To walk into a bathroom with a broken exhaust fan right after someone has either performed a “number 2” or taken a shower is no pleasant experience. Bathroom fans can be extremely handy in either sucking up and clearing away those more pungent smells, or removing the moisture and humidity that comes with taking a warm shower. If your bathroom exhaust fan is broken, here’s what you can do to troubleshoot the problem:

If the switch for your bathroom light works but the switch for the exhaust fan doesn’t, then it is most likely the fan motor that is broken. Replacing the motor is a fairly simple process if you have the right tools and take the appropriate safety precautions.

How to replace the fan motor

Before doing any type of repair work, it is critical to turn the switch for the fan OFF, and also to turn off the electricity for it through your house’s circuit breaker panel. If the power for the fan is connected to the power for the bathroom light, you will have to turn this off and continue with a flashlight or other source of light.

Next, unscrew and remove the cover panel for the exhaust fan, being sure to save any disconnected screws. Then inspect the fan for any visible damage. In most cases, you will see that there is a fair amount of dust built up from the fan’s use, so it may be helpful to clear this away before continuing.

If after cleaning the dust and inspecting the fan, you may see that there is a disconnected wire. If so, simply reconnect it. If you see no disconnected wires, the next step is to check out the fan motor.

Unplug the exhaust fan and pull it out along with the fan motor. You may need to apply some pressure and pull steadily to remove it, or there may be a couple screws holding it in place. Then, either take note of the specific model number of the fan, or bring it along with you to the nearest hardware store to buy a replacement. Installing the new one should be simple; just follow the removal steps in reverse.

If you are having trouble removing or replacing your exhaust fan, it may be a good idea to contact a professional. Try using TalkLocal to contact an electric contractor near you. TalkLocal is a free service that will connect you with top-quality, reputable electricians in your neighborhood, within minutes. Just enter in your specific problem, location, and availability and TalkLocal will contact multiple companies who will then call YOU directly, ready to help.

This entry was originally posted on Friday, December 28th, 2012 at 10:00 am and is filed under Electricians. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.