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The Mobile home (MH) I'm working on has never had bathroom vents and I want to install them. I'm VERY timid about cutting a hole in the bathroom ceiling and ESPECIALLY the roof. The roof is not a shingled roof but a curved metal roof. Do I have alternatives? If not, can someone on the forum provide me with guidelines as to the best way to penetrate the roof and which vent is best. Any and all information is appreciated!

If you have the room you could go through the wall. I am planning on going out the end when I do mine later this year. I really don't like the idea of going through the roof either. Greg

Greg,
Can you provide a picture of, or a link to the type vent you will use?

This is one of the ones I am thinking about.


http://www.lowes.com/pd_26514-14-655_0_ ... RRWidgetID

If you are looking to go through the wall with the exhaust vent, you could get one from Mark here at mobilehomerepair.com. Use this link and go all the way to the bottom of the page. http://www.mobilehomerepair.com/Order9- ... ml#catalog You are looking for, BV2215-20 Sidewall Exhaust Fan. It is a 100 cfm, and the added power will help when trying to do a wall vent.

Roof vents can be installed pretty easily and efficiently. The easiest one to install is probably the V2244-50 Bath Fan w/ Light, also located at the link above. It is the very first product on the page. I have installed several of these and they seem to work well, even at the 50cfm rating. They are somewhat quiet, but not as quiet as a high end Broan. Quieter than the $40 models though.

When installing a ceiling fan between trusses, directly onto the ceiling panel, you will need to make a plywood support, basically a flat piece of plywood that reaches the two trusses with a round hole cut in the plywood for the fan to slide through. The mounting screws will be screwed into this plywood. Whenever possible, I will attach that plywood to the trusses with furring strips. The fan installation and plywood can be done through the fan hole and the hole in the roof where the vent cap goes. When ordering the fan, ask for the vent cap that is made for the fan. It is sweet! In a home with a curved metal roof, you can just slide the cap in over the body of the fan for a nice tight fit. I will run 3 beads of polyurethane caulk under the vent cap and fit it into place. Be sure to clean the area with lacquer thinner or non residue cleaner of your choice. After screwing the cap down, I will seal the top edge and screws with more polyurethane sealant. I use Tremco Vulkem 116. Kind of hard to find, but you can get it online and from stores that cater to concrete and masonry contractors. I get mine from White Cap Supply. Other than Vulkem, just ask for the best pro grade polyurethane caulk you can get. This stuff truly lasts 20+ years here in very sunny Fresno, CA. Put it on thick.

I hope this is helpful.

Thanks JD. Do you use Tremco Vulkem 116 behind the flanges when installing windows, too?

when i did mine i ran the flex duct through the rafter space out to the back of the house,short distance, and vented out by the rear gable. yeah greg finaly closed in the big open space in the rear gable.