Extractor Fan

[hugoboss]

I have an old extractor fan in my bathroom, which goes on when the light switch is turned on. Normally it makes a whirring noise when it's running, but recently it's been making a lot of weird noises when starting up. I've had a look for some screws around the housing and I can't find any to remove the front to check what's wrong with it. Anyone able to advice how to get this fixed, or what sort of tradesman I could contact to get advice?

[gammaray]

It may be that the motor is burning out. At some point it may stop working altogether. To be fair they aren't really the sort of thing that is worth servicing. After you have paid someone to take it out, look at it, repair it (if possible) and put it back it would have been cheaper and quicker to have a new one put in. A competant electrician will be able to do this kind of work.

[Stinkerbell]

i would disconnect it altogether as i had a similar problem with mine eventually the motor burnt out and caught fire!

[Clanad]

While agreeing in principle with gammaray, I found that when the bearings in the motor of ours started to go, the motor itself, was fairly accessible through the light... that is from inside of the room. Once I identified the manufacturer of the light it was a simple matter to get a new motor (they're pretty standard from one manufacturer to the next). The problem with replacing the entire fixture is that the portion above the ceiling is attached to a vent of some sort to take the expelled air out of the house. The housing for the fan apparatus has to be removed, the new one installed and attached to the venting hose. Usually, this can only be done from the attic area and many houses don't have very good access to this. So... if you are reasonably handy, shut the electricity off to the device (I'd suggest at the circuit breaker or fuse box) remove the light and take a look at the fan motor. If it's readily available, remove it and take it to a DIY store. If the attic area is accessible... replace the whole fixture... Good luck!