I live in an older house, which didn’t have a fan in the second bathroom. I meant to install one, but I wasn’t using it, so I put it off. Then the en-suite was getting a makeover, and I had to use the second bathroom, opening the window for proper ventilation. This would have been fine during summer, but I undertook my renovations in winter. After one week, I added “install fan in second bathroom” to my renovation list and moved it to the top.
During my research, I wanted to figure out if I could just vent the fan through one of the house’s gable vents. It would certainly be easy to use an existing opening in the wall, and there was one quite near to the second bathroom. As it turns out, the answer involves a bit more than a simple yes or no. But, don’t worry, this article covers everything I found out about using your gable vent as an exhaust point.
Gable vents can be used for bathroom fans when positioned so the fan doesn’t exhaust into walkways, property lines, or near air intakes. Gable vents are more subtle than roof vents. Using existing gable vents can interfere with passive attic ventilation. Gable vents are vulnerable to backdrafting.
Venting Through Gable Vent Not Prohibited
As it turns out, gable vents can technically be used to eliminate the humid air from your bathroom fan. Section M1504 of the International Residential Code (IRC) doesn’t have that kind of limitation on what kind of opening can be used as an exhaust.
However, it does have certain stipulations that should be followed regarding topics like the dimensions of your ducting materials and how your exhaust openings are placed (we go through these later in the article).
Of course, just because it’s permissible to use a gable vent as an exhaust, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best option.As with anything else, it comes with pros and cons that could make or break your decision. Let’s take a closer look at your options.
Benefits of Venting Through Gable Vents
Convenient installation and the maintenance of a house’s current appearance are probably the biggest attractions for using a gable vent as your fan’s exhaust. These vents are discreet, and taking advantage of that would keep you from having to add new and possibly unsightly fixtures to your home.
On the other hand, roof vents are the most common exhaust points, although they also generally require more monitoring than gable vents because improper installation could cause leakage. It’s also quite easy for roof vents to become blocked if you live in an area with heavy snowfall in winter or leaf shedding in autumn.
While there are some rather subtle models of roof vents, many protrude rather obtrusively from the structure of the house.
Your soffit vents could be another option for discreet ventilation. Unfortunately, the way that soffit vents are structured to enhance passive attic ventilation makes it so that they run a high risk of sucking the moisture you’re trying to remove right back into the attic, which is terrible for a number of reasons.
Drawbacks to Venting Through Gable Vents
Although routing your bathroom fan out through a gable vent would be a subtle and convenient decision, it also comes with some negatives.
If your house already has gable vents, they’re probably necessary for ensuring your attic has enough and balanced ventilation.Using a pre-existing gable vent as your exhaust point could significantly restrict airflow, preventing the ventilation system from doing its job, i.e., keeping your attic moisture-free.
While I did mention that roof vents can run the risk of leakage if sealed improperly, this is a relatively rare occurrence. Roof vents are generally considered easy to install and can be placed more conveniently and flexibly than a new gable vent would be.
Furthermore, because heat and moisture rise naturally, roof vents are also the most effective option for a bathroom fan’s exhaust.
Now, I also mentioned that soffit vents run a high risk of sucking expelled moisture back into the attic, and it’s common to hear warnings about that practice. However, the fact that gable vents can also have this backdraft problem in windy conditions is not discussed as frequently. This is a problem due to their location on the side of the house, a typically high and exposed surface, and can also often lead to the fan making a noise when it is windy.
Tips for Code-Compliance and Optimal Functioning
Follow Length and Dimension Rules
The length and diameter of the ducts you’ll need to vent your bathroom fan will depend on several different factors.
As an example, the amount of ducting you need will, of course, depend on the distance between the location of the fan and its intended exhaust opening. However, the number of elbows you need to run your ducting and the airflow capacity of the fan you use can both be limiting factors in how much ducting you are allowed to use.
