Don\’t bother yourself by trying to fix the old ceiling exhaust fan in your bathroom if it is already making strange noises or not working anymore. You can always find a new ceiling fan which is easy to install and affordable to replace the old one. The tip is to buy a new exhaust fan with an intake vent as large as or larger than the one you are going to replace. So you can adjust the ceiling hole if the hole is too small. You need to take the old fan out before installing the new bathroom fan, the reason is that it can give you the idea on how to put the new one in. Here are the steps on how to do it.
Things that you need:
- Step ladder
- screw gun
- large towel or tarp
- standard screwdriver
- a piece of scrap plywood (a little larger that the fan vent)
Steps:
- First, shut off the power to the fan at the fuse box. Avoid working with electricity appliances when the power source is still on to prevent the risk of getting electrocuted.
- Then, place a large towel or a tarp on the floor beneath the fan. Take off the vent plate that covers the hole for the exhaust fan. There are two ways on doing it either by removing the screws or pull down on the vent and unhook the spring-loaded wire clips behind it.
- Next, go to the attic above the bathroom. The exhaust fan is located on the attic floor. It is attached to a joist with screws through metal support brackets and connected with electrical wires and an exhaust hose. Unscrew the wire caps to disconnect the wires.
- After disconnecting the wires, recap the bare wire ends from the house circuit and loop the wires up over a rafter or other high spot where they are easily visible. Unscrew the slotted screw that controls the metal band that holds the hose in place. This will disconnect the exhaust hose from the fan unit.
- Unscrew the screws that hold the hose to detach the other end of the hose from the exterior wall where it is mounted. Take out the screws that hold the fan unit to the joist and remove the fan unit with your screw gun.
- Close the hole of the bathroom ceiling with a piece of scrap plywood over the hole until you can install your new bathroom fan. Beware not to turn the electricity back on until you have new fixture in place.
Additional Reading:
http://www.ehow.com/how_5164055_remove-bathroom-exhaust-fan.html
Image Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/exfordy/389024187/
