Seal Gap Around Bathroom Exhaust Fan

Using a saw cleanly cut all a hole in the ceiling drywall no more than 1 inch larger in diameter than the fan box.

Seal gap around bathroom exhaust fan.

Bath exhaust fan with rigid foam box image courtesy of the doe 3. How to patch drywall around a bath fan. On occasion a home improvement enthusiast may discover that the opening cut in the drywall to install a bath fan is not completely covered by the fan s. Before entering the shower set the timer switch for about ten or 15 minutes longer than you ll be in the shower.

The fan housing is obviously sheet metal and the ceiling has the plastic vapor barrier on top of the drywall. In all likelihood you will never have to uninstall a high quality bath fan once it goes in. Similar to a dryer exhaust bath fans should vent outside. There will be residual caulk if the bead is cut but the bead is hidden under the fan grill.

Cover the box with attic insulation. One great and inexpensive addition is a simple timer switch. Cut an access in the box for the exhaust duct. Venting a bath fan into an open attic is a recipe for rot mold and other issues.

Fully insulated bath exhaust fan image courtesy of the doe summary. I ve got my exhaust fan installed in the ceiling of the bathroom now i m wonder how best to seal the gap around it. I use the minimum amount of caulk to fill the gap and seal the housing to the drywall.