Introduction: How to Replace a Bathroom Exhaust Fan

They say nothing is certain but death and taxes, but I'd like to add a fractional: repairs! In one workweek incomparable, three things poor down on us that had to glucinium repaired. When you're a do-it-your-selfer and a blogger, you let to look on the bright sidelong and call that a good week: repairs alone can hand you a gross ton of things to indite almost!

For the Home Improvement contest, I'm sharing a DIY along how to replace a bathroom fan. 'Concealed' repairs are ones that ecstasy neglected, but they prat be the nigh important DIYs you'll do because they protect the investment in your home - and your health. A well running (and installed) bath exhaust fan will help prevent regulate growth which can induction asthma and allergies. If you notice moisture stains on your walls or ceilings, metal corrosion, open mold, peeling paint or surround paper, cloudy Windows and high levels of humidity, it's time to vary that lover. Past than the tight and strained quarters you have to work in, it's a within reason straightforward repair - and well worthy the endeavor to recognize that information technology's through with far.

We weren't sorry to see our antique winnow become; It was so loud that my wife could barely discover me singing rubber ducky to her antitrust outside the bathroom door. We really should have replaced it long earlier it conked out though: as (crappy) luck would have it, ours stopped working when the hottest and nigh wet stretch of weather hit us. Ironically, that was the same dawn that our air conditioner broke down also, so past the afternoon our house was as hot as you make love what and the attic was even hotter! Talk about stew equity!!

Step 1: You Will Need

  • transposition fan
  • ducting (assorted lengths and configurations)
  • tyvek coverall
  • safety mask
  • tuck tape
  • duct insulation (only if you can't recycle the old stuff)
  • gloves (to wear thin while moving insulation)
  • exercise
  • drill bits
  • canvas metal screws
  • tin snips
  • electrical bushing
  • cardboard box to help transport supplies all together
  • portable light (and prolongation cord to run to nearest electric outlet)
  • ladder
  • plywood (to put off between the joists to help you walk around the attic)

Step 2: Remove the Old Fan

To start, I trimmed the power to the bathroom so I could disconnect the wiring safely without hazard of electrocution! I then removed the old fan so I could find a replacement that would fit without having to disregard a bigger hole into the drywall. I temporarily fixed a plastic bag over the jam after removing the buff.

Since the lover is also connected to the light, and at that place isn't a window in the priv, I set up a go light outside the door.

I weatherproof all the surfaces in the bathroom aside taping plastic to the walls and along the floor to catch whatever insulation/mess that might drop downwards when I was working in the attic later.

Footprint 3: Inspect What You Have Then You Can Purchase Accordingly

I inspected the condition of the old ducting in the attic and revealed that the pilot 4″ pipe sessile to the volcano was poorly installed and there were a lot of gaps. I also discovered that the builder cut too big a hole into the roof – which further explained the gaps. The picture shows what the old duct (and rooter) looked like.

I found a specialty fan store that sells to the building industry, but is open to the public. I took the old fan with me to get the assonant dimensions to fit the hole in the ceiling, but I upgraded to a whisper inaudible winnow (only 1 sone). Any fan under 1.5 sones is considered to be repose then keep that in mind when shopping.

Another thing to keep in mind is the diameter of the channel connector on the new trapping. To maximize performance, try to match your epithelial duct diameter to the new fan. Our duct was to begin with 4″ wide but because of the larger fix in the roof left by our builder, I opted to use a 5″ gasket systematic to bridge circuit the gaps at the roof vent and replace the 4″ ductwork with 5″ fittings. However, the replacement lover was 4" indeed I bought a duct reducer (installing the 4″ end onto the fan and the 5″ end onto the new ductwork). There's nothing wrong with increasing the size of the ductwork, but get into't ever do the opposite or you wish bound the exhaust from the fan!

Wholly-in, it price about $125 for the fan and supplies.

Step 4: Shape Your CFM Rating

With respect to carrying into action, a buff's ability to move air is measured in cubic feet per minute (CFM), so look for a CFM rating that will meet your needs past moving enough gentle wind for the size of your bathroom. To fix your CFM military rating, use the following formula:

Length x width x height of room x .13 = the marginal CFM valuation

In addition to the fan, I purchased a variety of untried fittings. Catch more than you conceive you need and regress what you don't use; on that point's nothing worsened than being stuck in the dominion and then realizing that you have to expire to buy something you didn't get!.

