Properly venting a bathroom will help prevent moisture buildup and mold. The easiest way to install an exhaust vent is to mount it in place of an existing ceiling light fixture; this allows you to use the same power source and wall switch. Buy a fan unit that has a vent opening larger than your current light fixture, and make sure the unit includes a built-in light to replace the light you're removing.
Instructions
1. Turn off power to the room at the fuse box. In the bathroom, climb your ladder and remove the existing ceiling light fixture. Remove the mounting screws, pull the fixture down and disconnect the wiring.
2. In the attic, locate the electrical box that faces down into the bathroom. Loosen the cable clamps that hold the wires in place, then pull the wires into the attic. Remove the electrical box by unscrewing the mounting brackets holding it to the joists in the attic floor.
3. Set your exhaust fan unit in place on the attic floor, with the intake vent of the unit facing down and covering the hole left by the light fixture. Use a pencil to trace around the perimeter of the vent. Remove the unit, then cut the hole with your jigsaw so you're looking down into the bathroom. Set the unit back in place and secure it to the joists on either side. Use the provided joist brackets and mounting screws, driving them in with your screw gun.
4. Attach the exhaust hose to the unit, which is generally done by tightening a belt clamp around it. Run the other end of the unit to an exterior wall. Hold the hose against the wall, trace the outline of its diameter and use your jigsaw to cut the hole. Mount the end of the hose against the wall over the hole. Generally, there will be a mounting bracket that sits flat against the wall and has holes for small mounting screws.
5. Pick up the ends of the loose wiring that you took off the light fixture and connect them to the unit. Use wire nuts to connect the white house wire to the white wire from the unit. Connect the black house wire to the black wire from the unit. Wrap the connections in electrician's tape. Fasten the bare copper grounding wire from the house system around the green grounding screw of the unit.
6. Go outside, climb your exterior ladder to the hole you cut for the exterior exhaust hose, and secure the provided vent cap over the opening. Install it by securing screws into the siding and making sure the opening is facing down.
7. Return to the bathroom. Attach the vent cover over the opening in the ceiling according to the instructions, either screwing it in or hooking it with spring hooks. Turn the power back on.
Tags: light fixture, against wall, mounting screws, wire from, attic floor, ceiling light, ceiling light fixture