I did an inspection today that has the bathroom vents going out of a roof vent. It sends a red flag to me being they were not vented to the roof however I went on the roof to investigate further and all the roofs in this area are the same way. Is house was built in 2000. Is this a new thing?
That’s allowed in my area for the bath fans.
Was it a tile roof? I see this often on those types of roofs. The roofers put the roof and the vents on before the fans are put in and the builder doesn’t want to call back the roofers. I call it out. There is no way to make sure the moisture is getting out of the attic the way it is. Over the years the wood around that will probably start to show signs of moisture damage.
It may be allowed, but it isn’t proper. The moisture must exit the house or you will be dumping it into the attic space and then you can have mold problems.
I call it out, but not sure if it is that bad a deal.The air flow is that direction though the vent duct may physically block the roof vent and decrease the exit area.
Pipe should go through the roof and they should be insulated. I call this out all the time.
Cheers
i agree with bob. I see similar hoses sitting on top of soffit vents also, It’s not proper but also probably not a big deal. I just report and let the client decide.
I called several of the AHJs in my area. They allowed it n the early 90s but don’t any more. So I call it out for potential mold. When the listing agent says it met code I remind them I am not a code inspector. Here the vent gets covered with snow and the vent can fail and all the mosture ends up in the attic.
steam melts snow. just sayin,
The steam won’t make it to the snow, it will be redirected into the attic space when it hits the roof vent. If you do not report this, then you are setting your client up for mold and moisture issues in the future. Then they will want to know why you didn’t report it after they learn it is wrong.
Not to mention that bathroom “steam” is not that warm to begin with, it will also cool down from the air flow of the fan, and the uninsulated duct running through a cool/cold attic space. Except for on a hot summers day, that “steam” ain’t going anywhere it’s supposed to. It needs to be reported.
And also roll back down the exhaust pipe into the fan (rust) and condensate surrounding drywall.
I think we agree that this should be reported as a defect. LOL
So it is straight around here,the air comes in though the soffit vents and rises up through the roof vents.Just sayin.
Yeah, so, what’s your point? Did you read the entire thread, or just skim it like you usually do? 
I probably should not comment being the last time a snow flake was seen in my neck of the woods was sometime in the 1970’s.
As far as i know there is nothing in the building codes that would prevent this type of installation. Yes i know we are not code inspectors but based on the picture in the original post there is no discoloration of the surrounding wood framing members too indicate a moisture problem on this 11 year old structure. To me and again I’m not a snow state guy it would seam that the venting terminal shown in the picture would be the preferred method in that if the exhaust terminal became closed by accumulated snow than the exhaust moisture would be dissipated through out the entire attic(while not ideal) and not confined too the sealed space between the end of the exhaust vent run and the terminal exhaust vent. In that scenario the accumulated moisture would back drain down the vent piping back into the fan housing and cause possible damage too the fan motor and surrounding finished ceilings
That structure may be 11 years old, but those components sure look brand spanking new to me (from here). 
I don’t know, I think that this will work fine as an exhaust vent. But what about your attic vent? At what point do you call out the fact that there is now 2 more obstructions along with the 2x4 through the middle of the attic vent. Better check sq. ft. and adequate roof vents, cause this one is a little bit obstructed. :neutral:
Here’s a few.**
IBC **
**M1507.2 Recirculation of air. **
Exhaust air from bathrooms and toilet rooms shall not be recirculated within a residence or to another dwelling unit and shall be exhausted directly to the outdoors. Exhaust** air from bathrooms and toilet rooms shall not discharge into an attic, crawl space or other areas inside the building. **
SECTION M1501 GENERAL** **
M1501.1 Outdoor discharge.** **
The air removed by every mechanical exhaust system shall be discharged to the outdoors. Air shall not be exhausted into an attic, soffit, ridge vent or crawl space.**
Exception:** Whole-house ventilation-type attic fans that discharge into the attic space of dwelling units having private attics shall be permitted.
Chris,
I’m certainely aware of the code articles you have cited. I suppose it is a matter of inteputation. Based on the picture in the original post the mechanical inspectors in my region of the country would have no problem with that installation and by State staute they are required to be ICC certified in the discipline that they are inspecting. I’m just saying