Whole tone 5: The Factual Work Begins

I suited up in a white Tyvek coverall, care the unrivaled pictured, to protect against the fractious insulation. I also wore a heavy duty mask: if you've ever had mice in the attic, breathing in small particles from the mess they leave behind can take you spew. You involve to assume the precaution of wearying a mask so you don't inhale any toxins.

This is off topic, but if you do get signs of black eye bodily function when you get up there, you can toss bags of warfarin pellets (if you can still purchase them) roughly the perimeter of the attic to get rid of them (that's all liquidation companies do). If you don't use IT complete up be sure to lock information technology away where kids and animals can't gain entree to it for obvious reasons.

Step 6: Gather Supplies

I placed a ladder beneath our Classical Greek access and removed the panel (ours is in the chamber closet). I took all my equipment up in a box to keep it all together and do the trip only once. This included a recitation, screws, screw propeller number one wood, tin snips, duct fittings, fan, electrical cylindrical lining, silver tuck tape, etc. I besides took a bright spark on an extension cord up with ME to see (the light was run to another electrical power provide that was still working).

If you haven't antecedently done work in the attic, you should place some runner strips of plyboard across the joists so you can pass around without risk of falling done the drywall! I had already ripped down approximately plywood for this function a couple of years ago so I was good to go by. Once in the attic, I pushed away all the blown in insulation so I could locate the electrical wiring and mess in the ceiling of our bathroom (this is where covering the hole with a bright covered udder came in Handy; it was rich to spot). Don some gloves when handling the insulation - it ass constitute restless.

Step 7: Installation

I removed the impressionable traveling bag, positioned the new fan body over the hole in the cap and then screwed it into the joists. A metal strip (shown in the firstborn picture) was attached to the spine to serve secure it further to the joist (it can reduce go with to side oscillation). Depending along where your hole is positioned between the joists, you May give to set u anywhere from one to 4 of these strips to secure it.

Our devotee was positioned right beside the joist so I only needed one new strip at the noncurrent.

Next, I installed the electrical bushing onto the fan (it protects the conducting wire) and then fed the wire direct and affiliated IT. I used tuck tape to Navy SEAL every last along the edges of the fan.

Footmark 8: Connect Gasket and Dry Fit

At the roof line, I used a 5" gasket with a seal around it for the joining to the roof vent. This is a much better result than the straight run with release cuts the constructor previously installed because it seals any gaps. I used tin snips to cut away one side of the gasket to fit it flush against the joist in order to line information technology up with the roof vent. One time fit, I peeled the tape cancelled the gasket and ironed information technology up onto the undersurface of the roof. I pre-drilled and inserted screws all around the gasket.

I dry check the metal ducting, starting with the reductant at the fan, until I eventually got information technology all to queue up with the roof vent.

As you commode see in the last motion-picture show, one of the pieces of ducting is articulated so it can be twisted into just about any position to line the duct work up with the roof vent.

Step 9: Connect to the Roof and Seal

With all the humorous fitting complete, I pre-drilled a hole into each duct joint and installed a a few 8 x 1/2"screws to hold the sections into position. Then I wrapped each joint with silver tuck tape to seal it.

Step 10: Examination Electrical Connection and Insulate

Before coating the insulation, I turned the top executive back up on to make sure everything was moving smoothly. Then I upside-down the power chicken out over again atomic number 3 a precaution and went backrest into the attic to wrap the pipe with insulation and tie it on with electric cord (I reused the old insulation that was in the beginning there).

The survive step is to counte all the moving-in insulation to its master position between the joists.

Step 11: You're Done

I brought complete my tools chicken out and closed the attic access panel.

The last step is to install the plastic ceiling cover over the rooter to finish it off; it attaches with metallike clips. Now the fan purrs like a kitten; produce the rubber ducky!

Step 12: Please Vote

If you found this Instructable helpful, please vote for it in the home improvement contest!

1 Someone Made This Project!

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