Hi,
I have a bathroom vent in my masterbath that is approx 15 feet away
from the shower. Was wanting to know if this is adequate enough to
vent that warm moist air to the outside?
Thanks in advance,
Lance
hallerb@aol.com - 21 May 2006 20:27 GMT
does it work well? room have window?
shorter run is always better, but it a compromise between run length,
power of blower motor, possible noise, and wether the run has lots of
bends and what kind of vent line, smooth metal better than the plastic
flexible corrugated type
LanceMan - 21 May 2006 20:40 GMT
Thanks for the replies. Unfortunately the room does not have a window
and I haven't been up in the attic to check out the ventilation (just
bought this house a couple months ago - it was built in 1983). The
vent is a small 9x9 unit with a rating of 50 cfm from what I could see.
RBM - 21 May 2006 20:45 GMT
Unfortunately, a 50 CFM unit for a bathroom that size is pretty much
worthless
> Thanks for the replies. Unfortunately the room does not have a window
> and I haven't been up in the attic to check out the ventilation (just
> bought this house a couple months ago - it was built in 1983). The
> vent is a small 9x9 unit with a rating of 50 cfm from what I could see.
SQLit - 21 May 2006 20:46 GMT
> Thanks for the replies. Unfortunately the room does not have a window
> and I haven't been up in the attic to check out the ventilation (just
> bought this house a couple months ago - it was built in 1983). The
> vent is a small 9x9 unit with a rating of 50 cfm from what I could see.
50 cfm is the min required by my building code. Doubtful it does more than
make noise. IMO
I just installed a 100 cfm with 3 feet of 4" hard pipe, not flexible stuff.
It does remove the steam and toilet odors.
Slingblab - 21 May 2006 21:29 GMT
> I just installed a 100 cfm with 3 feet of 4" hard pipe, not flexible stuff.
> It does remove the steam and toilet odors.
What brand/model? Is it fairly quiet?
RBM - 21 May 2006 20:31 GMT
Bathroom exhaust fans are designed to change the air in the space so many
times per hour to remove commode odor. As a secondary function they will
remove shower steam if located near the shower and if the unit is of enough
CFM. In your situation it probably won't do much for the steam, given its
distance from the shower unless it's a pretty powerful unit
> Hi,
> I have a bathroom vent in my masterbath that is approx 15 feet away
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> Thanks in advance,
> Lance
Stubby - 21 May 2006 20:40 GMT
> Hi,
> I have a bathroom vent in my masterbath that is approx 15 feet away
> from the shower. Was wanting to know if this is adequate enough to
> vent that warm moist air to the outside?
You can call your town (state) building inspector. It's probably fine.
All a bathroom fan does is lower the relative humidity of the air so
the water won't condense on the walls. I have a 6x10' bathrooom with 7'
ceiling. That's 420 cuft. I think the fan I put in is 70 cfm so in 6
minutes it will drop the humidity in half.
Danimal - 21 May 2006 21:19 GMT
Braun makes a very powerful bath exhaust fan that is whisper quiet.
> Hi,
> I have a bathroom vent in my masterbath that is approx 15 feet away
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> Thanks in advance,
> Lance
RBM - 21 May 2006 21:55 GMT
I think you're referring to Broan. They recently came out with an "ultra
quiet" line which are absolutely excellent!!!
> Braun makes a very powerful bath exhaust fan that is whisper quiet.
>
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>> Thanks in advance,
>> Lance
Joseph Meehan - 21 May 2006 23:14 GMT
> Hi,
> I have a bathroom vent in my masterbath that is approx 15 feet away
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> Thanks in advance,
> Lance
There really are as lot of factors that come into play. While it is
better to be close to the shower, it may be fine. The question is does it
serve the purpose.
Assuming it seems to be doing a reasonable just, I would do two things.
First make sure that it is vented out of your home and not terminating in
the attic or just ending over a eve vent in hopes it will go outside.
Venting into the attic is really bad.
I suspect you might profit from replacing the existing fan at some time
with one of larger capacity and less noise. The ones usually put in by
builders are super cheap.

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Stubby - 22 May 2006 01:36 GMT
> ...
> First make sure that it is vented out of your home and not terminating in
> the attic or just ending over a eve vent in hopes it will go outside.
> Venting into the attic is really bad.
Only if the attic is inside rather than outside. The line between the
two is the insulation layer. You want to vent to the outside of the
insulation which can be in the attic.
Joshua Putnam - 22 May 2006 15:31 GMT
> > ...
> > First make sure that it is vented out of your home and not terminating in
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> two is the insulation layer. You want to vent to the outside of the
> insulation which can be in the attic.
I've seen some nasty rot from taking that advice -- warm, moist air
vented underneath a roof makes for condensation in the attic space.
Yes, the attic space is ventilated and the condensation will
eventually evaporate, but in the mean time you have wet rafters and
wet roof sheathing. Do it right, have it vented outside the attic.

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Phisherman - 21 May 2006 23:35 GMT
>Hi,
>I have a bathroom vent in my masterbath that is approx 15 feet away
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>Thanks in advance,
>Lance
Lots of factors here. Volume of your bathroom, amount of moisture
after a shower, shower duration, volume flow of the fan, the length of
time the fan is operated after a shower. An inexpensive upgrade is to
swap the fan switch with a 30-minute timer switch. For more money you
could upgrade the fan with a more powerful model (Panasonic makes
quality fans).
hallerb@aol.com - 22 May 2006 00:06 GMT
its VERY important theres a air supply to allow air to enter the
bathroom easily.
My dad had a big one in his old house, to be of any use getting steam
out of his windowless room the door had to be open at least a crack.
rooms with fans should have vents to the hall for easy air flow
scottyo41 - 22 May 2006 11:55 GMT
> Hi,
> I have a bathroom vent in my masterbath that is approx 15 feet away
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> Thanks in advance,
> Lance
any vent is better than nothing, If you can replace the switch with a
timer switch that will stay on for 15 min after your shower, even
better..I live in a high rental area and always wire the vent to the
light , so It's always on when the light is on...you wouldn't believe
how many mold problems I've dealt with because the tenant doesn't use
the vent...personally, I think the quality of those bath vents is way
less than the price..scott
mm - 22 May 2006 14:50 GMT
>Hi,
>I have a bathroom vent in my masterbath that is approx 15 feet away
>from the shower. Was wanting to know if this is adequate enough to
>vent that warm moist air to the outside?
Take a steamy shower and see.
>Thanks in advance,
>Lance