Answer: | FALSE - Eighty-five percent of the respondents answered correctly. While a bathroom exhaust fan is handy at removing odors, that is not the main purpose of the component. The main purpose of the fan is to remove moisture from the room. People often over look how much moisture is deposited into a bathroom environment during a shower or bath, the fan is designed to remove the potentially harmful moisture and deposit it OUTSIDE THE ENVELOPE OF THE STRUCTURE. I want to be clear on the purpose so you can understand the importance of where the bathroom vent terminates. If the vent terminates within the attic, the warm moist air mixes with the unconditioned air in the attic. In the summer, this may not create s significant issue, BUT, in the winter, the warm bathroom exhaust hits the cold unconditioned air and condenses on nearby components, such as roof trusses or insulation. This bathroom moisture is one key ingredient in creating a potentially unhealthy environment, perfect for cultivation of wood destroying organisms, such as fungi and mold. So proper ventilation is important...and, yes - I have seen mold and fungi within attics, directly adjacent to improperly terminated bathroom exhaust vents. And yes, venting of the bathroom exhaust to the exterior of the home is required by building standards [Florida Building Code - Mechanical; Chapter 4]. So, if your inspector makes notation that the bathroom exhaust vents terminate within the attic and should be serviced to terminate to an exterior point - it is with good reason. |
