Steam from your shower can cause mold to grow in your bathroom.
A bathroom ceiling fan has the important task of removing odors and moisture from your bathroom. Odors, while unpleasant, won't cause any damage to your home, but moisture building up inside the bathroom can lead to mold and mildew growth. One company that manufactures bathroom ceiling fans is Panasonic, which makes bathroom fans which are fairly quiet. Installing a new fan or replacing an old one is a project that you can complete in a day.
Instructions
Venting Through Attic Roof
1. Locate the ceiling joists with a stud finder.
2. Mark the location of the fan by driving a screw through the ceiling or drilling a hole with a 3/8-inch spade bit. Choose a location between two ceiling joists in the center of the room.
3. Connect the adapter for the duct to the side of the fan body with the provided thumb screw.
4. Go into the attic and remove the insulation from around the screw or hole you drilled into the ceiling, then return to the bathroom. Wear gloves, a mask and safety goggles when handling the insulation.
5. Measure the size of the fan's intake port and mark the outline of the port on the ceiling with a framing square. The intake port is the part of the fan which draws the air out of the bathroom.
6. Drill a hole in each corner of the square, and cut the drywall with a reciprocating saw, using the drill holes as a starting point. Hold the panel in place as you cut the last side so it doesn't tear away and damage the adjacent area of the drywall. If you can't safely cut the last side with the reciprocating saw, use a drywall saw instead.
7. Run an electrical cable between your home's main electrical box and the location of the fan inside the attic. Slide the cable through the provided conduit.
8. Go into the attic. Take the cover off of the junction box on the fan housing, which is where the wires are located. Punch out the knockout hole (the recessed hole) in the junction box, and slide the cable through the knockout hole. Connect the conduit to the junction box with the wire nut.
9. Connect the wires from the fan to the wires from the electrical cable leading to your main box with plastic connector caps. Connect black to black, white to white, and green to green. Tuck the wring back into the junction box and replace the cover.
10. Extend the brackets out from the fan housing until they reach the joists. Attach them to the joists with 1 1/2-inch stainless steel drywall screws.
11. Attach a circular duct to the adapter on the side of the vent housing and wrap metallic duct tape around the joint to secure it.
12. Connect flexible duct to the circular duct with metal duct tape. Handle the flexible duct carefully so you don't tear it.
13. Choose the location on the exterior wall for the exterior vent. Pick a spot no more than 6 feet away from the fan between the wall studs. Drill a pilot hole through the wall to the outside.
14. Go outside and climb a ladder to reach the pilot hole. Drill a hole through the wall with a 4-inch hole saw, using the pilot hole as a guide. Place a wall cap against the wall. If there are any gaps between the wall cap and the wall, you need to install a rubber gasket to seal it.
15. Go back into the attic. Stretch the flexible duct towards the hole in the wall. Attach it to the 12-inch long connector duct with metallic duct tape. Slide the connector duct through the hole in the wall. Return outside.
16. Glue a rubber gasket to the back of the wall cap with a thick bead of silicone adhesive, if necessary.
17.Slide the wall cap onto the end of the connector duct and secure it with metallic duct tape.
18. Run a thick bead of silicone adhesive around the perimeter of the hole. Push the wall cap tightly against the wall and attach it to the four 1 1/2-inch stainless steel screws.
19. Go inside the bathroom and attach the grille to the fan.
20. Hire an electrician to connect the cable to your home's main electrical box. This is an extremely dangerous task if you don't know do it properly, and most municipalities require that a certified electrician do this.
Venting Through Wall
21. Locate the ceiling joists with a stud finder.
22. Mark the location of the fan by driving a screw through the ceiling or drilling a hole with a 3/8-inch spade bit. Choose a location between two ceiling joists in the center of the room.
23. Connect the adapter for the duct to the side of the fan body with the provided thumb screw.
24. Cut away the ceiling drywall along the wall where you are venting the fan with a drywall knife. If possible, save the piece so you can patch it back when you are done; if not, make the cut as straight as possible so you can easily cut a replacement piece.
25. Drill a pilot hole through the exterior wall with a 1/4-inch drill bit.
26
Go outside and locate the pilot hole you drilled in the wall. If possible, use a reference point visible on both sides, such as a window.
27
Drill a hole in the wall with a 4-inch hole saw, centering it over the pilot hole.
28
Go back inside to where you are installing the fan. Place the fan housing against the ceiling and trace the outline with a pencil.
29
Drill a hole in each corner of the square, and cut the drywall with a reciprocating saw, using the drill holes as a starting point. Hold the panel in place as you cut the last side so it doesn't tear away and damage the adjacent area of the drywall. If you can't safely cut the last side with the reciprocating saw, use a drywall saw instead.
30
Run an electrical cable between your home's main electrical box and the location of the fan. Slide the cable through the provided conduit.
31
Take the cover off of the junction box on the fan housing, which is where the wires are located. Punch out the knockout hole (the recessed hole) in the junction box, and slide the cable through the knockout hole. Connect the conduit to the junction box with the wire nut.
32
Slide the fan housing into the hole in the ceiling. Extend the brackets out from the fan housing until they reach the joists. Attach them to the joists with 1 1/2-inch stainless steel drywall screws
33
Connect the wires from the fan to the wires from the electrical cable leading to your main box with plastic connector caps. Connect black to black, white to white, and green to green. Tuck the wring back into the junction box and replace the cover.
34
Measure the distance between the outlet on the fan housing and the hole in the wall.
35
Cut a length of duct to fit between the fan housing and the hole in the wall with a hacksaw.
36
Glue a rubber gasket to the back of the wall cap with a thick bead of silicone adhesive.
37
Go outside to the hole in the wall and slide the wall cap onto the end of the connector duct and secure it with metallic duct tape.
38
Run a thick bead of silicone adhesive around the perimeter of the hole. Push the wall cap tightly against the wall and attach it to the wall with four 1 1/2-inch stainless steel screws.
39
Attach the circular duct to the adapter on the side of the vent housing and wrap metallic duct tape around the joint to secure it.
40
Patch the holes in the ceiling by attaching pieces of drywall with joint compound and drywall tape.
41
Attach the grille to the fan.
42
Hire an electrician to connect the cable to your home's main electrical box. This is an extremely dangerous task if you don't know do it properly, and most municipalities require that a certified electrician do this.
Tags: wall with, duct tape, , pilot hole, metallic duct