Bathroom Fan Extraction Proper Installation

Goremans on 12/05/2024 - 16:23
Last edited 12/05/2024 - 16:24

Hi all,

We are currently renting an apartment that has some mould on the internal ceilings all along one side of the apartment. This side is adjacent to the outer wall (guttering, etc).

I have 2 direct questions for builder savvy folks at the end

Two bedrooms in particular are worse than others and the mould appear to be following the roof cavity beams. It's easy to see the frame work from inside the room.

I'm trying to pin down what is causing it. We have lots of air flow in the apartment and the mould just comes back after cleaning with vinegar.

What makes things confusing is the two rooms have bathrooms / ensuite. I've been in the roof and neither fan extractor has a tube to vent the air out of the roof. To make things more confusing is the roof insulation doesn't run all the way to where the edge of the internal wall would end.

I have 2 questions for builder savvy folks.

  1. Should all bathroom extractor fans have vent tubing to take the wet hot air out of the roof space?

  2. Should insulation cover the entire roof space that sits above an internal room?

I want to be able to have a conversation with the real estate to set some realistic expectations when we do come to vacate.

  • all the frame work seemed to glisten like gold when my head torch hit the surface. I assume this is surface mould 🤔

Cheers for any advice (and I understand it's hard to know without seeing what's going on).

Home & Garden Exhaust Fan Fan

Comments

  • altomic on 12/05/2024 - 16:37
    1. Depends on the size of the roof cavity.
    2. Yes.

    You're renting . Do you want to stay there past the end of your lease?

    • Goremans on 12/05/2024 - 20:42

      We're likely only going to be there for another 12 months. We really just dont want to held responsible for the mould. It seems clenaning it is really going to solve the problem.

      I think we will start a conversation with the real estate, then photos photos photos till we vacate.

  • Jimothy Wongingtons on 12/05/2024 - 17:15

    The extractor must vent out of cavity ruling is only recent iirc

    The mould could be coming from the cavity in (eg roof leak). If you clean it from surface level you’re not really addressing the root cause.

    Could also be poor ventilation and humidity

    If it’s black mould I would really suggest either get REA into fixing it or move somewhere else. Black mould can be pretty damn dangerous.

    • Goremans on 12/05/2024 - 20:38
      +1

      Thankfully it doesnt look to be black mould, just light brown surface mould.

      There were large sections where the foil sheeting under the roof tiles have holes and tears (also a possum hide out).

      Its a newish appartment but built 20years ago.

  • Drakesy on 12/05/2024 - 17:33
    +2

    My 1970's home has a direct vent from the bathroom extraction fan to the outside.
    Whoever thought venting a bathroom into a roof cavity was a good idea needs to have their head checked.

    • Goremans on 12/05/2024 - 20:40

      Yeah its seems super lazy and asking for trouble!

  • mskeggs on 12/05/2024 - 18:04
    +1

    My old house was poorly insulated. This meant some walls/ceilings were cool enough for water in humid air to condense out.
    I live in a humid area, so it could be often damp.
    This promotes mould growth.
    My newer house is well insulated, so the damp air can be exhausted before it condenses.

    I would improve insulation and ducting.
    Since you are a renter, I would tell the agent you are worried the damp will cause permanent damage, and the mould is a health hazard. You should be persistent.

    • Goremans on 12/05/2024 - 20:46

      Yeah I think we'll start a conversation with the real estate and show them some photos of the roof and insulation.

      We've met the owner and he seems like a reasonable person.

      Thats interesting about the humidity. We're in Forster NSW (our forst summer here) and everyone kept telling us the humidity hasnt been that high for a long time.

  • core101 on 13/05/2024 - 10:22
    1. Should all bathroom extractor fans have vent tubing to take the wet hot air out of the roof space?

    No. Not all bathroom fans are ducted, such as ixl, arlec fan, deta fan, etc.

  • brad1-8tsi on 13/05/2024 - 13:36

    1) In my townhouse that was built "cheap & nasty" there are bathrooms fans and there are PVC pipes that lead outdoors but they aren't connected. It's a "hope & pray" installation.

    I'm doing a bathroom reno at the moment and am installing an inline fan that connects to the existing ductwork.

    It's possible they can't vent to external because you are too close to the boundary and will breach the fire regs.

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