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Ideally, your Nutone bathroom fan and light should function properly for a long time without experiencing significant issues. However, some factors can reduce the bathroom fan’s lifespan, causing it to stop working.
Your Nutone bathroom fan and light can stop working for multiple reasons, including dust buildup, a burned-out motor, a tripped circuit breaker, and a defective light switch. Fortunately, these issues have easy fixes, such as clearing the built-up dust and replacing faulty components.
In this article, I will discuss why your Nutone bathroom fan and light are not working, including their easy fixes and the best way to prevent bathroom fan and light failure. Keep reading to find out more!
Why Your Nutone Bathroom Fan and Light Aren’t Working?
Your Nutone bathroom fan and light can stop working for multiple reasons. Below I’ll outline a few common causes of a faulty exhaust bathroom fan that you should consider whenever you experience this problem.
Dust Buildup
Dust buildup is one of the most common reasons bathroom fans stop working. It is because most people fail to clean them regularly.
Your Nutone bathroom fan is designed to withstand some dust. However, going for extended periods without cleaning the bathroom fan causes the dust to build up to extreme levels, hindering it from working correctly.
The dust clogs up the bathroom fan, which affects its efficiency, causing it to require more energy for its operation. The dust buildup eventually becomes extreme, preventing the bathroom fan from rotating properly.
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Faulty Circuit Breaker
Another common reason bathroom fans stop working is faulty circuit breakers. The circuit breaker in your Nutone bathroom fan can trip for various reasons, including overloading your electrical system.
When this happens, the fan stops working because it cannot power on until you reset the circuit breaker. Therefore, always check the circuit breaker in a faulty bathroom fan, as this is one of the most overlooked factors.
I should point out that depending on your electrical system setup, you can have a tripped circuit breaker affecting the bathroom fan only.
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Burned-Out Light Bulb
The first thing to do if your bathroom fan light is not working is to check if the fluorescent bulb burned out. It is often the case when the bathroom fan keeps running without the light. If this is the case, you must replace your light bulb.
Defective Light Switch
Another reason your Nutone bathroom fan and light may stop working is a defective light switch.
Bathroom fans usually have light switches used to power them on and off. Therefore, if something happens to the switch, you cannot power on the fan and light because there is no mechanism to control the power supply to the fan.
Often, when the light switch does not work, it is for a lack of adequate power supply or faulty wiring. Use a multitester to determine if the light switch is defective or works fine. The multitester helps you test the switch for continuity. If the light switch is faulty, you must replace it.
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Loose Wiring
Loose wiring usually causes bathroom fans to work correctly one day and refuse to power the next day. The bathroom fan and light typically work fine when the connection is excellent but stop working as soon as it weakens.
Fortunately, loose wiring is not very common in bathroom fans. However, it is worth looking at, especially when your bathroom fan and light stop working and you cannot explain why. Check the bathroom fan’s wiring and the switch supplying power to the fan as loose or faulty wiring at any place prevents the fan and light from working.
Burned Out Motor
While your Nutone bathroom fan can last a long time, it cannot last forever and often deteriorates in efficiency like any other device as the years pass. One of the first bathroom fan components to give away is the motor. For this reason, burned-out motors are one of the most common reasons bathroom fans stop working.
Therefore, if your bathroom fan is not new and it stops working, check if the motor burned out.
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Easy Fixes for Your Faulty Nutone Bathroom Fan and Light
Do not panic whenever you encounter the problems discussed above. You can fix these issues quite easily and save yourself money spent on a new bathroom fan. Here are a few fixes you should try:
1. Resetting the Circuit Breaker
The process required to reset your bathroom fan’s circuit breaker is straightforward. Locate your circuit breaker box and turn on any switch that may be off. Alternatively, use the main breaker to reset everything in your house. Once you finish, your Nutone bathroom fan and light should resume working correctly.
2. Clearing the Dust Buildup
Dust buildup is one of the most common reasons bathroom fans stop working prematurely. Remove the bathroom fan’s cover plate and expose the internal components. Use a brush to clear the dust before powering the fan to confirm it is working well.
When the fan starts running, let it do so for 5 to 10 minutes. Doing so is essential because it removes any dirt you might have missed. Return the fan’s cover after that amount of time passes.
To prevent this from happening, you’ll want to check on the dust buildup in your fan once a month.
3. Checking for Loose Wiring
Always check for loose or faulty wires after determining whether the circuit breaker and motor are in good condition. Also, remember to wear protective equipment when fixing your bathroom fan, especially when checking for loose wiring.
Use a wire cutter to remove the wire covers before reading the voltage passing through using a voltage tester or multimeter. If the reading on the machines indicates zero, the wire is faulty. Repeat this process with the other cables and identify those that need replacement and repairs.
If you’re not comfortable with handling wires, you can contact a professional electrician to do it for you. This problem often occurs in fans since they’re constantly moving- the vibrations can knock the wires loose over time.
Read: Samsung Microwave Fan Won’t Turn Off – Troubleshooting Guide
4. Replacing the Fan’s Motor
Usually, people imagine their fans are damaged beyond repair when their motors fail. Fortunately, bathroom fan motors are replaceable. You can obtain a replacement motor if your Nutone bathroom fan stops working because of a faulty motor.
Use a screwdriver to open the fan’s cover. After this, unplug the fan’s wiring from its housing before exposing the metal plate covering the motor. Unscrew the metal plate and remove the old motor.
Find the old motor’s model number and use it when ordering the new motor. Otherwise, you will not find a proper replacement for your bathroom fan. Install the new motor and close the fan before plugging it back. Your bathroom fan should work fine after replacing its faulty motor.
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Prevent Your Nutone Bathroom Fan and Light From Failing
A bathroom fan’s lifespan depends on factors such as its quality and build. Under normal conditions, your bathroom fan should last between 10 and 15 years.
However, you must take some precautionary measures to prevent your Nutone bathroom fan and light from failing prematurely. In doing so, you can get the system to last as long as possible.
Here are a few steps that you can take:
- Clean your bathroom fan regularly: Dust buildup is a leading cause of faulty bathroom fans. Therefore, you must clear your Nutone bathroom fan and light periodically to prevent dust from accumulating. Regular cleaning ensures your bathroom fan works at peak efficiency always, thus extending its lifespan.
- Regular maintenance checks: You should also conduct regular maintenance checks on your bathroom fan and light. Regular maintenance checks allow you to detect loose and faulty wires in the fan and switch, thus preserving the integrity of your Nutone bathroom fan and light.
- Use the bathroom fan efficiently: People often damage the internal components of their fans, such as the blade and motor, because they leave them running the whole day. Constant friction causes the fan to wear and tear much faster. Therefore, consider using the bathroom fan only when necessary to prolong its lifespan.
Final Thoughts
When handling your bathroom fan, the best option is to exercise caution and maintain it regularly to mitigate possible defects. However, do not panic when your bathroom fan and light stop working because numerous easy fixes to your problems exist. Try these solutions before giving up on your bathroom fan and looking for another.
