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Toilet Ventilation Fan Stopped Working

  
  
  

bath exhaust fan resized 600Above the toilet, or somewhere on the bathroom ceiling, is a ventilation fan (or maybe you have a window that you can open). When the fan stops working, there are a couple of things you can do.

Pull off the vent cover and check to see that the fan actually has power going to it. Unplug the fan from the outlet in the ceiling, and test the outlet. If it doesn’t have power, you have found your problem. I would check the circuit breakers to see if one has tripped, and check the GFI’s to see if one has tripped. Reset the offending breaker or GFI.

If the outlet does have power, you know the problem is isolated to the fan itself. Does the fan hum or make a low noise? Sometimes the fan blades will become so covered in gunk that they don’t move. You might try cleaning the fan and moving the fan blades by hand to see if that gets it going.

If nothing works, you are likely looking at replacing the fan. The majority are made by Nutone and if you stay with the same brand, you can just slip the new fan into the old bracket without having to replace the bracket.

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Handyman Troubleshoots A Bath Fan

  
  
  

bath fanIf your bath exhaust fan doesn't work, it's a good idea to run down a list of common-sense items to see if you can avoid calling your handyman.

You first want to check to see that your exhaust fan is getting power. The exhaust fan typically hides behind the decorative grate on your ceiling, so if you pull the cover downward, you should see it, the fan's plug, and an outlet. If the plug isn't plugged into the outlet, plug it in and see if it works. Many homeowners unplug the exhaust fan because it is loud and bothersome.

If the fan still won't run, check to see that the outlet has power when the switch is turned on. If it does have power, then the fan is bad and should be replaced. If the outlet does not have power, try looking for a GFCI outlet that may have tripped off. When you find the suspect outlet, press the "reset" button on it to restore power to it and to all outlets that it feeds downstream of it. This should solve your problem.

If you need to replace your exhaust fan, it is easiest if you buy the same size fan so that it sits in the existing box in the ceiling. Here is an article on a bath fan replacement.

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Bath Fan Replacement Not Always Necessary

  
  
  

bath fanA customer called and said that he bought a foreclosed house. One of the many items wrong was that the bath exhaust fan didn't work. After many questions, I learned that the fan and light are operated by a single switch. So, when the light switch is turned on, the exhaust fan comes on with it. A bath fan replacement is not always necessary, so try to isolate the problem.

Many people get frustrated with the amount of noise these inexpensive fans can make. Consequently they want to quite the noise by unplugging them. It's just that simple. So, if you are suffering from a lack of ventilation in your bathroom, you might just check to make sure the fan is still plugged into the outlet in the ceiling. Just pull down the plastic cover and follow the motor's cord to see if it is still plugged in.

If the motor is pluggin in and it still doesn't work, test the outlet to make sure the motor is getting power. If the outlet is getting power, but the motor still won't run, replace the motor. If the outlet is not getting power, you will have to track down the source of the problem. It may be that the outlet is bad or that a wire is not connected.

 

 

 

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