We have a heating vent located on the floor close to a shower. Occasionally when the floor gets wet it can act like a drain and it causes issues on the ceiling of the floor below.
I could use caulk to permanently seal the vent cover to the floor but I don’t want to do something permanent like that.
What are some other options?
How to stop water from getting into floor vent
bathroomvent
Related Solutions
Cover the vent
They sell magnetic vent covers at nearly all hardware stores. Buy one, and cover the vent when it's not being used. This will prevent moist air from entering the vent, though it may not stop water if it pools around the vent.
Install an exhaust fan
Install a properly sized exhaust fan in the bathroom. Let it run during showers, and for about 20-30 minutes after showers.
WARNING: Make sure you vent the exhaust properly.
Sizing an exhaust fan
Exhaust fans are sized using Cubic Feet Per Minute (CFM), so you'll have to first figure out how many cubic feet your bathroom is. To do this, measure the length, width, and height of the room.
- Length = 10 ft.
- Width = 8 ft.
- Height = 8 ft.
To find the cubic feet, simply multiply these numbers together.
10 ft. * 8 ft. * 8 ft. = 640 ft.3
Next we'll divide the cubic feet by 60, to figure out how many CFM is required to exchange the air one time in an hour.
640 ft.3 / 60 Minutes = 10.66 ft.3/Minute.
It's recommended that the air in a bathroom be exchanged 8 times per hour, so you'll have to multiply our CFM value by 8.
10.66 ft.3/Minute * 8 = 85.33 ft.3/Minute
So in this example, we'll need an exhaust fan with at least an 86 CFM rating.
Quick formula: (Length * Width * Height) / 7.5 = Required CFM rating.
Making sure the fan runs long enough
When installing an exhaust fan in a bathroom, it's a good idea to put the fan on a timer. This allows you to run the fan for the recommended 20-30 minutes after a shower, without having to worry about remembering to turn it off.
Warning: Make sure you get a timer that is rated for motor loads.
Most wall mount ventilation fans are intended to go thru an exterior wall to a cap.
Your plan will work, if you make allowances to support the duct away from the wall a bit, to make the initial turn down. Use smooth duct and metal tape for sealing duct sections. update Be sure to slope all horizontal runs of the duct such that they will drain any condensation to the outside.
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Best Answer
I would first try to prevent that much water from getting out of the tub / shower. As a back up possibly a 1/8” bead of silicone around the perimeter of the register. Even tile floors can rot out the framing members that support the floor so preventing the water from getting out would be my first priority.