Bathroom fan - must vent thru roof, or anywhere outside?

 Hello,

If I install a bathroom fan, must the exhaust route through the
roof/attic? Can it be vented anywhere outside?

I am installing this fan in a basement bathroom. It would be easier to
route the exhaust out of the side of the house, like a clothes dryer
vent. Is that possible/advised?

OR - are there other, code-compliant solutions to installing a bathroom
vent fan?

I was thinking about "tapping into" the bathroom vent directly above
this bathroom, but that involves ripping out drywall in the upstairs
bath...

 
I've seen many wall-mounted fans.  Whether or not they're code-compliant is a
question for your local guvamint.

 You don't want to tap into another bathroom vent, as that will send bad
air from one bathroom to the other.  I've seen lots of bathroom fans in
new construction in NJ vented out the side, under the soffits.  In
fact, I think more are probably done that way than through the roof.
If in doubt, you have to check locally, as any codes will vary by
location

 

You need to check with your local code authority, but that's pretty typical for
new home construction around here.


You really need to check with your local code authority on this option - its not
permitted here. Potential for the fan from one room exhausting into the other
room instead of outdoors.

 On 29 Jun 2005 09:42:22 -0700, someone wrote:


It needs to go outside.  I have never heard of any prohibition on
venting one through a wall, or any requirement that it be through the
roof.  What info if any do you have, that it has to be through a roof?
That would be news to me, and to the contractor who built my house!


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