Read on to see what bang out of bathroom fan venting you need, if any.
What Is the Bathroom Fan Venting Code?
Thebathroom codeaddresses the issue of moving odor- and moisture-laden air from the bathroom to the outside.
The Spruce / Letícia Almeida
Surprisingly, some building codes do not requirebathroom fans.
All municipalities have different requirements, but some do not draw a hard line on requiring exhaust fans.
Bathroom ventilation is needed in those areas, but it can be from a window or fanyou choose.
The Spruce / Julie Bang
Building code is a model code that each community can adopt and adapt according to its needs.
So, you must check with your city or county planning andpermitting departmentto determine code requirements regarding bathroom fans.
Also, the code numbering in your area may differ from those listed here.
Section R303 works with all of International Residential Code Section M1507, which covers Mechanical Ventilation.
Open windows can provide highly effectiveventilation in bathroomswithout showers or tubs.
Without bathing facilities, far less moist air is produced.
Be sure to clarify this with your local permitting department.
It cannot move air to a crawlspace or attic.
While this may seem obvious, homeowners may direct the vent into either of these locations out of convenience.
Even well-meaning homeowners may explore their attics only to find ducting that has become disconnected.
Exhaust fans may run for years like this before the break is noticed.
Foul odors are annoying but hardly life-threatening, and they do not impact the integrity of the building structure.
Bath exhaust fans are about keeping your house in top shape by moving water out of your bathroom.
And there is another invisible place where you will find water in the bathroom: in the air.
Because windows provide light and ventilation, you must install artificial lighting if you choose the fan-only route.
The electrical code requires that habitable rooms be supplied with a switch-controlled light.
The fan must be connected to aGFCI-protectedcircuit directly above a shower or bathtub.
This can either be aGFCI outletor upstream, in-line GFCI protection.
Though an open window is allowed by code, it is passive air ventilation.
An exhaust fan is active air ventilation.
When moisture spreads in a bathroom, mold, mildew, and even insects proliferate.
It can be an ugly sight to crawl above a poorly ventilated bathroom’s ceiling.
You might find mounds of black-moldyblown-in insulation, joists, and rafters weakened from years of moisture abuse.
On average, the vent duct can run from 2 to 30 feet.
you’re able to Control Mold.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
