Proper ventilation is important in all rooms in a house. Otherwise, moisture will cause common problems in various rooms such as the bathrooms and the kitchen.
Have you ever checked your rooms to see if they are properly ventilated? You need to do this and start with the kitchen and the bathrooms as they are the most common rooms with poor ventilation. If you find that they are not properly ventilated, you should learn how to install exhaust fan in wall. This will ensure that you don’t deal with the smoke in the kitchen or the mold forming in bathroom walls.
Can You Install Exhaust Fan on Wall Yourself?
Yes, it is possible to install an exhaust fan in the wall yourself. It takes a few hours to do it right if you have the right tools.
It is not as a difficult task as it may sound. But of course, there are a few technicalities that you’ll encounter if you are doing it for the first time.
This guide will give you an in-depth look at how to install an exhaust fan in the wall.
Things You’ll Need
Because of the technicality of drilling into the wall, you will need the following materials to install an exhaust fan in your wall:
- An exhaust fan
- Fish tape
- Stud finder
- Cutter
- Handsaw
- Drill
- Eye goggles
- Fan cover
- Screwdriver
- Venting materials
- Marker or a pencil
- Wood for frame
How to Choose Your Exhaust?
While choosing the exhaust fan that you will be using for this project, you should consider where you will put it. For example, if you are considering putting it in the bathroom, you must choose an exhaust fan that has a moisture sensor. For an exhaust fan to remove moisture in the bathroom, it needs to run about 10 minutes after bathing to remove all the moisture that built up when bathing. If it has a sensor with a timer, you can leave it and it will run itself.
Other things that you will need to consider when choosing the kind of exhaust fan to install in your wall include energy efficiency and noise level. You wouldn’t want a noisy fan if you are using it in your home.
Step 1: Locate and Prepare the Site
Installing an exhaust fan in the wall requires you to cut off electricity. If you are handling a commercial exhaust fan or other complex fans, you might have to connect it to electricity, thus, the need to be safe.
The next thing to do is to wear goggles and gloves as you prepare to deal with sharp, pointed tools. The goggles will come in handy to protect your eyes when you start drilling the wall.
At this stage, we are assuming that you have a room in mind, maybe your kitchen or the bathroom. All that you need to do now is to find a perfect spot where you will install your exhaust fan. An ideal spot is that part of the wall that has no obstructions and faces outside. Go for the highest point of your wall.
Using a stud finder, locate an empty spot on your wall. Afterward, drill a small hole, which you’ll insert a fish tape until you reach the stud.
Mark the areas you’ve located the studs with a pencil. Take a physical measurement of the area and compare it to the fan to ensure that it will fit.
Step 2: Cut the Hole
Using the cutter, cut the first later of the wall. This is not a delicate step that requires extreme caution and precision. At this stage, you can afford to have some rough edges. However, you should aim to have as smooth edges as possible.
Using a handsaw, cut through the insulation layers to the outside layer. If you ordered kitchen exhaust fans separately, avoid cutting the paneling at this point.
The next is to seal the upper and lower parts of the hole using wood pieces. This is an important step as it will prevent air from blowing into your wall. However, this is an optional step as you may have a different exhaust fan that requires the use of ducts.
The next step is to mark the edges of the hole to ensure that they are in the same position as the outside wall. You should then go outside and locate the drill mark before you start cutting a hole.
Step 3: Attach the Vent and the Exhaust Fan
Now you are ready to start putting the exhaust fan in your wall. Whether you are using cook exhaust fans or other types of fans, you need to start with the vents. After the vents, you can connect the ducts and housing. To reduce vibration, you will need to fasten the housing.
The next step involves connecting the electrical wires. This is an extremely delicate step that you need to refer strictly to the manufacturer’s diagram. If you are unsure about this step, you should contact an electrician. However, it can be an optional step if your fan has a ready plugin that you will connect to an outlet.
Attach your exhaust fan, ensuring that everything is put in the right place. Check again to confirm that you have done it right.
Step 4: Get It Running
After the whole process, you need to turn the electricity back on and get your exhaust fan up and running. Turn the switch on to see if it is working.
If you have installed a kitchen exhaust fan, you might want to create smoke in the kitchen to see how the exhaust fan will remove the smoke from your room. Ensure that you don’t start a fire in the kitchen! If the exhaust fan sucks the smoke, then you should know that you did your work excellently.
Final Say
That’s the process of how to install exhaust fan in wall. You can do it yourself if you follow the instructions strictly. You don’t have to worry about smoke and molds in your room any longer for you can install an exhaust fan in the wall and get rid of them.