Bathroom ceiling fan...hate 'em!!!

[Walkabout7781]

Bought this house new 32 years ago, and have replaced the fan in the master bath at least half a dozen times. Hate them things! This week, the one in the other bath went bad...the original, a "Nautilus" brand, which was absorbed by Broan, as was NuTone. Damn!

Went into delaying tactics mode. Looked online for brands and consumer comments, and found a couple of brands that people were actually happy with ("Panasonic" and "Air King"), but many beached about the installation. Dread had officially set in....

Went down to Lowe's and bought a Broan replacement motor #BP27, hoping that it might be adaptable, pulled the fan/motor plate out of this old POS, and then opened the Broan box. Almost a bolt-in! I had to remove the motor mounting bolts and reverse them, but otherwise it was a perfect fit. Coincidental? No, I think it's just that this sort of thing is bolted together with bits and pieces from various sources, and the different brands may well use the same suppliers. Thank goodness!

The motor kit came with a new "impeller" (not really a propeller)...and it was also a perfect fit...not identical, but close enough. Works like a charm! The motor kit cost about $17, and a complete replacement fan (that the boss would have approved of! ) would have been about $100. And easy peasy, compared to crawling around in the attic with the wrong tools, spider webs and fiberglass insulation...


Modified by Walkabout7781 at 1:04 PM 1/28/2012

[haha]

Is it any quieter than the original motor?

[Walkabout7781]

Has a nice whirring sound to it, with no valve clatter or rod knock! The boss is happy, and I'm glad to have it fixed without having to climb around in the attic.

[Hoover]

<table width="90%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=center><tr><td>Quote, originally posted by haha &raquo;</td></tr><tr><td class="quote">Is it any quieter than the original motor?</td></tr></table>

old lady just had me replace ours....she wanted a noisey one so I would remember to turn it off after it was done working.......

[Walkabout7781]

Exactly! Sorta....I prefer a fan that helps cover up the unpleasent business noises, whatever they might be.

There are at least two brands of timer switches that will run a fan just fine.

[spd_raser]

Timers are the only way to go. I have small business with a few employees and the fan was always an issue either it would be left on for hours or the guys would turn it off when the got out and the fan had not finished doing its job. I installed a timer and wow what a difference no longer do I have to gag when I go into the bathroom. I can only assume that the timer will also extend the life of the fan.

[DLM10]

We use a timer also works slick, bolts in place of switch 1/4 turn about 15 min. Timer has lasted 13 years and still on origional fan.