It’s important to research and account for all these factors ahead of time to ensure compliance with the IRC and your state’s regulations and to prevent miscalculations from creating a roadblock during installation. Using this guide can help you simplify the process.
Don’t Vent Near Property Lines and Intake Openings
Section M1504.3 of the IRC outlines the guidelines for the proper placement of exhaust openings. No matter what kind of vent you decide to use as an exhaust, it must comply with the following conditions:
- Your exhaust opening should not direct air onto any walkways. It should also be at least 3 ft away from any property lines, windows, doors, and gravity air intake openings (intakes that rely on natural breezes to circulate air).
- Additionally, the exhaust opening should be a minimum of 3 ft above any mechanical air intake openings (fan-reliant air intakes).
- If it is not possible to have the exhaust placed at least 3 ft higher than a mechanical air intake opening, then it must be installed a minimum of 10 ft away from the intake instead.
These spacing regulations will help prevent vented moisture from being returned to the interior of your home.
Install a Backdraft Damper
Backdraft or gravity dampers are pieces of equipment that can be placed at the intake or exhaust of your ducting system. Just as the name would suggest, they help to control the flow of air by preventing it from traveling backward.
In the case of a bathroom exhaust, a damper could be a fantastic way to optimize the functioning of your ducting and ease concerns about moisture being blown or sucked back into your home. They also stop the cold air from rushing in through your ductwork and warm air from being lost to the outside.
This detailed and comprehensive guide on backdraft dampers can help you to better understand how they work and what type would best suit your needs.
Use the Best Materials
Sometimes it’s okay to cut corners in a project to save time, effort, or money—but bathroom ventilation is never the place for skimping out. Poor quality materials might allow moisture to escape into places it shouldn’t.
Improperly managed moisture can be a huge issue, and water damage isn’t always easy to spot until it’s too late. On top of common concerns around mold and mildew, the integrity of your house itself could be compromised if water is allowed to set in and rot away the wood or create cracks in the plaster.
All that said, it’s important to make sure the materials you use for your ducting are made to last and don’t allow any moisture to escape on its way from your bathroom to the outside world.
Avoid Attaching to Existing Gable Vents
Houses with gable roofs tend to have gable vents, which are often paired with soffit vents. Together, they work to regulate your attic’s temperature and humidity with the flow of air.
As briefly mentioned earlier in the article, this means that it’s generally not a good idea to block an existing gable vent. Doing so can completely throw off the passive ventilation system that keeps your attic healthy.
If you’re absolutely set on using a gable vent as a discreet exhaust for your bathroom fan, it would be much better to install a new or additional gable vent if you have an available location.
Insulate Ductwork
A final detail that might be easy to overlook is the importance of duct insulation.
Your attic’s temperature should ideally stay within 10-20 °F of the temperature outdoors. That said, the difference in heat between the air inside and outside of your ducting system can be significant enough to cause condensation to form.
This condensation can build up on the inside or outside of your ducts, depending on the season.
As you might expect, this could again lead to problems with mold. What you might not expect is that this condensation can also cause your bathroom fan to start dripping.
Suffice it to say, properly insulating your ducting is crucial. This is especially true if your attic itself isn’t well insulated; the bigger the temperature difference between the air in your attic and inside your ducts, the easier it is for condensation to form.
Sources
https://www.airthings.com/resources/home-humidity-damage
https://atticsandmore.com/how-to-remove-hot-air-from-attic/
https://finalcutroofing.com/the-benefits-of-soffit-vents/
https://www.homeserve.com/en-us/blog/home-improvement/gable-vent/
https://www.kingspan.com/us/en-us/product-groups/smoke-vents-ventilation/airflow/gravity-vent
https://www.networx.com/article/ductwork-insulation
https://staydryroofing.com/what-is-roof-venting-what-does-a-roof-vent-do/
https://todayshomeowner.com/video/how-to-properly-vent-a-bathroom-exhaust-fan-in-an-attic/