First floor bathroom vent

[raharra]

I promised my nephew that I would find out if there is a reasonable way to install a bathroom/shower vent in his first floor bathroom. This is an older house, two story. That bathroom is on an outside wall, but I am not sure if it is a smart idea to install a horizontal vent in the wall to the outside (north side of the house).
What is the routine method of installing a first floor bathroom vent? Just let it exhaust into the ceiling space above the bathroom?
I would appreciate any guidance that you can spare,
Rick

[mogy]

You can install an exhaust vent on a wall in lieu of the ceiling, but look at the manufacturers specs. Some require the fan to be so many feet above the ground. Also keep in mind the depth of the of your studs. A base 50cfm fan is typically 3-31/2" tall. You must vent the fan to the outside. Which means do not dump into a soffit or attic, but terminate to a wall cap or roof jack. Some of your energy star fans are quieter and I think the Broan 784 (my standard fan for new construction) will fit in your stud wall, but verify before you purchase. Also look at Broan/Nutones retrofit fans. These may eliminate or reduce sheetrock repair. You may also find a ventless fan, but I do not recommend those since the main reason to install a fan is to remove humidity not odors.

[ckartson]

Do not vent it into the loist space. Lots of problems. Use an approved sidewall vent ducted to the fan. mogy mentioned two good manufacturers.