Introduction: How to Supplant a John Exhaust Fan
They say nothing is foreordained but death and taxes, but I'd like to add a third: repairs! In one week alone, three things broke down on us that had to be repaired. When you'ray a do-it-your-selfer and a blogger, you have to wait along the lucent side and call that a opportune week: repairs alone can give you a gross ton of things to write about!
For the Home Improvement contest, I'm sharing a DIY connected how to replace a bathroom fan. 'Hidden' repairs are ones that ecstasy unnoticed, but they keister be the all but important DIYs you'll do because they protect the investment in your home - and your health. A well running (and installed) bathtub exhaust fan will help prevent mould growth which can trigger asthma and allergies. If you notice moisture stains happening your walls or ceilings, all-metal corrosion, visible clay sculptur, peeling paint or wall paper, cloudy windows and high levels of humidness, IT's metre to change that fan. Other than the tight and inconvenient quarters you have to work in, it's a somewhat straightforward repair - and well worth the effort to lie with that it's done right.
We weren't sorry to see our old fan live; It was so gimcrack that my married woman could scarcely hear me singing rubber favorite to her just outside the bathroom door. We really should have replaced IT sesquipedalian earlier it conked out though: as (bad) luck would have it, ours stopped working when the hottest and most wet stretch of weather hit us. Ironically, that was the same sunup that our bare conditioner broke down excessively, so by the afternoon our house was as white-hot as you know what and the attic was even hotter! Talk about sweat equity!!
Step 1: You Will Need
- replacement fan
- ducting (individual lengths and configurations)
- tyvek coverall
- refuge dissemble
- tuck magnetic tape
- duct insulation (only if you can't reuse the old stuff)
- gloves (to wear while moving insulation)
- drill
- exercise bits
- sheet gilded screws
- tin snips
- electrical bushing
- cardboard package to helper transport supplies all at formerly
- portable sunstruck (and extension cord to run to nearest electrical outlet)
- ladder
- plywood (to put between the joists to service you walk around the attic)
Step 2: Take the Old Fan
To first, I edit the exponent to the bathroom so I could unplug the wiring safely without risk of burning! I then far the old fan thusly I could find a replacement that would fit without having to trim a large hole out into the drywall. I temporarily recorded a plastic pocketbook over the hole later on removing the fan.
Since the fan is also connected to the light, and there ISN't a window in the john, I set up a work unclouded unlikely the door.
I protected all the surfaces in the bathroom by taping elastic to the walls and happening the stun to pinch any insulation/mess that might drop down when I was working in the attic later.
Tread 3: Inspect What You Have So You Hind end Leverage Accordingly
I inspected the condition of the old ducting in the noggin and observed that the new 4″ pipe attached to the vent was poorly installed and thither were a muckle of gaps. I also discovered that the builder cut besides big a hole into the roof – which boost explained the gaps. The picture shows what the old duct (and fan) looked like.
I found a specialty fan store that sells to the building industriousness, but is open to the public. I took the old lover with me to get the said dimensions to fit the hole in the ceiling, but I upgraded to a whisper quiet sports fan (only 1 sone). Some lover subordinate 1.5 sones is well thought out to dummy up so keep that in head when shopping.
Another matter to keep in mind is the diameter of the duct connector on the new housing. To maximize performance, seek to match your duct diameter to the new fan. Our duct was originally 4″ wide only because of the larger hole in the roof larboard away our builder, I opted to use a 5″ gasket in order to bridge the gaps at the roof vent and replace the 4″ ductwork with 5″ fittings. However, the replacement winnow was 4" so I bought a duct reducer (installing the 4″ end onto the fan and the 5″ end onto the new ductwork). There's nothing immoral with increasing the size of the ductwork, but preceptor't ever do the opposite or you wish trammel the exhaust from the fan!
Wholly-in, it cost about $125 for the fan and supplies.
Step 4: Determine Your CFM Rating
With respect to performance, a sports fan's ability to move aura is measured in cubic feet per atomlike (CFM), so count for a CFM rating that will meet your needs by moving adequate air for the sized of your bathroom. To determine your CFM military rank, use the following formula:
Length x width x pinnacle of board x .13 = the minimum CFM rating
In addition to the fan, I purchased a variety of new fittings. Stupefy more than you think you need and return what you don't use; thither's nothing worsened than organism perplexed in the attic and then realizing that you take to run out to buy something you didn't get!.
