Soffit venting for bath fan OK? We are converting a bedroom into a master bath. 60's ranch, brick exterior, hip roof, full basement. The room in question is in the North corner of the house on the top level. We live in NW Arkansas ... We are using a quiet, 150 CFM Broan exhaust fan. I want to vent it into the soffit, which is about 18" wide and about 6' away from the fan. We will be using insulated 6" flexible duct. We have soffit vents and a ridge cap vent to vent the attic space. Does all of this sound OK? If so, do you have any recommendations for a termination hood for the soffit? If some of our strategy is bad, please advise as to how we can better exhaust the bath. Lastly, do we need a backdraft damper, and if so, exactly how should that be installed? On a different note, how would you recommend we insulate the two exterior walls? 2x4 with brick veneer. Paper-sided pink and no vapor barrier? Plastic wrapped fiberglass by Johns-Manville? Thanks for your help in advance.

Become a home inspector in New Jersey Re: Soffit venting for bath fan OK? Originally Posted by Honest Bill At least you're thinking... And, this may be helpful: /inachiawards/ Awards Committee Member Submit your AWARDS NOMINATIONS here The above post represents my personal opinion. I was assuming you were going to use a "dedicated" exhaust. Still not a good idea. That moisture tends to "hang around" the soffits and eventually get sucked in at the nearest vent. You mentioned that its a hip roof, that'd more than likely be a pain getting it out there anyway, no? Is there a reason you can't go out the roof? Anyway, here's a link that may help too. Main Line Inspections, Inc. National President / NACHI (2003-2004) NACHI Education Committee Member PA NACHI Certified Inspector # 01102902 Delaware Licensed Home Inspector # H4-071Do not vent it into the soffit space. If you want to vent though the soffit, use one of the fittings like those posted earlier, but do NOT vent into the soffit.

You need to vent the moisture laden air completely outside of the structure. The answers to your insulation questions are entirely dependent on where you are located. The correct answer for one of my clients in subtropical Houston would not be the right answer for someone in Chicago. BTW: Real Honest men use real names. Chuck Evans (TREC #7657) Level III Infraspection Institute Certified Infrared Thermographer (#8402) HomeCert Houston Home Inspections & Thermal Inspections Find us on Facebook Houston Thermal Inspections & Infrared Imaging Find us on Facebook Originally Posted by cevans I agree with you Charley how ever code guys allow it here , do not ask me why but they do East TN Home Inspections LLC Knoxville, Oak Ridge, Maryville, Clinton, Farragut, Lenoir City, Pigeon Forge, Sevierville and all the surrounding areas. Originally Posted by wwilson3 You talking to me or that short Okie guy? The OP was asking was it OK. It's not, regardless of whether the AHJs allow it or not.

They allow it here too, but it's still improper and can be very detrimental to the structure, especially in northern climates. Contractors may take such shortcuts, but the homeowner who comes here asking if it's OK, probably doesn't intend to take such a shortcut if it can harm his home. Real Estate For Sale Yuma FoothillsEspecially when the proper method is not much more difficult or expensive.El Falcon Headlight Bulb So, do you report that in RED or BLUE ink???Bamboo Blinds Costa Rica Jeffrey R. JonasOwatonna, Minnesota "I am not a teacher, but an awakener." - Robert Frost, American poet (1874-1963). "We Respect Our Clients Right to Privacy" What are you smoking, I am not in this dance Master HVAC Mechanic Retired

Level III Thermographer # 8486 Infraspection Institute CMI Certified Master Inspector Moisture Intrusion Expert Witness Originally Posted by jjonas Now I got a stalker / twit Try to stay on topicYou talking to me or that short Okie guy? We may be short but thoseTexans got ran over by a short train yesterday what happened, they forget to get off the bus Most reasonable people agree that moist air should discharge to the exterior of the home without question. There are some AHJ including mine that allow kitchen and bathroom exhaust to be discharged into the attic because the attic is considered a vented area with the proper amount of air changes for its size Originally Posted by cbottger Lord someone got up the wrong side of the bed. I meant Chuck , sorry about that , i do not smoke any thing that is not legal .Have you be hanging out with Larson? I am looking for some clarification. I have been reading about installing an exhaust fan in a bathroom, and I have been reading that you should always vent to the outside, but I continue to read that you should never vent through the soffit.

I am not really sure what this means. Do they mean that you should not put the vent up to the soffit and hopes that it will go out, or do they mean that you should not even use a Soffit Vent designed for this. I keep seeming devices like these Bathroom soffit vents and these which appear to be vents that get installed into the soffit, and then allow you to vent directly to the outside. These devices seem like they would work, are these devices acceptable? A vent at the soffit can be done, but so could venting directly into the attic, and both are poor choices. This is because soffits are used for air intake into your attic (and out a ridge or gable vent). If you vent too close to the soffit, the warm moist air that you're trying to get out of your home will get sucked back up the soffit and into the attic, where it will cool and condense on the underside of your roof. I think the bigger issue here, is that DIYers see these types of products and think "Hey, I can use this to make my job easier!".