House in Progress Diary

Installing an Exterior Vent in Stucco

Wes, the electrician, installed a bathroom fan for us a while back. Here's how we installed the exterior vent for the fan.

The Problem
The electrician did a great job installing our special fan and light switch to operate it. And we were going to handle the exterior work to install the air vent.

Luckily, my dad had a few specialty drill bits to get the job done...

The Solution
We got started late in the day, but fortunately, this was a quick project. The challenge was determining the right place to punch through the house and actually cutting through the stucco. It requires using a special drill bit designed for masonry.

How it Went
Starting inside of the house, we measured from the top edge of the glass-block window to the edge of the ceiling. Going outside, we measured the same distance up and over. This was the point to begin our cut.

Publications that I checked recommended making numerous holes with a drill, then knocking out the stucco with a chistle. Modifying this a bit, we used an extra large 1" bit to make the initial hole.

That hole gave us enough of an opening to begin using the sawzall. Since we drilled at the lower left-most corner of the target, we made two cuts--one upwards and one to the left.

About half way up, we started angling to the upper-right corner. Ultimately we were able to carve out a section roughly the shape of a football.

After a few more cuts to round out the opening, we fished out the tubing that had been installed between the floor joists. We then affixed the tubing to the exterior vent and sealed it with duct tape. As it started to get dark, we finished up by sealing the opening with 'Great Stuff', a foam sealant that would prevent heat loss and seal out humidity.

After that, we drilled in a few holes for screws to brace the vent and sealed the edges with sillicone caulk. By the morning everything had set and the fan worked like a charm! (And it is so QUIET!)

Tools & Materials We Used
- Cordless drill
- Masonry drill bit
- the Sawzall!
- Tungsten Carbide Sawzall Blades (3-Pack)
- Exterior vent cover
- "Great Stuff" foam insulation
- Silicone caulk
- Caulk Gun
- 4 long screws

Posted by aaron on December 3, 2003 at 11:18 PM (1)