Handyman Tips-How to fix extractor fans
EXTRACTOR FANS
Most fans are found in bathrooms and kitchens where you either need to expel the stale air out of the room or take the moisture out of the room, Traditionally the former applies to the kitchen whilst the latter refers to the bathroom, but where there is lack of ventilation in the kitchen then this is a necessary requirement of both functions in the kitchen.
THE WORKINGS OF A FAN:
When the fan is switched on the blades or impeller which are attached to the electric motor rotate, and as it does, air is drawn through the blades through the grille at the front of the unit. Most fans can be mounted in two places namely;
1.the window-which requires that you cut a hole in the glass to fit the fan inside, that requires a special cutting tool that cuts round holes in glass.
2.the wall-this method also requires a large hole saw attached to a drill and depending on the thickness of the wall to be drilled into can take a long time and be tedious because you cannot force the drill, it has to do the work by itself with a little effort from you, with this method also you need to insert a tube or hose from the fan to the outside the same length as the wall.
It depends on the type of fan you buy because some of them have automatic cut off switches in them that switch off when the humidity in the room decreases and then switches on again when the humidity increases again.
Some will switch on automatically and some require you to switch them on manually by way of a pull cord in the bathroom.Most or all fans need to be connected to a fused spur which should be placed near the fan in the case of the kitchen fitting or outside in the case of the bathroom fitting.
In order for the extractor fan to work properly it needs to be positioned appropriately i.e. at a location where the stale air leaving the room can be replaced by fresh air, so as the stale humid air is being drawn out to the outside, it is being replaced with fresh circulating air.
To prevent back siphoning of the expelled air,a self closing grille with shutters must be installed outside, this closes as soon as the fan is switched off to stop any air from coming back into the room.
SAFETY FIRST
Before trying to clean the fan make sure the electricity is off and the fused connection is switched off.
TROUBLESHOOTING fan will not work
1.faulty motor-these units are not replaceable or worth repairing-just buy a new one
2.faulty wiring-with the electricity turned off, check the wiring for loose connections
3.faulty switch-if this is beyond your capabilities then call a service engineer
Noisy or inefficient fan
For the fan to work at maximum capacity it needs regular maintenance and that involves removing the casing and using a vacuum or an air blower like a pump to remove the dust build up
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