bathroom ventilation fan
 

I installed a new fan over my walk-in shower, but the power isn't wired
through GFCI. It's only rated for use over a shower/tub if power is ran
through a GFCI.

The power is pulled off the main switch in the bathroom which ran an
overhead light (now a medicine cabinet/light), which isn't GFCI. Only the
outlet in the bathroom is GFCI. I can't tap into the GFCI outlet in the
bathroom, because I'd have to tear open way too many walls and there isn't
room in the attic to get to the feed wire.

But, I can tap into one of the lines feeding the kitchen, which is on the
GFCI loop. I figure I'd just snip the wires, put in a junction box, and
splice the wires back together + 1 new 14/3 romex cable which I run over to
the vent fan. I assume there isn't an issue if I did this?

In the real world here, how much of a risk am I running with it being of
regular power? I'm not going to be doing something stupid like spray the
shower head into the fan afterall.

Additionally, it looks like my guest bathroom fan isn't vented to the room.
It must have been a retrofit and they just cut the hole and put the fan up
there and it's blowing into the attic. It's been like that at least 6 years,
maybe longer. How bad is it if I leave it like that? The attic has all
blown-in insulation and the fan outlet is pretty damn close to one of the
sofets. If anything, I'm thinking about running some flex tubing and just
hanging it over the sofet. Would that be OK? It's $200 to have a vent
cut/installed into the roof (and no, I'm not DIY on that).

bathroom ventilation fan
 

ESM wrote:
I installed a new fan over my walk-in shower, but the power isn't wired
through GFCI. It's only rated for use over a shower/tub if power is ran
through a GFCI.

The power is pulled off the main switch in the bathroom which ran an
overhead light (now a medicine cabinet/light), which isn't GFCI. Only the
outlet in the bathroom is GFCI. I can't tap into the GFCI outlet in the
bathroom, because I'd have to tear open way too many walls and there isn't
room in the attic to get to the feed wire.

But, I can tap into one of the lines feeding the kitchen, which is on the
GFCI loop. I figure I'd just snip the wires, put in a junction box, and
splice the wires back together + 1 new 14/3 romex cable which I run over to
the vent fan. I assume there isn't an issue if I did this?

Simple solution is to replace the breaker for the fan circuit with a
GFCI one.



In the real world here, how much of a risk am I running with it being of
regular power? I'm not going to be doing something stupid like spray the
shower head into the fan afterall.

Probably not a high risk. But when you go to sell it, it's likely to
be flagged by a home inspector. Or, if someone happens to use the
shower, does something stupid and electrocutes yourself, you insurance
company may have some interesting questions to ask before they cover
you.


Additionally, it looks like my guest bathroom fan isn't vented to the room.
It must have been a retrofit and they just cut the hole and put the fan up
there and it's blowing into the attic. It's been like that at least 6 years,
maybe longer. How bad is it if I leave it like that? The attic has all
blown-in insulation and the fan outlet is pretty damn close to one of the
sofets. If anything, I'm thinking about running some flex tubing and just
hanging it over the sofet. Would that be OK? It's $200 to have a vent
cut/installed into the roof (and no, I'm not DIY on that).

It should be run to a vent at the soffit that connects the hose to the
outside. Leaving it venting into the attic is a big mistake. Again,
very likely to be found on a future inspection. And could cause mold
problems at any time, which can cost $$$ to fix.

bathroom ventilation fan
 

wrote in message
oups.com...

ESM wrote:
I installed a new fan over my walk-in shower, but the power isn't wired
through GFCI. It's only rated for use over a shower/tub if power is ran
through a GFCI.

The power is pulled off the main switch in the bathroom which ran an
overhead light (now a medicine cabinet/light), which isn't GFCI. Only the
outlet in the bathroom is GFCI. I can't tap into the GFCI outlet in the
bathroom, because I'd have to tear open way too many walls and there
isn't
room in the attic to get to the feed wire.

But, I can tap into one of the lines feeding the kitchen, which is on the
GFCI loop. I figure I'd just snip the wires, put in a junction box, and
splice the wires back together + 1 new 14/3 romex cable which I run over
to
the vent fan. I assume there isn't an issue if I did this?

Simple solution is to replace the breaker for the fan circuit with a
GFCI one.

I didn't hink of that at all. This would end up putting a portion of the
master bedroom on GFCI. There shouldn't be any issues with that, aside from
the unwated effect of extra outlets/lights going off if I tripped the GFCI
because of something in the bathroom, correct?

bathroom ventilation fan
 

thats all that would happen, maybe a trip or two from a hair dryer etc but I
did the same thing with my vent fan and it works just fine.
"ESM" wrote in message
...

wrote in message
oups.com...

ESM wrote:
I installed a new fan over my walk-in shower, but the power isn't wired
through GFCI. It's only rated for use over a shower/tub if power is ran
through a GFCI.

The power is pulled off the main switch in the bathroom which ran an
overhead light (now a medicine cabinet/light), which isn't GFCI. Only
the
outlet in the bathroom is GFCI. I can't tap into the GFCI outlet in the
bathroom, because I'd have to tear open way too many walls and there
isn't
room in the attic to get to the feed wire.

