Extractor fan vents not going outside of the house

t1redmonkey

I had some work done a few months ago to get bathrooms installed on the upper floor of my house, and as part of that, they obviously had to add extractor fans, which they did.  These were positioned on the ceilings of the bathroom, so when I questioned them where the damp air would go to, they said it would be vented out through the attric and then out of a vent in the roof.  After all of the work was done, I just took them at their word that they'd done this.

Now a few months on, I have had my loft boarded, and the workers made me aware the tubes coming from the extractor fans were just lying on the floor of the loft and not feeding outside at all.  Had a closer look and they were right, looks like the original builders had never bothered to create an opening in the roof for the extractor fan tubes to feed out to.

Unfortunately I've learnt the original builders now no longer operate since they've gone bankrupt apparently.  So a couple of questions:
a) Can I somehow get the work done for free or am I screwed because although my contract with the original builders said all their work was guaranteed for 10 years, they are not operating anymore so I'm guessing that's now useless?
b) How damaging is it in the short term if I left the tubes in the attic for now?  I assume it will have an effect long term because damp air from the bathrooms will just go into the attic and stay there, but hoping it is ok until I can find a resolution.

Mickey666

a)  Unfortunately I think you're screwed as far as the original builders cowboys are concerned

b) if it has been a few months and there is no current sign of any damp-related problems (mould etc) then I personally wouldn't worry about leaving it another few weeks.  But do get it done early in the new year as it's really not good to be venting warm damp air into a cold attic space where it is bound to condense and eventually cause problems.

It's not a difficult job or time-consuming job but it needs to be done with some care if the vent pipe has to go through the roof.

fenwick458

answering b, short term I wouldn't worry. really it depends on how much airflow you have in your loft. It seems to be done a lot and it works absolutely fine most of the time, thats if you have a lot of air flow, for example an old farmhouse with a slate roof with no felt and 2" gaps at the soffits( the type of loft where you don't need a light because so much daylight gets in)
but lets say you have a 1970's terraced house on an estate with non breathable felt, and it's absolutely crammed with insulation right down into the eaves. if thats that case, then there will be a problem as the humid air will be trapped in the loft.