Besides keeping you comfortable, a bathroom fan also helps prevent mold and mildew problems. If the bathroom fan noise has gotten so bad that you avoid using it, you need to find a real solution.
If you aren’t happy with the noise level of your exhaust fan even when it’s working well, you definitely need a new bathroom fan.
Bathroom fans and replacement motors are comparable in price, so it’s up to you how to proceed. Ask a friendly electrician to replace a noisy bathroom fan—it’s a simple job for a professional to handle the wiring and mount the unit securely and level so it runs smoothly.
Is There a DIY Fix for Bathroom Fan Noise?
Fixing a rumbling or squeaky bathroom fan has some DIY options. But as with many home electrical repairs, the DIY route might turn out to be harder than expected and the results might not be long-lasting. It can also be dangerous to mess with the motor and wiring.
Firstly, always turn off power at the circuit breaker before cleaning or adjusting a bathroom fan. Between the electrical wiring and the whirring blades, you want to know for sure the fan is off.
The three things an intrepid homeowner can try:
- Clean a bathroom fan with an extendable vacuum attachment or a ladder and some dusting cloths.
- Adjust the housing unit or blades to stop a clicking or knocking sound due to parts being out of alignment.
- Lubricate the bathroom fan motor with a lightweight mechanical lubricant if the motor unit has a vibrating or squealing sound.
When a Bathroom Fan Gets Noisy Every Few Months
Cleaning and maintenance should take care of bathroom fan noise for a year or more. Nobody wants to go through the drill as often as the seasons change. Flipping the breaker, climbing a ladder, unscrewing the cover—it all gets tedious.
Frequently clogged exhaust fans and squeaky parts are sure signs that a bathroom fan is too old or not very high quality.
Here, you have two great options:
- Replace only the motor if you like the look and performance of your bathroom fan but the motor needs constant maintenance.
- Upgrade to a new bathroom fan with a low sone rating if you want the fan to run more quietly, not just free of problematic noise.
Sone Ratings for a Quiet Bathroom Fan
Sones are a unit of loudness for bathroom fan noise that you’ll see advertised in product specs. A generally loud bathroom fan probably has a sone rating of 3 to 4. Fans that everyone would call quiet rate at 2 sones or lower.
If you like the fan to muffle sounds a little, get a product around 2 sones; if you’d prefer a whisper-quiet fan, you’ll want under 1.5 sones.
Besides the sone rating, you’ll want ample CFM (cubic feet per minute) so the fan doesn’t have to run constantly to dry the room, as well as wide ventilation ducts so air can pass through quietly.
Your Electrician Can Fix Bathroom Fan Noise
Instead of troubleshooting your bathroom fan noise to no avail, go ahead and call an electrician to repair or replace it. Electricians can wire a new bathroom motor or replace a broken bathroom fan completely.
For help with a noisy bathroom fan by a licensed electrician in Sonoma County, contact us today.
