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Bathroom Fitting

Extractor fan venting into the loft

Anonymous user 23/02/2024 - 3.32 PM

Hi, We had our bathroom installed in 2017. As part of the design we had the extractor fan installed in the ceiling above the shower. We are now in the process of selling our house and we have discovered that the extractor fan is venting directly into the loft space. We have done some basic research and discovered that this is not good. We have reached out to the guy who's team installed the bathroom, he told us that it is OK for it to vent into the loft but after our research we are not sure that this is the case and we are now concerned that this will flag up on a survey report and that we will have to have this put right or reduce money off the selling price of our house (not to mention any potential damage in the loft due to condensation). We have given him several chances to come and fix this but we feel that he is trying to put us off or, he is definately not showing any urgency to help fix this for us. Is it actually illegal to vent a fan directly into the loft, will it flag up on a survey and if so, who can we complain to, to get this fixed and resolved? Thanks in advance.

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4 Answers

Dmp building solutions

Rating: 5 out of 5
Hexham
As far as I'm aware its imperative to vent externally, venting into loft space is a no no. Either a eves vent, roof vent (mushroom) on your roof, shutter vent out through the gable end. Ideally insulated ducting to reduce condensation over long runs should also be considered. But straight into the loft, ehm no!
Answered4 June 2020
6

Oakwood Property Services

Rating: 5 out of 5
Wokingham
Call local building control to inspect. All bathroom extractor fans should be vented to the outside not into the loft. Would advise not using the fan as all you are doing is adding moisture to the loft.
Answered4 June 2020
5

Thomson building and property maintenance

Rating: 4.8 out of 5
Sidmouth
No, you cannot vent your bathroom exhaust fan into the attic. You should never exhaust the bathroom fan directly into the attic. Your attic is not a temperature-controlled environment, is never the same temperature as your living space and generally closer to the temperature outside. What this means is that in colder weather, the vented air with moisture in the air will mix with the attic air causing condensation to form due to the warm air from the bathroom and it doesn’t have to be freezing for this to occur, however, just cool enough fall below the dewpoint. At that point the amount of moisture results in the formation of water droplets on the roof rafters, ceiling joists, and drywall. Once this happens it is almost a certainty for mold to follow causing rafters and joists to rot and over time possibly collapse from the weight of the roof! It is almost always required by code that the exhaust fans vent on the outside of the home with no air leaks into the interior of the home. Take the time to ensure the bathroom exhaust vent is done properly. This can be achieved by following building codes, providing the exhaust fan it’s a path to the outside of your home by installing a roof vent, or installing a capped vent to the side of your home. Get in touch with building control and trading standards .
Answered9 June 2020
5

That’s the Plan Ltd

Rating: 5 out of 5
Paignton
Definitely not compliant to vent a bathroom or shower into loft space, I would recommend a soffit vent with flexi duct to extractor, alternatively depending on roof covering, you can install pitched roof vent tiles / slates, your extractor fan should be connected to the lighting circuit and have an overrun facility.
Answered4 June 2020
3