Why did my bathroom fan stop working? Your bathroom fan might have stopped working because the circuit breaker has tripped. Other reasons include a faulty fan or a faulty switch.
A bathroom fan not working can be awkward to say the least. This post will go into different reasons why the bathroom fan has stopped working and what you should do to fix it.
Why Did My Bathroom Fan Stop Working? – Reason #1
Tripped Breaker Or RCD
Before you call the electrician, the first thing you should do is check whether or not a circuit breaker has tripped. When a circuit breaker trips, it turns off the electricity to parts of the house. This could be why the bathroom fan stopped working. Circuit breakers operate in this way to stop people getting electric shocks and to prevent fires.
To check if a tripped breaker has caused the problem go to your switchboard and look for a breaker which is down.
Things That Cause Breakers To Trip
Before resetting the breaker, let’s look at what might have caused it to trip in the first place.
It’s possible that something completely unrelated to the bathroom fan caused the breaker to trip.
Here are some unrelated things that might have caused the breaker to trip.
- Blown light bulb
- Faulty light fitting
- Faulty power outlet
- Faulty appliance
- Faulty extension cord
For example, an appliance, such as a hair dryer, plugged into a powerpoint could trip the RCD.
As a bathroom is a damp area, this is where you should look first. Appliances, lights and power sockets in the bathroom can develop faults due to moisture.
It’s a good idea to check if any light bulbs have blown and if all the lights still work in the bathroom.
If you notice a light not working, it could have caused the breaker to trip. This is because when a light bulb fails it causes a temporary short circuit.
The next thing you should check are any nearby appliances.
Make sure that you unplug all of your appliances in the bathroom before resetting the circuit breaker. This will help you rule out if a faulty appliance needs to be replaced.
If you reset the breaker and the fan now works, then you possibly saved yourself needing to call the electrician. If not, read on to the second reason why the bathroom fan stopped working.
Why Did My Bathroom Fan Stop Working? – Reason #2
Faulty Fan
A faulty fan might be why the bathroom fan isn’t working. If a fan collects a lot of dust and grime, it can make it harder for the fan to draw air.
Over time, this puts stress on the fan motor which can cause it to fail.
Fans can also be faulty due to a factory defect.
The best thing to do is replace the fan rather than repair it. To do this you will need to find out what model of fan it is and whether or not it is still under warranty.
You can get the fan removed and replaced like for like to resolve the problem.
Why Did My Bathroom Fan Stop Working? – Reason #3
Faulty Switch
A faulty switch could be why the bathroom fan stopped working. If your light switch has signs of wear and tear it can be the reason why the bathroom fan isn’t working.
A faulty switch can be caused by loose or broken wires inside the switch. Wires can also be damaged by rodents present in the wall or ceiling cavity. When this happens it can eventually cause the fan to fail. An electrician will be able to identify any loose or broken wires and replace the switch if it is the cause of the problem.
Conclusion
Why did my bathroom fan stop working? If your bathroom fan stopped working the first place you should check is your switchboard. Especially if the bathroom fan stopped suddenly. Before resetting the breaker, unplug any appliances in the bathroom and check for blown light bulbs or visual defects in power outlets and light switches.
If this didn’t fix the problem, it is likely that the bathroom fan stopped working as a result of a faulty fan switch or faulty fan. Both of these can be replaced by a registered electrician.
Next Steps
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