How To Install A Ceiling Fan Box Without Attic Access

Installing a ventilating fan in your bath will help eliminate fogged-up windows, steamy mirrors and dried odors. Only more importantly, it will assist preclude moisture-related problems, such as the growth of mold and mildew. Hither, This Onetime House general contractor Tom Silva shows the proper manner to install a bathroom vent fan. In this item installation, Tom ran the exhaust duct into the cranium and through a sidewall to the outdoors.

Other venting options includes running the duct up through the roof or down through the soffit. Note that the bath vent fan must e'er exhaust to the outdoors; never allow the duct to merely accident into an attic, crawlspace or other enclosed area. As well, the installation of the bathroom exhaust fan will go much quicker if you enquire a spouse or friend to help be in the attic while you work from below, or to hand yous tools while yous're on the ladder.

Stride 1: Bath Vent Overview

A bathroom without a ventilation fan is like a fireplace without a chimney: If you lot neglect to pull the wet generated in the bathroom out of there, it will migrate into the walls and grow mold and mildew, or blister paint and peel wallpaper. 1 reason many households still don't have bathroom fans is that they can be intimidating to install.

That's why we asked This Erstwhile House general contractor Tom Silva to show the states how. The bath here is beneath an accessible attic, so Tom ran the exhaust duct across the attic and out a gable terminate.

Bath vent fans are rated by how many cubic feet of air they can motility in one minute, known as the CFM rating. To determine which size fan to buy for your bath, multiply the room's foursquare footage by 1.1. For example, a 100-square-foot bathroom would crave a 110 CFM-rated fan. Fans as well have a audio rating, measured in sones. (A modern refrigerator operates at nigh one sone.)

Vent fans range from every bit low every bit 0.five sone upwardly to most 6.0 sones. Y'all'll notice both the CFM and sone ratings printed on the vent fan's box.

Step 2: Drill a Reference Hole

Describe a mark on the bathroom ceiling where you'd like to install the vent fan. For optimum performance, locate information technology between the shower and the toilet.
Employ an extra-long, 3/8-inch-diameter spade bit to bore a reference hole through the ceiling and into the attic. Climb into the attic and clear away any insulation from around the pigsty. At present use the reference hole to decide the exact position of the fan.
Mensurate the vent fan housing. Effort to position the vent fan directly between two joists near your reference hole. Take into account any nearby pipes or other obstructions. Note the final position of the vent fan in relation to the reference pigsty.

Step iii: Mark the Ceiling

Dorsum in the bathroom, measure the inside dimensions of the vent fan's intake port to determine what size hole you lot need to cut in the ceiling.
Utilize the reference hole as a landmark to transfer your measurements from the attic to the ceiling.
Employ a layout square or framing square to describe the rectangular outline of the intake port onto the ceiling.

Footstep four: Cutting the Intake-Port Pigsty

Using a jigsaw (a reciprocating saw or drywall saw will also work), and wearing goggles and a respirator, cut through the ceiling on the layout lines.
When you're about finished making the rectangular cutout, support the waste piece with ane hand to keep it from falling and possibly taking some of the surrounding drywall or plaster ceiling with it.

Step 5: Position the Fan

Back in the cranium, attach a iv-inch, xc-caste duct elbow to the outlet port on the side of the vent fan housing. Aim the elbow straight upwardly and secure it to the port with foil duct tape.
Remove the knockout hole on the side of the fan's housing and adhere a cable connector.
Slide the four metallic brackets into the tabs protruding from the sides of the vent fan.
Gear up the vent fan down into identify between the joists, centered on the ceiling hole.

Tip: Use foil duct tape; dissimilar fabric duct tape, information technology won't deteriorate over time.

Step 6: Attach the Fan to the Joists

Fully extend the brackets until they come in contact with the sides of the joists.
Secure each bracket cease with a single 1½-inch drywall screw.
Take the flexible duct that comes with the wall cap kit and sideslip one end over the elbow fastened to the vent fan. Secure it with foil duct tape.
Feed the existing or new electrical cable through the connector, then tighten the connector screw to secure the cable.

Step 7: Cut a Duct Pigsty Through the Sidewall

From within the cranium, select a spot on the sidewall for the flexible duct to exit the firm. The location should be between two wall studs and within half-dozen anxiety of the vent fan.
Take a couple of reference measurements so that you can locate the spot from outside—from a nearby window, soffit, or other characteristic yous can access from outdoors.
Marker the hole location on the siding, using the reference measurements.
Cut the duct hole through the house wall using a 4-inch hole saw.

Pace 8: Adhere the Exhaust Duct to the Wall Cap

After securing the wall cap to the outside wall, move into the attic.
Grab the free end of the flexible exhaust duct and carefully stretch information technology to the outside wall.
Attach the duct end to the wall cap's connector duct with foil duct tape.

Stride 9: Install the Wall Cap

Spike the 12-inch-long connector duct to the wall cap with foil duct tape.
From outside, slide the wall cap into the duct pigsty and push it tight against the house siding. Cut a foam-safety gasket to fit into any spaces where the wall cap doesn't contact the siding.
Remove the wall cap and apply a bead of silicone agglutinative to the siding and gasket around the pigsty.
Slide the wall cap into the hole and printing it against the siding. Secure it to the siding with 4 1½-inch stainless steel screws.

Step 10: Make the Wire Connections

From the bathroom, unscrew and remove the blower motor from the vent fan housing. Save the screws.
Next, unscrew the built-in receptacle from inside the housing to expose its wiring. Again, save the screws.
Use wire basics to join same-color wires with the ones from the electrical cable you fed into the housing in Step 5: white to white, black to black.
Wrap the bare copper wire nether the green grounding screw inside the housing and tighten the screw.
Place the electrical receptacle back into position and secure it with the two screws removed from information technology before.

Step xi: Attach the Grille

Heighten the blower motor upward to the ceiling, then push its plug into the electric receptacle inside the housing.
Secure the motor to the housing with the screws removed from information technology before.
Concord the fan's plastic grille close to the ceiling. Slip the grille's mounting wires into the slots inside the fan housing.
Push upwardly on the grille until information technology's tight against the ceiling.
Turn the power back on and examination the fan.

Tip: If the grille doesn't concur tight against the ceiling, spread apart its mounting wires to create more tension.