Bath Fan Replacement in 10 Minutes or Less!

When the bathroom ventilation fan gets too noisy or stops working, you can replace it yourself in just a few minutes!

#bathfanreplacement #repairbathroomfan #bathroomventilation

If you live in your house for over 15 years or have bought a home that is over fifteen years old and still has the original bathroom ventilation fans, the time is coming when you’ll need to service or replace the bathroom vent fan.

When I was on home construction crews, these fans were called “stink fans” (or the less genteel “fart fans”). The reason is pretty obvious, but an incomplete description of the important work this fan accomplishes. Not only does it whisk away undesirable (that’s an understatement!) odors, but this device also removes moist air that occurs with showering and bathing, as well as steam coming from the sink when hot water is used. Unabated steam leads to condensation on the room’s surfaces, which can lead to in-wall moisture that can easily encourage mold and mildew. Not good.

As an aside, when running, the ventilation fan can also create “negative pressure” in a smaller bathroom, assuring that both humidity and offensive odors are not forced into the adjacent living areas.

If you think that lubricating the motor bearings is all that is in order, here’s a video from another “YouTuber” that can help you do that.

However, there will come a time when the unit has to be replaced. If the unit is 25 years or older, the housing may no longer be a standard size and both the housing and the fan will need to be replaced. Replacing an older fan is not the subject of this video. This is a more complex process many times simply because the parts in older units weren’t designed to be modular, allowing you to “swap out” components like newer models do.

Because of this, taking out a very old bath fan and putting in a new one is an extensive process, requiring access from the attic in most cases. If the old fan wasn’t properly vented to the outside of the home (not just into the attic - a real “no-no”), then that needs to be installed as well.

These units are rated in CFM (cubic foot per minute). The basic minimum ratio is that you need one CFM per square foot of floor space. The dimensions of our demonstration restroom are 5’ x 9’ = 45 sq. ft. So, a 45 CFM fan would be the minimum. The contractor installed a 50 cfm unit, so they were in specification.

If you need to remove the old housing and place a new setup, the new unit will have instructions and diagrams to accomplish this. As an example, here is a link to the installation guide for NuTone®’s 80 CFM HB80RL ventilation fan with integrated light.

However, in THIS episode, we will feature the NuTone® 696N Ventilation Fan. This is one of the most common bath fans and has been in use for many years. This allows you to leave the housing, vent outlet, and electrical connection all intact, and simply “swap out” the motor/fan module - literally in minutes.

The basic steps are:

Remove the cover to the ventilator fan unit and set aside.
Unplug the fan motor from the plug.
Locate the mounting tabs of the motor/fan assembly.
Locate the inscribed directions in the unit telling you where to lift the component and where to push the housing side out to allow the motor/fan assembly to swing down from one side.
Remove the motor/fan assembly from the housing by swinging out the unit and having the component tabs release from the housing.
Clean the inside of the housing, and assure the damper is working properly on the duct outlet.
If servicing and not replacing the motor/fan assembly, then clean the unit, and lubricate the bearings with light oil. Don’t use WD-40® as it possesses only mild lubricating properties. Re-install the fan/motor assembly, plug it in, and replace the cover.
install the new assembly utilizing the mounting tabs. Assure that the tabs are securely attached! Plug the new unit into the outlet, and clean and replace the cover using the spring mounting clips.

To do this, you’ll need only basic tools and the skills you’ll learn from DirtFarmerJay as he demonstrates how to easily accomplish this home maintenance project. And, you didn’t need to hire someone to do it. You know you can JUST DO IT YOURSELF.

[KMphotography]

Got an electrician bid to replace 3 ceiling fans for the bathrooms for $1, 000! Followed your instructions and had it done in 30 minutes for $75 worth of fans. Thank you!

[kathleen_]

Im an older woman taking care of my mother in her home. Just us two women and things are beginning to fall apart. The first thing is the bath fan. I can't tell you how thankful i am for you. I actually did this fix myself! You made it so easy to follow and instructions clear even this old lady did it !! Thank you thank you. Gonna check out ur other vids now

[FC_Dobbs]

You didn't mention the most important function of the bath fan in our house. That is to provide noise cover for the "toilet sounds" (farts, poop plops and puking noises).

