| I'd just vent into the util closet next door and let the draw from the water
heater vent suck it out.
"Marc" <godboutm@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:2q2dnQoZYP3vwy7enZ2dnUVZ_tmdnZ2d@comcast.com...
> The house we moved into has a finished basement. There's a bedroom with a
> half-bath, but no windows and no fan. I believe that's a no-no, code-wise.
> But, more importantly, we have people who stay there from time to time and
> I'd like to add an exhaust fan.
>
> The problem is there's no place I can think of to put the exhaust. The
> bathroom is in the corner of the house and the two outside walls are
> concrete and below ground. Is there any such thing as a filtered fan,
> something like for kitchens? I could exhaust into the utility closet,
> where
> the well tank, water heater, and other plumbing is located. But I don't
> want the odors moving out into the family room. And my father-in-law can
> be
> aromatic.
>
> Or would a kitchen-style fan exhausting back into the bathroom be enough?
>
> Thanks.
>
> --
> --Marc
>
| |
|
| Here I am following up my own post with an answer. First of all, thanks for
the thoughts on this. But I did some more Googling and came up with a
"ductless bathroom fan",
http://www.kitchensource.com/bathroom-fans/br-682l.htm
Since this is a half-bath, I don't need to get rid of humidity. This
ductless fan should work fine. I found others like it and many refer to
removing bathroom odors. It probably won't be as good as a real outside
exhaust, but it'll be a whole lot better than what we have now - nothing.
I wasn't too crazy about messing with the propane exhaust, either, and
there's no good way to run an exhaust upstairs. The walls just don't match
up and nothing but dining room up there.
So thanks again for the ideas - well, all except the Beano one :-).
--Marc
Marc wrote:
[color=darkred]
> Oscar_Lives wrote:
>
--
--Marc
| |
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| In article <2q2dnQoZYP3vwy7enZ2dnUVZ_tmdnZ2d@comcast.com>, godboutm@yahoo.com
says...
>
>The house we moved into has a finished basement. There's a bedroom with a
>half-bath, but no windows and no fan. I believe that's a no-no, code-wise.
>But, more importantly, we have people who stay there from time to time and
>I'd like to add an exhaust fan.
>
>The problem is there's no place I can think of to put the exhaust. The
>bathroom is in the corner of the house and the two outside walls are
>concrete and below ground. I
>--Marc
>
Well, ignoring the fact that an occupied basement area requires emergency exit
windows in just about any location that has a building code...
The top of the concrete walls must rise above the ground at least a foot or so,
right? Open the ceiling of the bathroom, and run the exhaust duct in between
the ceiling joists, out through the rim joist.
Dennis
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| spudnuty 2005-12-29, 12:21 pm |
|
Marc wrote:
> Here I am following up my own post with an answer. First of all, thanks for
> the thoughts on this. But I did some more Googling and came up with a
> "ductless bathroom fan",
> http://www.kitchensource.com/bathroom-fans/br-682l.htm
> Since this is a half-bath, I don't need to get rid of humidity. This
> ductless fan should work fine. I found others like it and many refer to
> removing bathroom odors. It probably won't be as good as a real outside
> exhaust, but it'll be a whole lot better than what we have now - nothing.
>
> I wasn't too crazy about messing with the propane exhaust, either, and
> there's no good way to run an exhaust upstairs. The walls just don't match
> up and nothing but dining room up there.
>
> So thanks again for the ideas - well, all except the Beano one :-).
>
> --Marc
Toto makes a bidet/fan seat that also deodorizes and I have made a
deodorizer out of a fan and special activated charcoal filter. In fact
that has been down for a year and since we only have one bathroom it's
sorely missed.
Richard
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| spudnuty 2005-12-29, 12:21 pm |
|
Marc wrote:
> Here I am following up my own post with an answer. First of all, thanks for
> the thoughts on this. But I did some more Googling and came up with a
> "ductless bathroom fan",
> http://www.kitchensource.com/bathroom-fans/br-682l.htm
> Since this is a half-bath, I don't need to get rid of humidity. This
> ductless fan should work fine. I found others like it and many refer to
> removing bathroom odors. It probably won't be as good as a real outside
> exhaust, but it'll be a whole lot better than what we have now - nothing.
