How To Install A Ceiling Fan With Attic Access

Practise you need to replace a bathroom exhaust fan with a newer or stronger i? If your bathroom fan is installed in a finished ceiling, this can be a challenging project without cranium access!

You see, nigh ventilation fans are made to be installed in an unfinished or open ceiling where you have easy admission to duct work. Yet, if your bathroom is located on a level of your home with a floor to a higher place, yous won't take the luxury of accessing the fan from the cranium.

In this mail I'll show you lot how to supplant a bath fan in a finished ceiling where you can't access it from an cranium.

man pointing at new bathroom exhaust fan in ceiling

Bath Fan Replacement

Bathroom ventiliation fans are an essential component to any bath. They frazzle moist (or stinky) air outdoors, while pulling in cleaner/drier air from your surrounding rooms.

Without a bathroom ventilation fan, your bathroom surfaces will go moist during a shower or bathroom. This could potentially pb to mold bug down the road. Too that, who wants to expect a few minutes for a foggy mirror to clear upwards after a shower?! I know I don't, because every minute counts in my house!

The bathroom ventilation fan I'm replacing in this guide is a minor 7-inch square fan. It did a decent job of pulling moist air from the bath during a shower, but it was far from perfect.

man pointing to old small bathroom exhaust fan in ceiling

For starters, the mirror was still foggy afterward running the fan during a shower. Plus, it was loud! Loud to the point where you lot couldn't have a conversation with someone without borderline yelling at them while the fan was on.

The replacement bathroom ventilation fan I'k using is the Broan Sensonic Model SPK110 Speaker Fan. The Broan Fan is larger than my erstwhile fan and information technology's much quieter.

Oh, did I mention that the Broan Sensonic Speaker Fan features a Bluetooth enabled speaker box within its housing?! The Bluetooth speaker inside the Sensonic vent fan is not but innovative and convenient, information technology's actually a high quality speaker!

The new fan moves 110 CFM (cubic feet per infinitesimal) of air, and has a audio level of i.0 sone.

What is a Sone?

Sone is a unit of measure for sound, just to give you an idea of how quiet ane.0 sone is, it's about the aforementioned volume every bit a quiet fridge. A value of 1.0 sone is considered very quiet for a ventilation fan!

Install:

If yous'd similar to sentry the install on video, you can lookout man beneath. If you adopt to read or desire more detail, continue reading:

Tools Needed:

screwdriver, safety glasses, drywall saw, tape measure, and claw hammer on table

Record measure
Hammer
Screwdriver
Drywall Saw
Safe Spectacles
Utility Knife (optional & not pictured)
Pencil (optional & non pictured)
Hand Drill (optional & not pictured)

Every State of affairs is Different:

Just similar every domicile is different, so is every situation! My bathroom fan installation was into a finished ceiling in my offset-flooring bathroom. I have a 2d-flooring bathroom above this room, and the space above the ceiling was previously opened upward by the erstwhile owner of my house.

They used metal studs to extend the ceiling several inches below the joists above. Unfortunately, this is the kind of weird stuff you see when working on older homes!

My state of affairs may or may not be the same as yours, merely I'yard sure it was worse than well-nigh people's. Therefore, I'm going to effort and explain my situation for those who have like setups, just also explicate the more mutual installation scenario.

Wiring and Ductwork:

If y'all're installing a new fan into an unfinished ceiling, you'll need to run wiring to the location of the fan. Plus, y'all'll demand to run the required ductwork to the outside of the edifice. NEVER Permit AN Frazzle FAN VENT INTO A CEILING Crenel OR ATTIC!

I'm not going into detail here because I used existing ductwork, and all installation jobs volition be different. Plus, y'all shouldn't exist treatment electric wiring or installing ductwork if you lot don't know what you're doing!

Tip:

Your duct should be every bit curt and straight as possible. This volition ensure that you get the quietest and best airflow your bathroom exhaust fan has to offer.

Step 1:

If y'all're replacing an existing fan, you need to:

De-energize the circuit that powers the existing fan. This means turn-off the excursion breaker!
Verify that the circuit is de-energized with a voltmeter or circuit tester.
Remove the existing fan and all of its components. Leave only the habitation wiring and ductwork.

Footstep 2:

If your new fan is bigger than the old ane, yous will need to increase the size of the ceiling cutout.

Marker the new opening with a pencil past holding the replacement fan'south housing over the existing cutout.

Replacing the Exhaust Fan Without Attic Access:

When you're installing the bathroom fan into a ceiling below another floor, your new fan won't only slide into a size-for-size opening.

You must cutting the hole bigger to allow the protruding parts of the housing to make it through the cutout.

In my example, I had to cut the hole an additional ½"-¾" per-side to allow the housing to slide in on an angle.

You lot will also have to bend the mounting flanges into the housing well-nigh ninety degrees to give the housing every bit small a footprint as possible. You could also cut or grind them off.

This method is not recommended by the manufacturer, but it's the only way to replace a bathroom vent fan without replacing a huge department of ceiling!

This method worked for me, but I don't recommend it for everyone! If yous're not careful, you lot might damage your new fan by bending the fins. Therefore, be super careful to not damage the motor or fan blades if you lot need to remove the mounting flanges.

Replacing the Exhaust Fan With Attic Admission:

If yous're installing the fan into a ceiling that has an attic directly in a higher place, the process is much easier!

You lot should be able to cutting your opening size-for-size, considering y'all'll mount to your joist from inside the cranium.

Score the marked lines with a sharp utility knife.
Utilise a drywall saw to cutout the new opening.
Test fit the opening and adjust equally necessary.
Refer to the fan'south installation instructions for the balance of the procedure.

Typical Bathroom Exhaust Fan Replacement Process:

The steps below may non exist exactly the same for every bathroom vent fan installation, merely should be generally the same. Always refer to your new fan's installation instructions for the specific requirements of your make and model.

If the exhaust fan requires some assembly, assemble it co-ordinate to the manufacturer'south instructions.
Mount the fan housing to the ceiling joist.
1. If installing in a ceiling beneath the cranium, you can practise this from within the attic. Simply be sure to align the fan housing with your cutout every bit even as possible.
2. In my case, I had to connect the wiring and duct work to the fan first, considering everything is hidden subsequently my housing was installed. If this is your case likewise, skip mounting for now and go to the side by side step.
Connect electrical wiring according to the instructions provided with your fan.
Connect the duct work co-ordinate to your fan's instructions.
(If installing in finished ceiling with flooring above only) Mountain the fan housing to your ceiling joists by screwing through the fan housing.
Install the grille.
Turn the circuit breaker back on.
Test the fan's operation.

Determination

If your new bathroom fan works, give yourself a pat on the back! you should feel good knowing you lot successfully accomplished another dwelling house project.

Installations like this can be a existent challenge because y'all never know what you're going to encounter when yous peak inside an old home ceiling or walls! Keep in mind, projects always go smoother when you have the right tools for the job.

Expect, Before Yous Go!

If you're new to home ownership or are tired of paying other people to practise the job for yous, be sure to sign upwardly for my email listing. I'll ship updates whenever I post a new guide or article virtually a home projects, tools, or married man life! Every bit a thank you gift, you'll receive a re-create of my 55 Tools Every Homeowner Should Own Checklist, which is based on this post.

Also, If you lot take a central air conditioner installed in your domicile, check out this article on How to Fix and Avoid Mutual HVAC Issues!