But, I can tap into one of the lines feeding the kitchen, which is on
the
GFCI loop. I figure I'd just snip the wires, put in a junction box, and
splice the wires back together + 1 new 14/3 romex cable which I run over
to
the vent fan. I assume there isn't an issue if I did this?

Simple solution is to replace the breaker for the fan circuit with a
GFCI one.

I didn't hink of that at all. This would end up putting a portion of the
master bedroom on GFCI. There shouldn't be any issues with that, aside
from the unwated effect of extra outlets/lights going off if I tripped the
GFCI because of something in the bathroom, correct?

bathroom ventilation fan
 

How bad is it if I leave it like that? The attic has all blown-in insulation and the fan outlet is pretty damn close to one of the sofets.

Potentially this is a serious problem, Home Inspectors *frequently* see
water damage and/or mold on sheeting and rafters as a result of attic
condensation from dryers and bathroom vents, here's an example of what
happens when the "fan outlet is pretty damn close to one of the
soffits":

http://www.buildingdiagnosticshelp.c...s/fan-duct.gif

In any case IMO it's best to vent through a roof jack rather than at a
soffit - if you are successfully venting the attic via intake air from
soffit vents and exhausted through a roof, ridge or power vent you may
end up sucking the moist exhaust back it. And if not, you are still
venting hot, moist air right underneath the underneath of the soffit
and next to a wall.

---------

One solution to your GFCI problem is to install a fan with a built-in
GFCI.

I don't remember off-hand who makes them, but they are available from
at least one of the Japanese manufacturers (might be Panasonic).

Another option would be to use a in-line remote fan, such as one of the
Fantech products:

http://www.fantech.net/fantech_bath_..._solutions.pdf

Properly installed these can not only do an superior job of ventilating
the bathroom (in my house we have one intake above the tub or shower,
another a foot or two outside the T/S enclosure , and a third above
the toilet in each bathroom, and arremgement which does an excellen job
of removing mositure and odors) but the remote fan setups are also
quieter than other most bathroom vents..
Michael Thomas
Paragon Home Inspection, LLC
Chicago, IL
mdt@paragoninspectsDOTcom
847-475-5668

bathroom ventilation fan
 

"MDT at Paragon Home Inspections, LLC"
wrote in message
oups.com...
How bad is it if I leave it like that? The attic has all blown-in
insulation and the fan outlet is pretty damn close to one of the sofets.

Potentially this is a serious problem, Home Inspectors *frequently* see
water damage and/or mold on sheeting and rafters as a result of attic
condensation from dryers and bathroom vents, here's an example of what
happens when the "fan outlet is pretty damn close to one of the
soffits":

http://www.buildingdiagnosticshelp.c...s/fan-duct.gif

Wow, that's some extreme mold. How long do you think it took for that to
occur? I have a feel the vent in the guest bathroom really never got used
much for moisture. I'll have to go digging through the blown-in insulation
to see if there's any type of mold starting to form or not. I guess I'll
have the roofers add a 2nd gooseneck vent to my work, as I'm already having
one put in for the new master bath fan.

bathroom ventilation fan
 

On Sat, 19 Aug 2006 22:08:06 GMT, "ESM" wrote:

I installed a new fan over my walk-in shower, but the power isn't wired
through GFCI. It's only rated for use over a shower/tub if power is ran
through a GFCI.

The power is pulled off the main switch in the bathroom which ran an
overhead light (now a medicine cabinet/light), which isn't GFCI. Only the
outlet in the bathroom is GFCI. I can't tap into the GFCI outlet in the
bathroom, because I'd have to tear open way too many walls and there isn't
room in the attic to get to the feed wire.

But, I can tap into one of the lines feeding the kitchen, which is on the
GFCI loop. I figure I'd just snip the wires, put in a junction box, and
splice the wires back together + 1 new 14/3 romex cable which I run over to
the vent fan. I assume there isn't an issue if I did this?

That sounds just fine. And you are doing it right by installing the
junction box. Connections should not be made outside a box.


In the real world here, how much of a risk am I running with it being of
regular power? I'm not going to be doing something stupid like spray the
shower head into the fan afterall.


Why take a risk when you don't have to? I used to know a person who
was electrocuted--accidents happen. Can you prevent them?

Additionally, it looks like my guest bathroom fan isn't vented to the room.
It must have been a retrofit and they just cut the hole and put the fan up
there and it's blowing into the attic. It's been like that at least 6 years,
maybe longer. How bad is it if I leave it like that? The attic has all
blown-in insulation and the fan outlet is pretty damn close to one of the
sofets. If anything, I'm thinking about running some flex tubing and just
hanging it over the sofet. Would that be OK? It's $200 to have a vent
cut/installed into the roof (and no, I'm not DIY on that).

Does the guest bathroom have a tub or shower? If so, you need to vent
it to the outside. If the bath has a toilet and sink only venting to
the attic is okay.

bathroom ventilation fan
 

How long do you think it took for that to occur?

If a bathroonm with shower is being vented to an attic, and the
conditions are right, you can get very substantial mold growth in a few
months.