Panasonic EZSV14 - Troubleshooting Guide

EZSoffit

Vent™

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EZS

V

14

Frequently asked questions

1

1. Does venting a fan out the soffit have advantages over roof or wall locations?
YES. Given that most bathrooms are located adjacent to outside walls; the soffit may provide a shorter duct run which
is always good for air flow and can help reduce total installation costs. In cold climates the horizontal duct work would
now be buried in attic insulation which helps reduce condensation potential by keeping the entire system warmer.
Another benefit is that roof and wall discharge locations require water intrusion protection against bulk water entry
because of their locations on the building. They need to be integrated into the code required weather resistant
barrier. This flashing material & labor adds to the cost. Venting at the soffit does not require water intrusion
protection further reducing total installation costs.

2. Are there any Code restrictions or requirements for venting a bath fan out the soffit?
It is always recommended that you contact the authority having jurisdiction, for the code applicable to your project.
Actual building codes can vary substantially because for any given State, County, City and/or municipality their code
may be a mix of adopted versions of a National Model Code with or without regional and/or local amendments.

3. Some soffit fittings don’t work very well in modern designs using smaller overhangs. Will this one fit?
YES. This fitting was specifically designed to fit in even the most compact of enclosed overhangs where horizontal
soffits are used. The vast majority of soffit fittings have the duct connection at the top and this can cause interference
between the ducting and roof sheeting when used on narrow soffits and low pitched roofs. The innovative mounting
system and side duct connection of the EZSoffit

Vent make it an ideal solution for narrow soffits and low pitch roofs.

This unit will fit even in the smallest of enclosed overhangs using horizontal soffits, as long as the following minimum
overhang conditions are available:

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Minimum 4/12 pitch roof

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Minimum 12” wide soffit (actual 10.5” fascia to building)

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Minimum 2 x 6 fascia (vertical height)

This fitting was designed for these conditions giving you a soffit fitting option that covers just about every modern
horizontal soffit design. It can also be used with engineered wood fascia & soffit finishing systems as long as the
minimum conditions above are met.

4. This unit is designed for pre-soffit installation. Who is responsible for installing this unit?
The answer lies within one of the primary design goals, that being; giving one person the ability to complete the fan
installation and all ducting in one trip. Without pre-soffit termination installation, one end of the ducting cannot be
completed by the fan installer. This leaves either a second trip for the fan installer, or in most cases the ducting is left
to the soffit contractor to complete. Neither of these choices ensures optimal fan performance and a second trip by
the fan installer is certainly not cost effective. A primary design goal was to provide the ability for the installing fan
contractor to complete the ducting in one trip with no wasted material or time. This could be the electrical
contractor, the HVAC contractor or in some cases the building contractor.

One of the major performance problems with typical soffit termination fittings is that the fan installer cannot
complete the ducting because the fitting itself needs to be attached to the soffit which is typically not there yet when
the fan is installed. This usually results in excess duct length that is not always cut to fit by the soffit installer and is
then stuffed up into the overhang. Any excess ducting will impact performance especially if it is compressed and/or
collapsed as the fitting is being pushed into position and secured to the soffit.

EZSoffit

Vent™

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EZSV14