Bathroom Fan

[bt41]

New to me trailer (99 fleetwood wilderness) bathroom fan is not working. Previous owner said it just stopped working last summer and didnt know how to fix it.
Dont have a clue were to start to fix this. Dont know if its the fan, a loose wire or ?.....
Hope its just the fan so i can put something a little better in but dont want to order anything til i know what the problem might be.
Any troubleshooting tips would be appreciated.

[Mich_F]

Assuming it's not a fuse, it's probably that little switch. I've had them go bad, or at least I think they've gone bad, only to have them start working again, although usually sporadically.
The switches are easy to replace. I'm going from memory here, since I'm too lazy to go out to my yard and look at one I have sitting there. This is all done from the inside. You just remove the little vent crank up handle by removing the screw holding it in place. You then remove the garnish, or interior trim ring, by removing the four screws holding it to the ceiling. The trim piece will come down with the switch attached, which you remove by removing the little ring which holds it on the trim piece. You should be able to access and disconnect the two power supply wires at this point.

[bt41]

Its the original whiteish cheapo fan with a small red on/off button..... no picture of it....
Hope to get to the trailer in the next day or 2 to try and solve the problem.
thanks for the help

[Mich_F]

What type of fan do you have? I'm under the impression you just have the cheap little fan, with the even cheaper switch (which frequently go bad, or just work when they feel like it) or do you have a higher quality Fantastic fan ?

[Dick_B]

What kind of fan? Search this forum for the type of fan then search the results for `repair' or some words like that.
I am in the process of repairing my Fantastic Fan and have posted the problem previously.

[BTPO1]

D.E.Bishop wrote:

bt41 wrote:
New to me trailer (99 fleetwood wilderness) bathroom fan is not working. Previous owner said it just stopped working last summer and didnt know how to fix it.
Dont have a clue were to start to fix this. Dont know if its the fan, a loose wire or ?.....
Hope its just the fan so i can put something a little better in but dont want to order anything til i know what the problem might be.
Any troubleshooting tips would be appreciated.

I would start by spinning the fan blades, if that doesn't help, start removing the interior shroud and the wires should be tucked into the space between the vent housing and the cutout in the roof. Using your trusty DMM check for voltage, of course you could use a test lamp.

I have no idea which fuse or what amperage fuse to check but I'd start in the distribution panel. If the fan motor is bad, and you decide just to replace it, be forewarned they are ungodly expensive. I found complete surplus bathroom vents for the same price as just a motor would be in an RV parts store. If you have to replace the fan or the entire assembly, I'd replace it with a Fantastic Vent style vent assembly. A little more money but I don't think the DW would allow me to use a computer fan.

X2 on spinning the blades with the switch off. That happened to me once on my old Lance bathroom fan. Just spun it a couple of times then tried it with power and it worked fine from then on. JMO

[DKeppner]

I'm with the first response but with this added: AFTER opening the cover if it has one and trying switch, if it doesn't work, check the fuse. My first fan experience was when after playing with all the setting and such I thought I had fried it. Nope, just forgot that the fan cover had to be open for the switch to work. Hmm, now that I mention it, its another thing to check - the cover disable switch could also be stuck.

If hunting for a new fan, they don't come cheap. I'm guessing on the size etc but here's one and since its Amazon you can probably return it if it doesn't work out:

Fan-Tastic Vent 4000R Off White Vent with Reverse Switch

[D_E_Bishop]

bt41 wrote:
New to me trailer (99 fleetwood wilderness) bathroom fan is not working. Previous owner said it just stopped working last summer and didnt know how to fix it.
Dont have a clue were to start to fix this. Dont know if its the fan, a loose wire or ?.....
Hope its just the fan so i can put something a little better in but dont want to order anything til i know what the problem might be.
Any troubleshooting tips would be appreciated.

I would start by spinning the fan blades, if that doesn't help, start removing the interior shroud and the wires should be tucked into the space between the vent housing and the cutout in the roof. Using your trusty DMM check for voltage, of course you could use a test lamp.

I have no idea which fuse or what amperage fuse to check but I'd start in the distribution panel. If the fan motor is bad, and you decide just to replace it, be forewarned they are ungodly expensive. I found complete surplus bathroom vents for the same price as just a motor would be in an RV parts store. If you have to replace the fan or the entire assembly, I'd replace it with a Fantastic Vent style vent assembly. A little more money but I don't think the DW would allow me to use a computer fan.

[dockmasterdave]

Fizz wrote:
I replaced ours with a 12v computer fan from an old desktop PC. It does the job and is wisper quiet.

X2
I installed an old cpu fan in the vent over the bed. Can't hear it running,it keeps air moving even when stored, and they are made to be left on forever.
I left the old noisy fan in the bath. Sometimes a little noise is a good thing.
🙂

[Fizz]

I replaced ours with a 12v computer fan from an old desktop PC. It does the job and is wisper quiet.

[calamus]

Sometimes they just stick, try taking down the screen and turning it you may want to spray some lube on the spindle, be careful not to break the fan blade they are brittle after a couple of years.

[NanciL]

Check the wiring to the switch. If you are not getting voltage there, then check it at the fuse. If you have voltage leaving the fuse it is a broken wire.

If you are getting voltage at the switch, turn the switch on. If you are not getting voltage through the switch it is a faulty switch or switch connections.
If all that checks out Ok, check the voltage at the fan motor with the switch on. If you are not getting voltage at the motor it is either a broken wire or poor connection. If you are getting voltage at the motor shut the switch off and check the fan motor leads for continuity. If you are not getting continuity it is a burned out motor - throw it away and get a new fan.

If you don't know how to do the above you shouldn't screw around with it. Just get an electrician.

jack L

[hartb1999]

check fuse 4 amp 250 volt