How to Install an Exhaust Fan in Your Bathroom
Here is how to install an exhaust fan in your bathroom. Always read the instructions on the box first. But before you start, there are a few additional things that you should know.
First, do not install the fan over the HVAC vents in the floor. You really do not want to pull the freshly heated or cooled air going into the bathroom directly to the outside. You want the moisture laden air to go outside.
Second, do not install over the shower.
After you have picked a location for your exhaust fan, push a screwdriver through the ceiling and go into the attic to ensure the space is clear. Now you are ready to install it.
Here is what you do.
- Mount two pieces of 2 x 4 lumber the width of the box between the ceiling joists.
- Place plastic sheeting over the space below and cut the hole.
- Mount the box to the frame with screws. Never use nails as they can come loose.
- The best method is to run the exhaust tubing through the roof. However, a perfectly acceptable method is to run the exhaust tubing to the soffit area. The cut a hole in the soffit and have the exhaust tubing vent to the outside.
- Do not forget to put a back-draft damper in the exhaust tubing to keep outside air from blowing back into the bathroom. If you do not do this, you will hear the door in the fan housing rattle every time the wind blows.
- Install the timer switch and the bathroom exhaust fan project is complete.
