How to Vent a Laundry Room

Properly venting a laundry room is important because you want to remove any heat, moisture and lint material to prevent it from building up. The most common way to vent a laundry room is to install a bath fan in the ceiling and then vent it outside. Lint buildup can be especially dangerous because it can be a fire hazard, so proper room ventilation is a must.

Things You'll Need

• Stud finder
• Ventilation fan template
• Masking tape
• Marking pen
• Drywall saw
• Ventilation fan
• Screwdrivers
• Hole punch
• 1/2 ROMEX® connector
• Hammer
• 16-penny nails
• Metal strap tape
• Drywall screws

Instructions

1. Hire a professional electrician to get power to where your laundry ventilation fan will be installed.

2. Use a stud finder and check where the ceiling joists are. You want your ventilation fan to be right next to a joist so it can be nailed up later.

3. Remove the template from the ventilation fan box. Tape it on the ceiling and mark it with a pen.

4. Turn off the power to the electrical circuit your electrician ran for you. Cut out your laundry fan opening with the drywall saw. Find the electrical wire connection that your electrician stubbed out.

5. Take the fan out of the box and separate all the pieces. The fan housing is installed first. Remove the electrical cover from the back corner of the fan housing using a screwdriver. Punch out the 1/2-inch electrical knockout using a hole punch.

6. Insert a 1/2 ROMEX® connector into the hole and slide your ROMEX® wire through the hole. Use a screwdriver to tighten the ROMEX® clamp.

7. Mount the fan housing into the cutout hole. There are two nail flanges. Hammer 16-penny nails into the ceiling joist and through the nail flange holes.

8. Push the fan motor up into the fan housing. It will click into protruding side tabs. Plug in the motor to the provided plug outlet, inside the fan housing. Leave the cover off for now.

9. Attach four-inch ducting to the duct outlet, located on the side or back of the fan housing. For ceiling venting, do this by accessing your attic. The ducting is held on by four-inch metal hose clamps that you tighten with a screwdriver. For a wall outlet, with no attic access you may need a professional contractor to help you.

10. Continue running the venting to the gable vents or house vents, which are usually located on both ends of the house. Run the vent up to the gable vent and secure it in place with metal strap tape. Screw the strapping to the wall studs.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't vent the laundry room fan directly into the attic because it can cause unwanted moisture and heat. Vent outside or to a gable or house vent, so the exhaust can exit the attic space.

References

• Thisoldhouse.com: How to Vent a Laundry Room

Resources

• YouTube: How to Vent a Laundry Room