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Home > Archive > Building and Construction > January 2008 > Bathroom fan
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| hondgm@yahoo.com 2008-01-12, 1:25 pm |
| The house I recently bought did not originally have a bathroom fan,
however one of the previous owners added one. They did a half-assed
job like every other project they did to the house. The house is a
standard ranch from the late 70's with a very low slope roof.
First, the fan box is not attached to the ceiling joists. It simply
sits on top of the drywall. However, one edge of the ceiling hole is
right up against a ceiling joist. That's good. Second, it's obvious
the fan is not pulling air like it should. There is a hose attached
to the box, but I'm not sure where it goes. When the fan is run, it
makes a vibrating noise and there is no pull whatsoever on the
bathroom door or any other sign it's actually sucking air. If I take
the fan out and plug it into an outlet, it runs smoothly. I would
like to install a roof vent, and attach the box like it should be.
There is little over 1 foot of space between the ceiling drywall and
the roof, as seen through the ceiling hole. In addition, there is
lots of blown fiberglass insulation in the attic. Needless to say, I
hate thinking about going into this attic. I could easily install the
vent by not going into the attic, but attaching the box is another
story.
My question is: is there a fan box available that can be mounted from
inside the bathroom? I'm thinking of something like the "old work"
electrical boxes. I have thought about simply running screws through
the box into to joist. If I must go into the attic, I can probably do
that provided I wear a respirator and some sort of disposable
coveralls because of the fiberglass.
Thanks for any ideas/insight.
| |
|
| I'm pretty sure some, or all of the Panasonic fans will go in from beneath,
just be sure the opening isn't to close to any roof rafters, as I believe
these fans are around 10 inches in depth
<hondgm@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:8c9ee19b-218e-4c5c-9f0e-2186a4bda1de@f47g2000hsd.googlegroups.com...
> The house I recently bought did not originally have a bathroom fan,
> however one of the previous owners added one. They did a half-assed
> job like every other project they did to the house. The house is a
> standard ranch from the late 70's with a very low slope roof.
>
> First, the fan box is not attached to the ceiling joists. It simply
> sits on top of the drywall. However, one edge of the ceiling hole is
> right up against a ceiling joist. That's good. Second, it's obvious
> the fan is not pulling air like it should. There is a hose attached
> to the box, but I'm not sure where it goes. When the fan is run, it
> makes a vibrating noise and there is no pull whatsoever on the
> bathroom door or any other sign it's actually sucking air. If I take
> the fan out and plug it into an outlet, it runs smoothly. I would
> like to install a roof vent, and attach the box like it should be.
>
> There is little over 1 foot of space between the ceiling drywall and
> the roof, as seen through the ceiling hole. In addition, there is
> lots of blown fiberglass insulation in the attic. Needless to say, I
> hate thinking about going into this attic. I could easily install the
> vent by not going into the attic, but attaching the box is another
> story.
>
> My question is: is there a fan box available that can be mounted from
> inside the bathroom? I'm thinking of something like the "old work"
> electrical boxes. I have thought about simply running screws through
> the box into to joist. If I must go into the attic, I can probably do
> that provided I wear a respirator and some sort of disposable
> coveralls because of the fiberglass.
>
> Thanks for any ideas/insight.
>
| |
| Zootal 2008-01-12, 5:25 pm |
| Go into the attic. Inspect the attic in general, and inspect the fan
installation. You might find that the fan is OK, but the vent hose is
blocked or collapsed, and simply needs to be re-routed or maybe just moved.
As for vibration, it's possible it just needs to have the enclosure firmly
attached to the ceiling joist. It probably doesn't take much to make it
vibrate if it's just sitting there bouncing around. That may or may not be
easy, depending on the design of the enclosure. You might be able to drill a
hole in it and run a screw through it to the joist.
It's also quite possible that the fan is an inexpensive high speed squirrel
cage fan, which are quite common. Poor quality, mass produced, favored by
contractors that buy in bulk and want to save every penny they can. A little
bit of dust or lint in the blades puts off balance, and it vibrates. I
personally remove them and throw them in the trash everytime I find one, and
put a better quality unit in it's place.
<hondgm@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:8c9ee19b-218e-4c5c-9f0e-2186a4bda1de@f47g2000hsd.googlegroups.com...