[drowildcat]

Best video wish I did not have to watch 20 idiots that don't know what they're doing before I get to this guy that actually knows what he's doing and shows clear directions thank you

[denisek]

Thank you so much, Jay. This was so easy for me to replace with your easy-to-follow instructions. I would have been stuck on the "lift here and press here" to get the assembly down. This was such an easy and inexpensive fix. I am always in awe of people like yourself who take the time to make these videos for the rest of us. Thank you for saving me money by doing this myself.

[johnmac]

Thanks! You made what I thought was going to be a bit complicated into a simple 10 minute job. Not sure if I'll tell my wife how easy it was. Now I have the day to play golf! :)

[ImSick]

Thank you for this video! I unknowingly bought this same fan at Home Depot for $21.98 today and thank GOD it fit.

[mr.baseball]

Thanks Jay-- You saved me $155 for an electrician to come and install a bathroom vent fan. Took me about an hour-- hardest part was getting all the dust out of the top of the fan vent before I installed the new one. Thumbs up!!

[keithp]

Excellent video! Jay did not lie: this was but a ten minute job for me (not counting the time taken to drive to Home Depot to get a replacement motor). I really do wish that all such "how to" videos were this well presented, and so clearly explained. Consider me a happy camper thanks to Jay!

[sandras]

Thank you so much!! I was terrified of doing this on my own. Your video was super easy to follow and it took only minutes to replace. Thank you again!!

[SmartAnlayst]

Thanks a ton for this useful video - I was able to replace two bathroom fans on the same day in my house within no time by just following this video to remove the older fans and replace them with new ones. Saved me at least $150-$200 by not requiring me to hire an electrician for this work.

[coled]

Very informative video. Another thing to keep in mind is these cheaper 50 CFM builder grade units usually only have a 3” diameter duct. When you get to the 80 CFM, 110 CFM or higher many of those use a 4” or even 6” diameter duct which lets you have the higher airflow with lower sone levels.

[markhalvorson]

Thanks for the video! It’s important to know that sometimes the new fan’s frame doesn’t fit the old housings. However, by removing the fan blade and unscrewing the nuts, one can put a new motor on an old holder that fits the housing.

[brainwavestobinary]

This video was very helpful and took a lot of the anxiety out of replacing the exhaust fan. And looking at what other videos you have on the channel, I feel like I may have discovered a gold mine of helpful DIY content. Thanks for what you do!

[jamesrossmusic]

Thank you sir... Mine is the exact model you have except 70CFM. Because of you I was able to remove the old one and I will be picking up the new one at Home Depot tomorrow. Thank you Sir!

[MM-wneh]

OK you made this so easy thank you so much. It only took me 10 minutes. Also told my best friend whose fan broke three years ago and he kept thinking he needed to get into the attic to replace it and just put it off and when I showed him, he really only needed the middle piece and we did a video conference. I showed him how to take it out and then replace it. It took in no time. Thanks again you da man.

[kelanne]

I just need to say a big THANK YOU!!! My husband and I don’t have dads to show us these things and this video was such a big help! We were so intimidated when we first opened the fan box and kept putting it off. I found your video a week ago and we finally replaced it! It literally took like 5 minutes. Thank you so much!!!!

[GPSjammer]

This was going to be a $570 job for the local electrician. Sure glad you posted this video. Just ordered a replacement motor/fan assembly for $37 using the model number and Broan's part number insight. Hoping it works out and that it's not the wiring! Wires under the metal plate didn't seem to have any damage at least.

[julieabston]

I cleaned mine after 21 years!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

[scodavis]

Hi Jay - I just wanted to say THANK YOU for this video! I couldn't figure out how to snap out the old fan module because the contractors painted over the indication of where to push! Once I knew that secret, a quick trip to the hardware store and about five minutes and I have a working fan again. Thank you again!