How to Install a Typical Ventilation Fan
Ventilation fans help to pull heat, smoke or other atmospheric pollutants from the air. A ventilation fan may be placed in a kitchen to alleviate cooking or garbage odors, or it may be placed in a bathroom to remove steam and bathroom smells. A ventilation fan on the roof of a home helps to pull hot air out of an attic to keep insulation cool and reduce cooling costs. Ventilation fan instillation is similar no matter what type of fan you are installing. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Measuring tape
- Pencil
- Jab saw
- Duct kit
- Exhaust fan
- Screwdriver
- Wood screws
- Wire nippers
- Wire connectors
Instructions
-
-
1
Disconnect the power to your work area by switching off your home's breaker box. This will prevent you from electrocuting yourself as you install your ventilation fan.
-
2
Measure the size of the fan's inner housing. Then measure the location where you wish to mount the fan. Mark the dimensions of the inner housing on the surface where you will be installing your fan. Open a hole on the mounting surface with a jab saw.
-
-
3
Install a duct kit inside the opening for your fan. The duct kit consists of a box to house the fan as well as a steel bar that attaches to your wall studs or roof joists and takes the weight of the ventilation fan. Attach the steel bar to the wooden joists or studs with wood screws. Then attach the box to the steel bar with the enclosed hardware screws.
-
4
Attach the duct hose to the housing box using the hose clamp enclosed with the kit. The hose clamp will clamp in place with a screwdriver.
-
5
Pass your hose through the roof or wall of your home to an exterior location. Cut a hole in the eaves of your home or wall using the jab saw. Attach the hose to the inner hole in the wall. Then attach the vent screen that is included in the duct kit to the wall on the outer side of the wall using wood screws.
-
6
Wire your fan into the nearest electrical system. In the bathroom or kitchen, this may be the wiring attached to a light fixture. Locate a wire with the same color of plastic jacket in your wiring system as the wire in your fan. Snip the wire in the wiring system in half with wire cutters. Then strip 1 inch from the jacketed ends of each wire and twist the wires together. Cover each wire with a wire connector.
-
7
Slip the exhaust fan into the inner housing and mount the fan to the housing. Cover the fan and the wall's hole with the exterior housing. Use wood screws to attach the outer housing to the wall.
-
1
References
Resources
- Photo Credit cooling fan image by dinostock from Fotolia.com
