In alt.home.repair on Mon, 7 Jul 2003 17:09:16 -0500 "Michael"
posted:

Hello,

I have problems with both my kitchen and bathroom fans. There is very
little suction. They vent outdoors under the soffets. The house has had
its sofets replaced with aluminum soffets. The new soffets cover the
bathroom and kitchen vent. There is no grill or vent cover on the soffet.
My guess is that the duct work for the vents is plugged or is severally
restricted where the soffet covers the vent underneath.

How do I fix this. Can I vacuum the duct work? Do I need to cut into the
aluminum soffet to expose the vents?

Any help or suggestions would be appreciated. For your information the
house was built in 1965. The aluminum soffet were installed before we
bought the house.

I never take hot showers and I never use my bathroom fan. I almost
never use my kitchen fan. So it's easy to imagine that the owners
didn't forsee this, didn't care, or didn't notice even after it was
done.

The soffets are the horizontal plates under the eaves, right? If not,
I'm not understanding your question. And if so, I'm not sure how the
vent comes out behind them.

Can you find where the ducts come out without removing anything, or by
removing something you can put back later. I haven't had this
problem, but I would problem drill a few holes in a pleasing pattern,
enough to let enough air out. Or drill some holes and use a nibbler to
make some horizontal slots in a pleasing pattern. Will that let rain
in or something. If it will let bugs in, glue some plastic window
screening over the hole. or under the hole.

The screening that made up part of my soffits came away from the wood,
before I bought the house, and I found two sparrows dead in my pink
insulation, with only their heads sticking up. I wonder how they did
that.

My bathroom fans upstairs vent just under the ridge rail, inside the
attic. I've wondered for years where the powderroom fan vents.

Thanks,
Mike



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