My recent blog about a bathroom ventilation fan being covered over by a decorative ceiling, made me wish I had some good pictures of how dirty these fans can actually get. Because home inspectors don't usually take these fans apart, our opportunity to take actual pictures of their interior condition is limited.  Perhaps the next time I clean mine I will take some "before" and "after" pictures---or maybe some of you can go check your own and send me pictures.

     If you have the type of fan unit with a heating element---they can get even nastier.  Did you ever notice the foul smell that these ceiling heaters give off when you start them up?  One of the primary components of the debris that collects in these vents/heaters is skin---yup---skin.  When you turn on the heater, this protein burns off making the room smell like singed hair.

     The pictures I will share are "exterior" signs of the overall condition of the units.  I can guarantee that whatever you see on the exterior---the interior is worse.  This first picture is of the ceiling grille (decorative cover) of a bathroom exhaust fan that has to be removed to access the interior components for cleaning.  The cover is so "evenly" coated, at first glance, it almost looks like it is supposed to look that way---it will not however, hold up a tissue paper while it is operating.

      If you turn on the fan and it will hold a tissue paper you can surmise that it is at least drawing some air.

     Fans that are very noisy are often noisy because the fan is loaded up with lint making it out of balance---causing noise and vibration.  While not the best example, this next picture (on the left) shows considerable lint build up on the inside of the unit and on the fan rotor.  The picture was taken in the attic where the vent pipe had become disconnected and one could see inside the fan housing.  The picture on the right shows where the vent pipe has not been connected to the roof cap and there is a screen installed over the end of the pipe.  The screen is not only plugged with lint, but also vents moist air into the attic space (or at least did before the screen was plugged).  So you can see there is a lot that needs to be maintained with these units:  the ceiling cover, the unit itself, the ductwork, and the exterior termination point.

      Cleaning these units will often make them quieter, but often times the cheaper units are just by nature noisy, and may warrant replacement.  When choosing fans it is important to choose ones with the appropriate CFM's for the space and with the lowest Sone rating.  (Basically the sone rating is just a "measure" of how much noise it makes----the lower the sone rating the quieter it will be.)  My experience is that noisy fans don't get used.  Also it is a real good idea to put the fans on a timer so that they run for an hour after showering.  It is important to move this moist air from the home to prevent mold growth and condensation due to high humidity.

     Establishing a routine cleaning schedule for all of the home's vent fans is recommended and there are many duct cleaning companies that specialize in this service.

Charles Buell 

     PS, for those of you that are new to my blog (or for some other "unexplained" reason have never noticed) all  pictures and smiley-face inserts (emoticons) have messages that show up when you point at them with your cursor.

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