Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My house had an inspection report previously, and one of the things wrong was that the exhaust fan terminates in the attic. I guess supposodly it should be vented outside? This is an "as-is" house, so how do I go about fixing it so that the fan does not terminate in the attic, and how much will this run me? Thanks!
If you are talking about a "Whole house" fan, the kind that has the louvers in the ceiling in the upstairs hall, I have had them in several houses and they all terminated in the attic. Do you have gable vents or a ridge vent in the attic for airflow? If so, I think that should be adequate. If not, maybe you can install some turtle back vents in the roof. Also, I would call the home inspector and ask him what he meant by that so you don't put a lot of time and money into solving a non-problem.
BTW, not all home inspectors have a clue about construction, believe it or not. So don't just take his word for it. When in doubt go to the building dept and ask one of the county inspectors (without giving your address) because if they say it is okay then it doesn't matter what the inspector thinks. If it meets the county building code you are okay.
My house had an inspection report previously, and one of the things wrong was that the exhaust fan terminates in the attic. I guess supposodly it should be vented outside? This is an "as-is" house, so how do I go about fixing it so that the fan does not terminate in the attic, and how much will this run me? Thanks!
Hello there:
Since kitchens are my business I will assume you mean the exaust for your micro but the answer will be the same if your exaust is from your bathroom vent.
You say it terminates in your attic crawl space. First off that is not a danger in any way. But if you really want it done right you have 2 options. I will give you the easy one/cheap one first. You likely have a gable end on your roof. Meaning you dont have a flat roof. You have a pitched roof and on each end is a sort of triangle above the living space. You should have a gable vent on each end. Sometimes you will have a ridge vent instead. In older homes you will have none. Buy yourself some dryer vent hose which is 4". Exaust vents are 4" but a micro exaust vent is 7", if this is the case you can buy a reducer adaptor.
Connect the hose/adaptor hose to the loose end and run it to terminate at the gable end. You can wire it there or any number of mounting methods. The exaust will simply blow out the gable vent.
This is a cheap cheasy fix that just is not right. But it will not hurt anything, especially your wallet.
The correct method is to buy a roof vent stack which is simply a peice of tin about 12" square and a 2" to 4" pipe coming from it about 12" high. You have to cut a hole in the roof and carefully remove the shingles around that hole. You will nail this tin flange to the plywood sheething below your shingles. Now you replace the shingles in a logical manor while thinking like a rain drop. I can not explain this method in text because I just dont know how. You will basicly put the shingles back on the way they came off while using the tin flange to overlap like it was another shingle. Remember this part. THINK LIKE A RAIN DROP.
You can mount this tin flange anywhere you please on the roof but closest to you loose exaust hose makes most sense. Use some duct tape to mount the hose to the bottom of the flange. If you feel you did not do a great job with replacing the shingles you can always buy a caulking tube of black tar to seal the area.
This whole thing would be very inexpensive for a handyman for hire. If all this sounds too confusing then I recomend you hire one to save you the stress and grief.
Do it yourself should cost less then $25. A handyman might do the job for $150 give or take. He might charge according to how steep (pitch) your roof or whether it is a single or 2 story.
I reread what I wrote, and understand I was not too clear. It is not my house, but a house I put in a bid for (already in my mind, it's "my house"). They got an inspection in November, and one item the inspector put as defective was listed under "plumbing" and in the ehaust fan line under that it states it terminates in attic... Thanks!
I reread what I wrote, and understand I was not too clear. It is not my house, but a house I put in a bid for (already in my mind, it's "my house"). They got an inspection in November, and one item the inspector put as defective was listed under "plumbing" and in the ehaust fan line under that it states it terminates in attic... Thanks!
Okay, so never mind what I said before, because he isn't talking about a whole-house fan. Probably one of the bath fans as Desertsun said.
Okay, so never mind what I said before, because he isn't talking about a whole-house fan. Probably one of the bath fans as Desertsun said.
Im going to give you a pat on the back too because what you said about the home inspectors not knowing much is dead smack right on. Realtors call Home Inspectors "deal killers". I call them clowns.
Im going to give you a pat on the back too because what you said about the home inspectors not knowing much is dead smack right on. Realtors call Home Inspectors "deal killers". I call them clowns.
Clowns? If it wasn't for subpar builders/contractors we would not be in business so I would argue there are plenty of clowns on both sides of the fence.
With that said...He should of put that under HVAC, not plumbing....so he probably is a clown lol. If it is just an exhaust fan, terminate it at the soffit/gable vent to allow the humidity to leave the structure.
Signed,
Clown that has performed 7,000 plus inspections, built several structures, and holds a General Contractors license in the great state of North Carolina.
Maybe the inspector wasn't talking about a fan exhaust at all.
Maybe he was talking about a plumbing vent pipe terminating in the attic.
I know that when "fart fans" were first being used wide spread there was no "code" for their termination point- like there is today. So, depending on the age of the home, is there a violation (I already know about the ill-effects of not venting to the outside)?
Anyway, the easiest fix is to use the flex duct that is specifically for "fart fans" and run it to and through the nearest soffit and attach a termination vent.
Maybe the inspector wasn't talking about a fan exhaust at all.
Maybe he was talking about a plumbing vent pipe terminating in the attic.
I know that when "fart fans" were first being used wide spread there was no "code" for their termination point- like there is today. So, depending on the age of the home, is there a violation (I already know about the ill-effects of not venting to the outside)?
Anyway, the easiest fix is to use the flex duct that is specifically for "fart fans" and run it to and through the nearest soffit and attach a termination vent.
agree!
nothing like blowing fecal culiforms all over your attic YUK!!!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
