Can you vent a bathroom fan down?

In general, you can try venting a bath vent fan “down” but the combination of down-direction, elbows, and total run length may mean that it’s ineffective. Take a look at the installation manual for your fan brand and model. The manufacturer will give guidance on the total duct length permitted.

Can you have too much CFM in bathroom?





Bathroom vent fans are rated for the amount of air they can move, measured in cubic feet per minute, or CFM. Standard fan sizing applies to bathrooms that are 100 square feet or less. The rule of thumb is that you need at least 1 CFM per square foot of room area.

How do I make my bathroom fan stronger?

Vent under the floor to get outside.

Mount the fan high on the wall to better capture warm, moist air. Fabricate the duct run from rigid metal or PVC material. And install a more powerful fan to overcome natural convection and exhaust the air down and out.

How do I increase CFM on my exhaust fan?

Ideas to increase CFM would include:

  1. Purchase a fan that has more CFM.
  2. Put two fans side by side, they should move roughly twice the amount of air that a single fan is rated at.




Can I vent a bathroom fan through the wall?

The fan exhaust must vent directly to the exterior of the home. Do not put the vent termination in a roof overhang or soffit. Don’t put it on a wall near or under a roof overhang. The moist air that’s belched out by the fan can be sucked right up into the open soffit vents and be drawn into your attic.

Can a bathroom exhaust fan be mounted on the wall?

Yes, you can install the fan yourself. Installing a through-the-wall fan is not as difficult as it sounds. Sure, there’s the fan type, the power source, the vents, the cutting, and much more to think of.

How do I know if my bathroom fan is strong enough?

Take 2 pieces of toilet paper. Turn the fan on and put the toilet paper up to the fan. The fan should suck the toilet paper up and it should stay attached to the fan. If it doesn’t, all your fan is doing is making noise.

Can a bathroom fan be too large?



The volume of air that a bathroom vent fan can move is measured in cubic feet per minute, or CFM. Standard fan sizing applies to bathrooms of 100 square feet or less. The general rule is that you need at least one CFM per square foot of room size.

What is a good CFM for a bathroom fan?

Ventilation rates based upon eight air changes per hour are generally suggested. For most bathrooms this works out to one CFM per square foot of bathroom area. For example, a 7′ x 10′ bathroom would require a 70 CFM fan. A 50 CFM rating is recommended as a minimum for bathrooms 50 sq.

Is 80 CFM enough for a bathroom fan?

Choose a fan that can ventilate at least 1 CFM per square foot of room. So, for an 80 square foot bathroom, select an 80 CFM fan. For bathrooms 50 square feet and smaller, it’s recommended you purchase a bath fan designed for small rooms. In other words, choose under 79 CFM bath fans.

What happens when you put two fans together?



Putting two fans together does not increase the maximum airflow of the fans. So if you have a fan that pushes 50cfm in a theoretical, no resistance situation, putting two of them together will still only push 50cfm.

How do I calculate CFM for bathroom exhaust?

Multiply the volume of the room by 8 (due to the 8 ACH rule of thumb). Example: 640 ft3 × 8 = 5,120 ft3. To calculate bathroom fan CFM, divide the result by 60 (due to 1h = 60 min). Example: 5,120 ft3 ÷ 60 = 85 CFM.

Where should a bathroom exhaust fan be placed?

You can place the fan directly over the bathtub or shower base, but it’s sufficient to position it anywhere near the bathing area. If the bathroom has both a tub and shower, or a shower and a whirlpool tub, the fan should go somewhere between the two fixtures.

How many Sones is a quiet bathroom fan?

Typical bath fans range anywhere from <0.3 sones to 6.0 sones. Below is a chart detailing what sound level you can expect out of a certain sone level: <0.3 sones: This is the lowest possible sone rating for a ventilation fan. At <0.3 sones, you won’t even know the fan is running (maybe like my hotel experience?)

Do bathroom exhaust fans need to be vented outside?



Bathroom fan installation requires outside ventilation. If the fan isn’t accessible through an attic, you’ll need to vent through a sidewall of your house. These types of ducts and vents are typically installed when the house is built.

Can 2 bathroom exhaust fans be vented together?

Well, you can’t! You’d often blow air from one bathroom into the other, and local building inspectors wouldn’t approve it. But while you can’t have two fans with one vent, you can make one fan and one vent serve two bathrooms.

What is code for bathroom exhaust fan?

Section R303.

When this section is adopted by a community, it essentially says that, for venting purposes, bathrooms must have windows that open. The code reads that the window must have “aggregate glazing area…of not less than 3 square feet (0.3 m2), one-half of which must be openable.”

Is it OK to vent bathroom fan into soffit?



Exhaust shall terminate not less than 3 feet in any direction from openings into buildings. Exhaust duct terminations shall be equipped with a backdraft damper.” In a nutshell the inspector said that a bathroom or dryer vent since both are exhausting moist air can NOT be vented into a soffit per the code.

Is it better to vent bathroom fan through roof or soffit?

Whether it’s new construction or a remodel, a bathroom vent should always vent through the roof instead of an eave, overhang, or soffit. The point of a bathroom exhaust vent, or any vent really, is to remove hot, moist air from the house.

How long can the duct be for a bathroom fan?

Minimum vent fan duct lengths

Fantech recommends a minimum of eight feet of insulated flex duct between the exhaust inlet register or grille and the fan motor. The company does not cite a maximum exhaust duct length.