> The house I recently bought did not originally have a bathroom fan,
> however one of the previous owners added one. They did a half-assed
> job like every other project they did to the house. The house is a
> standard ranch from the late 70's with a very low slope roof.
>
> First, the fan box is not attached to the ceiling joists. It simply
> sits on top of the drywall. However, one edge of the ceiling hole is
> right up against a ceiling joist. That's good. Second, it's obvious
> the fan is not pulling air like it should. There is a hose attached
> to the box, but I'm not sure where it goes. When the fan is run, it
> makes a vibrating noise and there is no pull whatsoever on the
> bathroom door or any other sign it's actually sucking air. If I take
> the fan out and plug it into an outlet, it runs smoothly. I would
> like to install a roof vent, and attach the box like it should be.
>
> There is little over 1 foot of space between the ceiling drywall and
> the roof, as seen through the ceiling hole. In addition, there is
> lots of blown fiberglass insulation in the attic. Needless to say, I
> hate thinking about going into this attic. I could easily install the
> vent by not going into the attic, but attaching the box is another
> story.
>
> My question is: is there a fan box available that can be mounted from
> inside the bathroom? I'm thinking of something like the "old work"
> electrical boxes. I have thought about simply running screws through
> the box into to joist. If I must go into the attic, I can probably do
> that provided I wear a respirator and some sort of disposable
> coveralls because of the fiberglass.
>
> Thanks for any ideas/insight.
>
| |
| Mark Witczak 2008-01-12, 9:25 pm |
| When you do go into the attic, you may find that end of the vent hose
goes nowhere. Releasing moist air into a cold attic can cause
condensation, mold and (in the worst case) rot. It would be worth
inspecting the rafters if no one has done it in a while.
Mark
Zootal wrote:
> Go into the attic. Inspect the attic in general, and inspect the fan
> installation. You might find that the fan is OK, but the vent hose is
> blocked or collapsed, and simply needs to be re-routed or maybe just moved.
>
> As for vibration, it's possible it just needs to have the enclosure firmly
> attached to the ceiling joist. It probably doesn't take much to make it
> vibrate if it's just sitting there bouncing around. That may or may not be
> easy, depending on the design of the enclosure. You might be able to drill a
> hole in it and run a screw through it to the joist.
>
> It's also quite possible that the fan is an inexpensive high speed squirrel
> cage fan, which are quite common. Poor quality, mass produced, favored by
> contractors that buy in bulk and want to save every penny they can. A little
> bit of dust or lint in the blades puts off balance, and it vibrates. I
> personally remove them and throw them in the trash everytime I find one, and
> put a better quality unit in it's place.
>
>
> <hondgm@yahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:8c9ee19b-218e-4c5c-9f0e-2186a4bda1de@f47g2000hsd.googlegroups.com...
>
>
| |
|
| "hondgm@yahoo.com" <hondgm@yahoo.com> wrote on 12 Jan 2008 in group
alt.home.repair:
<snipped>
> My question is: is there a fan box available that can be mounted from
> inside the bathroom? I'm thinking of something like the "old work"
> electrical boxes. I have thought about simply running screws through
> the box into to joist. If I must go into the attic, I can probably do
> that provided I wear a respirator and some sort of disposable
> coveralls because of the fiberglass.
You'll have to go into the attic to cut the hole in the roof for the
other end of the exhaust pipe. Or, you could run the pipe over to the
nearest soffet and use an appropriate cover.
You don't want the moist air blowing into the attic because it will
cause the insulation to get wet and compact. All that moist air leads to
condensation which results in mold and mildew in the attic.
The disposable coveralls are a good idea. I just take a shower
afterwards to get rid of the itch. For some reason, I never have the
bunny suit with me when the client needs attic work, because they always
forget to mention that part of the job. Client: "I just need you to
cover up the stain on my ceiling." Me: "Is there a leak?" Client: "Yes,
but it's fixed." When I arrive, I find the leak isn't fixed, it just
hasn't rained for three months.
--
Steve B.
New Life Home Improvement
| |
| The Streets 2008-01-13, 3:25 am |
| "Steve" <respond@online.newsgroup> wrote in message
news:Xns9A23D8DD7651F184365720018436572@66.250.146.128...
