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We have a bathroom fan and it is vented through the roof. It was installed almost 30 years ago and I feel the tape used to seal it may be failing by now. Problem is, we have very small attics where I live in Southern California. With all the AC ducts, it is almost impossible to reach. So here is the question: We never use this bathroom for showering. We have 2 bathrooms and use the other bathroom exclusively for showering. I know moist air from showering is bad for the attic, but what about just regular inside-the-house air? If we turn on the fan and normal house air leaks into the attic where the tape has fallen away, can this cause any problems?
Thanks for any help/experience you might be able to offer
It won't hurt anything but I would fix it if you ever decide to sell the house. It isn't fair to pass that on to someone else who may be unaware that they are venting moist air into the attic. If you ever need to redo your roof try and use that as a time to reattach the fan since the attic may be exposed.
The duct is on there not just to get the bad air out but to keep the house from burning down when the lint in the bathroom fan catches fire because the fan motor burns out. It happens.
Your assumption is after all these years there might not be continuous air flow as in a leaking vent versus a collapsed vent. Granted it could happen but also I do not see it as a major issue. Some airflow versus none in one issue. Moisture collecting in the attic is the main issue and if the roof vent is not blocked there is still some air flow and probably enough to prevent any issues.
Thank you everyone for your input. I guess I was thinking warm air in the winter might condensate in the cold attic in winter possibly. A question for Joe out of curiosity. How does a duct keep the house from burning down when the lint in the bathroom fan catches fire because the fan motor burns out? I hadn't heard of that before.
Because if there is no or an open duct, the airflow pushes the burning lint or whatever into your attic then provides plenty of air for it to continue burning.
Bathroom fans kill lots of people each year.
Copy this into google or click on it and it will download a PDF.
I have a bathroom fan that exhaust straight out because I keep it running during showers to keep the room from having too much moisture. Moisture = more stains on your tiles due to mold growth. The drier the bathroom the less mold growth.
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