Extract Fan Failure

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purplemoon

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My wetroom fan packed in the other week (it's an Airflow Icon) and, having checked for loose connections etc (none), I've ordered a replacement ... re-fix to ceiling ... reconnect L&N ... job done.

But this led me to thinking that I'm a bit of a 'tyre-kicker' when it comes to understanding/checking a piece of equipment to establish the likely cause or source of the failure.

If anyone has the time or patience to attempt to explain to me the checks a 'real' electrician would make using, for example, a multimeter I'd appreciate it. (My DMM [Clarke] gathers dust on a shelf after convincing the missus I really, really needed one).

I'm just curious - the old fan deserves to have an autopsy imo before being consigned to landfill.
 
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1. You could proberly check continuity through the motor winding with your meter on continuity.

2. See if the motor is seized by spinning the rotor.

If it is full of electronic bits like a timer then its proberly Terminal and possibly not worth messing with.
There are a few on the forum dabble with electronics, may be able to suggest some things to try.
 
The ICON fans have an additional module (timer/humidistat/etc).

You could remove that and see if the fan is OK as you then just have the bare 230V fan.

If you have an option module and it is OK, I hope you just transferred it to the new fan and didnt buy a new one.
 
It's a bare-bones 240v model.

The motor and impellor turn freely.

There's a bit of surface 'rusting' around the motor so no doubt moisture has played it's part somewhere - seems odd for a bathroom fan which is only 3 or 4 years old.

I'll see how I get on with the continuity test - I understand the theory but is it just a case of setting up the DMM and placing the red and black leads across the live and neutral terminal block on an AC circuit?
 
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No, remove the fan from its mains supply connections completely. You need to test across teh fan motor terminals using the ohms (resistance) range.

Water ingress may be from outside. Does the pipe to the outside slope up slightly from outside? It should do.
 
I had similar problem with my Icon 30 fan .Only in for about 6 months then it stopped working after making a strange noise .
Got a replacement no probs from Retailer .
Tested it by taking out the module and just putting 240 V to the terminals but the fan did not move .The faceplate opened no probs but the fan would not kick in .Impellar moved freely but seems like the motor had died .
Binned it .!!
 
Guys - apologies - I've been away for the last week.

The duct rises vertically off the fan and straight through the roof.

Tried a continuity test but unfortunately the fan motor and the shutter motor share the same connections (soldered) so I always get continuity as, similar to njkmr, the iris opens so the shutter motor is working.

I tried taking a reading across what appeared to be a very small diode type thing on the side of the motor and I didn't get continuity.

As I said in my OP I'm not looking to save this fan but to try to understand what went wrong using my DMM.

Cheers for all your input.
 
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