> "hondgm@yahoo.com" <hondgm@yahoo.com> wrote on 12 Jan 2008 in group
> alt.home.repair:
>
> <snipped>
>
>
> You'll have to go into the attic to cut the hole in the roof for the
> other end of the exhaust pipe. Or, you could run the pipe over to the
> nearest soffet and use an appropriate cover.
>
> You don't want the moist air blowing into the attic because it will
> cause the insulation to get wet and compact. All that moist air leads to
> condensation which results in mold and mildew in the attic.
>
> The disposable coveralls are a good idea. I just take a shower
> afterwards to get rid of the itch. For some reason, I never have the
> bunny suit with me when the client needs attic work, because they always
> forget to mention that part of the job. Client: "I just need you to
> cover up the stain on my ceiling." Me: "Is there a leak?" Client: "Yes,
> but it's fixed." When I arrive, I find the leak isn't fixed, it just
> hasn't rained for three months.
Never tried this myself but I've heard from some old pros that if you
get fiberglass insulation on you, it's best to take a shower in cold
water first to close your pores. Then use hot water to wash off the
fiberglass.
| |
| hondgm@yahoo.com 2008-01-13, 3:25 am |
| On Jan 12, 1:42 pm, "hon...@yahoo.com" <hon...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> The house I recently bought did not originally have a bathroom fan,
> however one of the previous owners added one. They did a half-assed
> job like every other project they did to the house. The house is a
> standard ranch from the late 70's with a very low slope roof.
>
I'm aware that I don't want air blowing directly into the attic; this
is why I am planning on putting a vent on the roof. Now if I can just
avoid going into the attic, things will be much easier. The roof of
the attic is easy to touch from the fan box hole, so I can drill a
pilot hole in the roof, etc.
RBM says that Panasonic fans can be installed completely from the
bathroom without going into the attic. The wiring is already there,
and the roof vent is a minimal problem. I've looked at the Panasonic
installation instructions, and it appears that you attach a plate to
the joist. This plate contains the air outlet and the wiring. Then
the rest of the box is slid onto it. Can anyone verify this?
| |
|
| "hondgm@yahoo.com" <hondgm@yahoo.com> wrote on 12 Jan 2008 in group
alt.home.repair:
> On Jan 12, 1:42 pm, "hon...@yahoo.com" <hon...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> RBM says that Panasonic fans can be installed completely from the
> bathroom without going into the attic. The wiring is already there,
> and the roof vent is a minimal problem. I've looked at the Panasonic
> installation instructions, and it appears that you attach a plate to
> the joist. This plate contains the air outlet and the wiring. Then
> the rest of the box is slid onto it. Can anyone verify this?
I can't see your instructions from here, so you're in a better position to
judge that particular unit. The last time I installed a bathroom ceiling
fan I drove screws through holes in the side of the box directly into a
joist. If I remember correctly, the unit had some type of arms on top that
could be extended to adjacent joists in case you wanted it centered.
--
Steve B.
New Life Home Improvement
| |
| hondgm@yahoo.com 2008-01-13, 9:25 am |
| On Jan 13, 12:15 am, Steve <resp...@online.newsgroup> wrote:
> "hon...@yahoo.com" <hon...@yahoo.com> wrote on 12 Jan 2008 in group
> alt.home.repair:
>
>
>
> I can't see your instructions from here, so you're in a better position to
> judge that particular unit. The last time I installed a bathroom ceiling
> fan I drove screws through holes in the side of the box directly into a
> joist. If I remember correctly, the unit had some type of arms on top that
> could be extended to adjacent joists in case you wanted it centered.
>
> --
> Steve B.
> New Life Home Improvement
Here are the instructions I was looking at. The FV-08VQL4 model looks
like it would work for me.
| |
|
| Once you cut the opening for the fan, pull the electric cable down, drill a
pilot hole through the roof, and leave something sticking out so you can
find it. From on the roof, cut your 4 inch hole for the roof cap and install
it. Attach a short length of 4 inch flex to the roof cap through the
bathroom opening, then attach the flex and cable to the fan and install the
fan from below. There should be no need to crawl into the attic
<hondgm@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:f47bc1e5-d352-47bd-a1a3-939ffad73842@k39g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
> On Jan 13, 12:15 am, Steve <resp...@online.newsgroup> wrote:
>
> Here are the instructions I was looking at. The FV-08VQL4 model looks
> like it would work for me.