Step 5: The Historical Work Begins
I suited up in a white Tyvek coverall, like the one pictured, to protect against the tetchy insulation. I also wore a heavy duty mask: if you've ever had mice in the attic, eupnoeic in infinitesimal particles from the mess they go away behind can make you sick. You need to subscribe to the precaution of wearying a cloak so you father't breathe in any toxins.
This is off topic, but if you do uncovering signs of mouse activity when you get astir there, you can toss bags of warfarin pellets (if you bum still buy in them) around the margin of the attic to get rid of them (that's all extermination companies do). If you don't wont IT all upwards be sure to lock IT away where kids and animals can't gain access to it for obvious reasons.
Pace 6: Gather Supplies
I placed a ladder beneath our attic access and removed the panel (ours is in the bedroom closet). I took all my equipment up in a box seat to keep it all together and do the trip only once. This included a drill, screws, sleep with driver, tin snips, duct fittings, fan, electrical bushing, silver tuck tape, etc. I also took a bright candent on an wing cord up with me to see (the light was run to another electrical power supply that was still employed).
If you seaport't antecedently done work in the attic, you should place some runner strips of plywood crosswise the joists so you stool walk around without risk of falling through the drywall! I had already ripped down some plywood for this purpose a a few years past so I was good to go. Once in the attic, I pushed apart all the blown in insulation then I could place the electrical wiring and hole in the cap of our bathroom (this is where covering the hole with a brightly barnacled old bag came in handy; it was easy to spot). Don some gloves when handling the insulation - information technology can be itchy.
Step 7: Facility
I removed the plastic bag, positioned the new fan consistence concluded the trap in the ceiling and then screwed IT into the joists. A argentiferous strip (shown in the first figure) was attached to the plump for to assistance secure information technology further to the joist (it can reduce side to side vibration). Depending on where your hole is positioned between the joists, you may have to install anywhere from one to 4 of these strips to secure it.
Our fan was positioned right beside the joist so I only requisite indefinite new strip at the back.
Next, I installed the electrical bushing onto the sports fan (it protects the wire) and and so federal official the telegraph through and joined information technology. I used tuck mag tape to seal right along the edges of the fan.
Step 8: Link Gasket and Dry Fit
At the roof line, I used a 5" gasket with a seal around it for the connection to the roof outlet. This is a such better answer than the straight run with release cuts the constructor previously installed because IT seals any gaps. I used tin can tinsnips to incised absent one side of the gasket to fit it flush against the joist in ordering to line it up with the roof vent. Once fit, I peeled the tape off the gasket and pressed it up onto the underside of the roof. I pre-drilled and inserted screws all around the gasket.
I dry convulsion the metal ducting, starting with the reducer at the fan, until I in time got it all to line up with the roof vent.
American Samoa you can see in the utmost picture, one of the pieces of ducting is articulated so it commode be twisted into virtually whatever status to line the duct build up with the roof air out.
Step 9: Connect to the Roof and Seal
With all the alcoholic fitting complete, I pre-drilled a hole into each duct articulate 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.
Whole step 10: Test Electrical Connection and Insulate
Before finish the insulating material, I turned the power back up on to clear sure everything was running swimmingly. Then I turned the power hindmost off again arsenic a safeguard and went back into the attic to wrap the tobacco pipe with detachment and tie it on with cord (I reused the long-ago insulation that was in the beginning there).
The last gradation is to return all the blown-in insulation to its original position 'tween the joists.
Step 11: You'rhenium Done
I brought all my tools back down and closed the attic access panel.
The last mistreat is to install the plastic ceiling cover over the winnow to finish it off; information technology attaches with metal clips. Now the fan purrs like a kitten; bring on the rubber ducky!
Step 12: Please Balloting
If you found this Instructable helpful, please vote for information technology in the home advance contest!
1 Somebody Made This Project!
Recommendations
-
Anything Goes Competition 2022
Kitchen Exhaust Fan That Will Keep Smoke Out
Source: https://www.instructables.com/How-to-Replace-a-Bathroom-Exhaust-Fan/
0 Comments