On May 30, 9:11 am, "Bill" wrote:
Why are bathroom exhaust fans mounted in the ceiling?

Wouldn't down low next to the toilet be a better location?

Maybe even lower than the toilet and behind the toilet. Then the "smell"
would go down and back instead of forward and up!

You are in the company of great minds; Buckminster Fuller put the
bathroom fan low under the sink in the Dymaxion House for this very
reason. (http://www.bfi.org/node/548). Of course, the whole bathroom
was a prefab copper capsule, and only one family has ever lived in a
Dymaxion House, but apparently they quite liked the bathroom, so it
must have worked.

But as others have pointed out, the *code* requirement for fans in
both bathrooms and kitchens is not for your olfactory comfort but to
dispel moisture, which if unchecked will promote mold and rot. For
code purposes I think you'll find any room with a sink needs a fan,
yes this means all those bedrooms with toothbrushing sinks in the
corner are bathrooms as far as electrical codes go.

What careful scientific analysis went into this definition? Who knows.

Having said all that I don't think code mandates the fan in the
ceiling, just as in a kitchen you don't need a range hood. Although
ceiling fans and range roods are probably most effective at removing
vapor, I believe an exhaust fan anywhere in those rooms meets code
requirements. But I'd check with the local inspector before I put the
hole in the wall.

Chip C
Toronto