| |
| hondgm@yahoo.com 2008-01-13, 1:26 pm |
| On Jan 13, 9:18 am, "RBM" <r...@noemail.com> wrote:
> Once you cut the opening for the fan, pull the electric cable down, drill a
> pilot hole through the roof, and leave something sticking out so you can
> find it. From on the roof, cut your 4 inch hole for the roof cap and install
> it. Attach a short length of 4 inch flex to the roof cap through the
> bathroom opening, then attach the flex and cable to the fan and install the
> fan from below. There should be no need to crawl into the attic
>
The opening is already there for the fan, the electrical work is done,
and I have a handle on the roof vent. RBM, do you have experience
with the Panasonic fans? From looking at the installation
instructions, it looks like I can install it completely through the
ceiling hole. It appears that a plate is attached to the ceiling
joist (which has the exhaust and electrical connections), then the fan
box is slid onto it and attached. Is my assumption correct?
| |
|
| I've only installed a couple of them, but what you describe is exactly how
they installed. I found them a little more complicated than the typical
Broan or Nutone fans, but that's because they're designed to be installed
from beneath the ceiling
<hondgm@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:cb1ba8d0-1bf8-48df-9944-7f8f61d6a91d@c23g2000hsa.googlegroups.com...
> On Jan 13, 9:18 am, "RBM" <r...@noemail.com> wrote:
>
> The opening is already there for the fan, the electrical work is done,
> and I have a handle on the roof vent. RBM, do you have experience
> with the Panasonic fans? From looking at the installation
> instructions, it looks like I can install it completely through the
> ceiling hole. It appears that a plate is attached to the ceiling
> joist (which has the exhaust and electrical connections), then the fan
> box is slid onto it and attached. Is my assumption correct?
| |
| hondgm@yahoo.com 2008-01-13, 1:26 pm |
| On Jan 13, 11:30 am, "RBM" <r...@noemail.com> wrote:[color=darkred]
> I've only installed a couple of them, but what you describe is exactly how
> they installed. I found them a little more complicated than the typical
> Broan or Nutone fans, but that's because they're designed to be installed
> from beneath the ceiling
>
> <hon...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>
> news:cb1ba8d0-1bf8-48df-9944-7f8f61d6a91d@c23g2000hsa.googlegroups.com...
>
>
Thanks for the quick reply. I think I'll order a couple of these and
roof vents too.
| |
| europeanvic 2008-01-14, 5:25 pm |
| On Jan 12, 5:28=A0pm, Mark Witczak <witc...@acm.org> wrote:
> When you do go into the attic, you may find that end of the vent hose
> goes nowhere. Releasing moist air into a cold attic can cause
> condensation, mold and (in the worst case) rot. It would be worth
> inspecting the rafters if no one has done it in a while.
>
> Mark
>
>
>
> Zootal wrote:
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> - Show quoted text -
Most of the times are exactly like that.
http://www.planorealestateadvisor.com
http://www.planoralty.blogspot.com
| |
| Andy Energy 2008-01-15, 3:25 am |
| On Jan 14, 11:33=A0am, europeanvic <victausha...@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Jan 12, 5:28=A0pm, Mark Witczak <witc...@acm.org> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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> Most of the times are exactly like that.
>
> http://www.planorealestateadvisor.c...y.blogspot.com- H=
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>
> - Show quoted text -
I have a panasonic fan I installed, love it. If I recall corectly it
could have all been installed from the underside. I did go into the
attic to since I had room. Panasonic probably has a support line to
call.
1-800-211-PANA (7262) e
-mail http://www2.panasonic.com/webapp/wc...dSupportContac=
t?storeId=3D15001&langId=3D-1&catalogId=3D11017
Please write to us at the following address and we will respond to
your inquiry as soon as possible.
Panasonic Corporation of North America
Consumer Affairs Division
Panazip 2F-3
One Panasonic Way
Secaucus, NJ 07094
Next item for the vent. Do you live in an area that gets snow? If
the vent is too low to the bottom of the roof you stand a chance of
getting water running in (the dreded ice dam). If no snow low vents
should be ok, check with local codes.
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