Drafty exhaust fan in bathroom

12 years ago

Not sure if this is the right forum for this, but I was wondering if someone could help.
I am noticing LOTS of cold air coming out of my Broan bathroom exhaust fan (with it is turned off). It is very cold and windy here today but I have also noticed hot air coming out of it during heat waves in the summer. The exhaust fan leads directly into the attic. We have 3 whirly gigs on our roof that seem to be working well. Could it be the exhaust fan in the bathroom? Maybe it should have a flap that closes when the fan is off or maybe we just need a better exhaust fan. Any advice?

Featured Answer

energy_rater_la

12 years ago

I agree. back draft damper
installed correctly...where it actually closes
when fan isn't in use.
I sometimes have to mastic tape a penny or two
to the damper so that it closes properly.
but then I'm using the mastic tape to attach
the damper to the housing, venting to the
damper & to close that huge cut in the
ceiling that the cover of the fan covers.

I'm always amazed at the number of bath
fans I see in my inspections with NO
back draft damper. in new construction I
usually pull the dampers out of the trash..
go figure!

there are some really nice bath fans that are very quiet
on the market. not too long ago I installed 3 Broan
bath fans. not as expensive as the Panasonic
whisper quite, but as quiet.

I find people often don't use the bath fan
because they are so loud...and the bath
fan should be run for 20-30 minutes after
shower to remove humidity.

here in La. we need all the help we can get
with keeping (RH) Relative Humidity down!

best of luck

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Comments (6)

bpchiil
12 years ago
Install a back draft damper in the line.

http://www.batticdoor.com/bathfandraftblocker.html
klem1
12 years ago
"Maybe it should have a flap that closes when the fan is off or maybe we just need a better exhaust fan. Any advice?"

It should have a flap and better fans have better flaps.
You can sometimes see the flap after pulling the cover off the fan. If you can see it AND this problem only started after several years,you can try freeing the flap up. If this has always been a problem,you can (A.) help it some by installing about 4' of flexiable hose and mount it with curves like an inverted J , ( or maybe reconnect origional one) (B) Replace it with a better fan AND add a hose if the present fan is loud. Cheap,loud fans have blades like airplane props where quility fan blades look like a squirrl cage and are much quiter.
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specialgranny
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks everyone for the advice. I have a better understanding of our situation now. Looks like when this winter storm clears up we will be doing some work. Gonna inspect our present fan and maybe replace it if needed and contact a general contractor about the backdraft if DH feels like he can't do it. And bpChill thanks for the link.
User
12 years ago
If your bathroom exhaust fan dumps INTO the attic that is a terrible installation... think mold.

If you are going to address the back flow issues, I'd suggest also have the contractor route the exhaust to the outside of the house.

When doing so, be aware of and prevent any low points where condensate can accumulate.
Lee Helwig
5 years ago
We have the same problem. Our exhaust fans are NuTone/Broan and were installed in 2019. They were not cheap. They are vented to the outside on the roof. I do feel the heat coming out on hot days here in Connecticut, and in the winter the cold air comes out. Where does the draft damper go? I'm assuming it can be added to the current system. Thanks for all the advice.