>
> I wasn't too crazy about messing with the propane exhaust, either, and
> there's no good way to run an exhaust upstairs. The walls just don't match
> up and nothing but dining room up there.
>
> So thanks again for the ideas - well, all except the Beano one :-).
>
> --Marc
Toto makes a bidet/fan seat that also deodorizes and I have made a
deodorizer out of a fan and special activated charcoal filter. In fact
that has been down for a year and since we only have one bathroom it's
sorely missed.
Richard
| |
| spudnuty 2005-12-29, 12:21 pm |
|
spudnuty wrote:
> Marc wrote:
> Toto makes a bidet/fan seat that also deodorizes and I have made a
> deodorizer out of a fan and special activated charcoal filter. In fact
> that has been down for a year and since we only have one bathroom it's
> sorely missed.
> Richard
I'm answering my own post. I see that Broan has an activated charcoal
filter but I wonder if it will remove the methane and ammonia that will
be produced. I used a filter mask canister that was made to remove
these.
Richard
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| Jeff Wisnia 2005-12-29, 2:21 pm |
| DT wrote:
> In article <2q2dnQoZYP3vwy7enZ2dnUVZ_tmdnZ2d@comcast.com>, godboutm@yahoo.com
> says...
>
>
>
>
> Well, ignoring the fact that an occupied basement area requires emergency exit
> windows in just about any location that has a building code...
>
> The top of the concrete walls must rise above the ground at least a foot or so,
> right? Open the ceiling of the bathroom, and run the exhaust duct in between
> the ceiling joists, out through the rim joist.
>
> Dennis
>
You could always scrounge around used building material yards and pick
up an American Standard "Ventaway" toilet. (AKA "The fart catcher.")
Repair parts for them are still available.
They stopped making those a few years ago, probably for water
conservation reasons because they use running water to pull the air out
of the bowl and send that air down the drain after the trap section of
the toilet.
IIRC you pulled up on the flush handle to turn on that water flow before
you sat down. Pushing down on the handle to flush the toilet stopped the
venting flow.
Happy Holidays,
Jeff
--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
"Truth exists; only falsehood has to be invented."
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| Goedjn 2005-12-29, 2:21 pm |
|
>Well, ignoring the fact that an occupied basement area requires emergency exit
>windows in just about any location that has a building code...
It needs two means of egress separated by a rated fire assembly,
but neither of them has to be a window. Windows are just the
easiest way to meet the requirement. A concrete tunnel with
sufficient headroom would work just as well.
| |
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| Goedjn wrote:
>
>
> It needs two means of egress separated by a rated fire assembly,
> but neither of them has to be a window. Windows are just the
> easiest way to meet the requirement. A concrete tunnel with
> sufficient headroom would work just as well.
My house is on a slope, so the front of the basement is well above ground
and has plenty of windows and a couple doors. But I like the concrete
tunnel. I'll start digging as soon as the ground thaws :-)
--
--Marc
| |
| hvactech2 2005-12-29, 6:21 pm |
| On Thu, 29 Dec 2005 07:50:05 -0500, Marc <godboutm@yahoo.com> wrote:
>Oscar_Lives wrote:
>
>
>
>Thanks, but I don't have forced hot air. However, you did give me an idea.
>My water heater is propane and has its vent tube right in that next-door
>closet. Maybe I can tie into that somehow. I would need some type of check
>valve to keep the water heater's exhaust from going into the bathroom, but
>it's a thought.
This is not recommended. never tie anything like this into a flue as
it could easily cause CO entry into the living space.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
spam protection measure, Please remove the 33 to send e-mail
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| BocesLib@gmail.com 2005-12-30, 2:21 am |
| If you are just worried about smell, get an air freshner and
a spray air freshner when the going gets rough in there.
Panasonic does make a through wall unit that might work nice
for you too (if it vents outside)
As for the other guy even suggesting you put it into the furnance
return, you are out of your mind! geez when that thing is running
it would suck out the smell and pump it right into the house!
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