How To Oil Bathroom Fans

How To Oil and Maintain Your bathroom fan, Tips

How to Maintain Your Bathroom Fan, Tips

Bathroom fan require maintenance about once a year. Bathroom exhaust fans pick up dust, lint and any other debris that happens to be in the air. As the motor gets covered with dust and grime, the motor may not cool properly, resulting in overheating. Fires can even start from overheated motors. The bathroom fan maintenance is overlooked by most people. When the motor quits or starts making a lot of noise, it really needs to be oiled. If you wait too long the motor may wear beyond repairing.

To start you maintenance, make sure the power is turned off. Turn the power off at the breaker panel.
Remove the grill; usually one thumb nail screw holds it in place. You may have to pry it loose from the ceiling, if it hasn't been removed in a long time and has got "painted in", run a sharp knife around the edge of the grill; this will reduce any large chips of paint coming off the ceiling, along with the grill.
The motor and fan is attached to a metal bracket and you can remove the motor and fan with the bracket as an assembly. Remove the one or two metal screws holding the metal bracket in place; swing out the fan assembly and unplug the fan from the receptacle or disconnect the wires if it is “hardwired”.

Place the motor and fan on an old towel to work on. Brush all the loose dirt with a small paint brush. Use a vacuum cleaner to suck out as much dust and grime as you can. Use a DAMP rag with a cleaning solution, such as Mr. Clean, wipe the fan blades and motor exterior clean.
Place a couple drops of number 30 oil on each end of the motor shaft. You may have to separate the motor to get at the one end. Two long bolts hold it together. When done, spin the fan blades by hand; wipe off any excess oil with a rag. Use a Vacuum cleaner on the ceiling enclosure.
Reassemble the unit, place it back into its closure, connect the power wires and replace the ceiling cover. Turn the breaker switch on and test the bathroom fan. The fan should be functioning quietly. You have just completed the maintenance on your bathroom fan and saved yourself some money.
The newer fan assemblies use a different type of fan motor that will not fit into the old ceiling fan box. The complete fan assembly would need to be replaced, resulting in more time and expense. Remember a drop of oil in time saves money and time.

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How to oil bathroom fan, for the average person