Bathroom extractor fan

[grainne30]

Hi there,

I've had a look at some previous posts on this topic but haven't came across my problem exactly.

My bathroom extractor is of the particularly thunderous type, and doesn't go off until about 15 minutes after you turn the light off, meaning night time trips to the loo with a torch, but that's not the actual problem.

Now that I have put my house on the market the extractor has started squeaking and making strange noises. I also have suspected for some time that it is not actually extracting anything.

I turned off the electric supply to the house and my boyfriend and I unscrewed the cover and cleaned the dust from in between the blades. We thought this might solve the noise problem, but when we turned the leccy back on it is still squeaking away.

Obviously I would like to replace it now by the cheapest means possible before any prospective purchasers are put off by it.

It is activated by the light switch in the bathroom. I am pretty skint and have no experience with electrics but I have a fair bit of common sense.

Would you recommend a shop bought extractor, light switch activated, that I replace this with and could fit myself by changing over the wires?

If not how much is a trademan likley to be to do the job?


thanks in advance for your comments and suggestions

Gráinne

 

[Space cat]

Can you get a few drops of oil into the motor bearings?

 

[grainne30]

Hi Space cat,
thanks for the response

I was thinking that oil might silence it, but i don't really know where to start.

should I remove the unit from the ceiling to access the motor bearings?

could I leave it in the ceiling and randomly squirt some oil around the fan blades and hope for the best?

 

[Space cat]

could I leave it in the ceiling and randomly squirt some oil around the fan blades and hope for the best?

Sorry, but that will be a complete waste of time - and oil too! You have to get the oil directly onto the bearings (most likely simple bushes). If you can see a bearing but not reach it you can put oil on the shaft and let it run down.

It sounds like you'll have to get the fan out on the bench for this. Be sure to mark all wires carefully and also note which screws go where.

NB: On this type of timer fan, one of the wires will be live even when the light is off and the fan has stopped! There should, ideally, be a three pole isolating switch for the fan. ( ) If not, then switch the light on and off to start the fan. You now have 15 minutes to find something that DOES isloate it. There's a fair chance that the lighting breaker in the CU will do it.

 

[daytona]

just disconnect it.
if they are going to get fussy about a fan,they may not end up completing anyway.better to know you have a solid buyer

 

[Chri5]

There will be a timer grub screw which will adjust the time from 0-30 minutes or so.

Might aswell reduce that down to a few minute over run rather than 15 minutes while your servicing the unit.

I would add that a simple 4" / 100mm fan from screw fix (like the ventaxcer one's) is less than £35.

 

[daytona]

one of my wholesalers is doing an airflow one for a tenner plus vat!