Bathroom Exhaust Fan Fiasco

billt460

billt460

Joined
Mar 30, 2015
Messages
13,696
Location
Lake Havasu City, Arizona
So the fart fan in my master bath has been getting worse lately. The bearings sound like beer cans in a cement mixer. So today I decided enough was enough, and that it was time to change it out.

I pulled the cover and found the usual 33 years of dust, dirt, and crap throughout the unit. I gave the cover to my wife to wash, while I vacuumed everything good, and unplugged and pulled out the old motor and housing.

I went on the Home Depot website and matched it with one they had several of in stock. (It was a Nutone, and they're the most common). So off I go with the old one in hand. They had about 10 of them, and most of the boxes were either open, or else retaped from people tearing them out so they can compare it to their old one.

I found one that was open and matched up, and the other box was unopened. So I bought 2, so I would have an extra one "in stock" for when the one in the other bathroom goes south.

I get home and wouldn't you know it, the motor in the unopened one was practically seized up and wouldn't run. The other one was fine. So I installed it back in the existing housing, plugged it in, and it runs like a banshee.

So back to Home Depot I go with the crappy one to get a replacement. I ended up getting the same girl that rung me out the first time. So I went back and got another, and she pulled it out of the box, and plugged it in. And it ran fine. So now I'm all set for when the other one craps out. (They're both original from the builder).

Moral of story. If it has a plug, find an outlet at the store, and plug it in BEFORE you buy it. I can't complain too loudly, because I got away with just replacing the motor, and not the whole housing. Which requires climbing up in the attic, and is a royal pain.

And now with an extra new one, I don't have to worry about Nutone discontinuing it. Both of these should outlast us. I'll most likely will be worm food by the time that comes.
 
first thing i do with those is clean and oil the shaft. if that does not work its off the amazon to get a replacement .
 
CarLuver said:
first thing i do with those is clean and oil the shaft. if that does not work its off the amazon to get a replacement .
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There is a video on Youtube of some guy doing that. But you still have to go through the headache of pulling the cover and motor housing out. And once you do that you might just as well simply replace it with a new one.

Mine were only $30.00 each. It lasted 33 years, so it's safe to say I got my money's worth out of it.
 
I pulled my stuck one out to use to match up for a replacement, but it looked pretty simple so I cleaned it up and lubed the rotating parts with superlube and it fired back up like new. Now, like clockwork, it starts making noise or stops every 10 years and gets the same fix.
I agree they are cheap enough to replace, but it takes me less time to clean and lube than to go to Home Depot.
We have a water closet in the master bedroom. That fan is, ahem, the most important appliance in the house.
 
CarLuver said:
first thing i do with those is clean and oil the shaft. if that does not work its off the amazon to get a replacement .
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I had one making all that wild train / plane crashing sounds. I opened up and cleaned it as good as possible. I then got a can of Kroil I been having in the garage and liberally sprayed it all inside and around the outer surface of the bearing. That fan has been running as
quiet as a mouse for over 6-7 years since. I know that was a bit of luck. As was mentioned it is a royal PITA to have to enter the attic to
do the whole swap out. Plus one needs to be lucky to find a replacement that fits exactly in the space so there is no need to modify.
 
I would mention one more thing. If you guys ever have to work on these things, wear gloves. Everything is sheet metal with ALL sharp edges. And you have to tug on these things pretty hard to get them out...... I got the cuts to prove it.

Also a plastic mallet comes in handy to make "adjustments".
 
mrsilv04 said:
Unfortunately, NuTone doesn't have 20% of the quality today, that they had 30 years ago.

Once they were bought out by Broan, everything possible was cheapened. NuTone is only a name now.
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I have two Emersons in our bathrooms and I have been needing to replace one and I can not for the life of me find any "in kind" Emerson replacements. Likley Emerson is just another late great gone bye bye American manufacturer. Too bad because Emerson used to make very good products.
 
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And there is also this. This morning I pulled the cover off the fan in my guest bathroom, and it was horrible. Way worse than the photo in the link. We hardly use it, but it's apparent the previous owner did. The cover was at least 70% blocked with dust. And being 8 ft. in the air, it's hard to see.

https://www.google.com/search?q=do+...j33i671l2.11952j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

The fan runs OK, and spins freely, so I vacuumed what I could, then ran a air hose in from the garage, and blew the hell out of it with the fan running. It came out spotless. Then I oiled the bearings the best I could.

It's a good idea to clean these things out every couple of years.... Or as often as they need it based on usage. I think it can't help but extend the length. It's just not something you think about. Until they quit, or start a fire.
 
SammyChevelleTypeS3 said:
I have two Emersons in our bathrooms and I have been needing to replace one and I can not for the life of me find any "in kind" Emerson replacements. Likley Emerson is just another late great gone bye bye American manufacturer. Too bad because Emerson used to make very good products.
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If you can take the cover off and take a few pictures of the motor and housing, they might be able to match up a replacement. A lot of these things are based on a common design and size.

It's worth a try before committing to tearing the complete housing out. That would be a major pain.
 
I'm not trying to hijack your thread but speaking of bathroom fans....

From a condo Sue and I flipped. Previous owners bought the place new in 1994 and were chain smokers. Also, check out the furnace filter.

So gross...

Scott

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I just remembered this. Back in the 60's and 70's... back when NuTone still had quality motors... my Dad (a retired electrician) would get service calls to replace "slow running motors" in NuTone bathroom fans and kitchen stove vent hoods.

He'd just take the motor out, clean it up, warm the customer's oven, put it in the oven for a while, take out.... then reinstall. Only problem was thickened grease in the motor. Some time in a gently warmed oven was all that it took to fix the problem.

Now, these motors are just junk.... sometimes new right out of the box.
 
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