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Got a draft coming in from our main floor bathroom (powder room?).
I want to fix or try to fix it just don't know what I'm looking for.
I take the cover off the vent, then what? Is there a damper that will be in plain view or do I need to take whole vent down?
Bathroom is always cold and I hear the damper just flap... flap... flap...
The "old right way" is to run a section of duct horizontally for a few feet then have an elbow and have the duct terminate with a roof cap or eave exhaust. If you have that and it is flapping around you need to replace the damper at the exhaust end.
If you don't have that you could go the old route (and fix whatever duct / damper is missing / broken) but it would be better protection against future drafts to use a more modern "inline fan" that would be installed up in the attic. You then run the power from the switch in the bathroom to remotely power the fan, you can even have multiple bathrooms vented with just a single inline fan and proper wiring. Better for indoor air quality, fewer holes in the roof, much quieter and ultimately just a nicer setup...
The "old right way" is to run a section of duct horizontally for a few feet then have an elbow and have the duct terminate with a roof cap or eave exhaust. If you have that and it is flapping around you need to replace the damper at the exhaust end.
I just checked really quick and it seems like this is how the bathroom is vented.
There is an exhaust at the eave.
From the outside, I looked up at the eave and didn't see a damper.
Before I get up on the ladder and start to take things apart, should the damper be visible or do I have to remove the cover which looked like this to get to the damper:
From the outside, I looked up at the eave and didn't see a damper.
Before I get up on the ladder and start to take things apart, should the damper be visible
They're designed to be unobtrusive... but they aren't invisible.
Quote:
or do I have to remove the cover which looked like this to get to the damper
Your picture looks like the heat vent louvre in my RV.
If that is what you have then the problem is that there is no damper in it.
Just to confirm then, there is NO damper at the housing unit in the bathroom, right?
So if there is no damper in the housing unit and no damper on the outside exhaust, then what the heck is flapping?
thanks for the link chet... i'll have to look into that now.
Just to confirm then, there is NO damper at the housing unit in the bathroom, right?
There should be one... but that (as much as anything) is about the odors from the
adjacent bathroom that is often piped to the same exit point.
Anyway... regardless of what is at the the fan (or not) at the outside of the house
there should be a damper to prevent that outside air from coming in.
Quote:
So if there is no damper in the housing unit and no damper on the outside exhaust,
then what the heck is flapping?
At the fan? probably the broken pieces of the old damper.
That might be repairable btw but is still only half the fix; maybe only 1/3.
If you have the typical fart fan like a Broan, the backdraft damper is built in to the exhaust port where the pipe is connected. The illustration in the spec sheet is non-descript but, in the spec's it clearly states "backdraft damper".
That's what you're hearing.
The back draft preventer commonly call the flap, does not seal very well. The flap on Broan and NuTone models can easily be broken. The flap on Panasonic models does not seal at all, and leaves gaps in the exhaust line when closed. You may want to look at the damper fan offered by the Larson Fan Company if you want to eliminate the cold draft.
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There is a solution to drafty bathroom fans
