How To Fix Bathroom Exhaust Fan Leaking Water?

A bathroom exhaust fan helps remove excess moisture from the room. However, sometimes this fan will leak water into your home when it gets clogged with dust. 

If you notice that your bathroom exhaust fan has been leaking water, you can follow these steps to fix the problem. 

How to Fix Bathroom Exhaust Fan Leaking Water?

Bathroom Exhaust Fan Leaking Water

Here are a few steps that you can follow to fix your bathroom’s exhaust fan leaking issue.

Step 1 – Clean the insides

Clean out the inside of the housing. Use a vacuum to remove as much of the debris as possible.

Step 2 – Clean the holes

Sometimes, water gets through these holes after it has been sucked up into the exhaust fan. 

You can find these holes using a flashlight while looking at your walls or ceiling. Then, use a putty knife to fill these holes with joint compound, caulk, or spackling paste.

Step 3 – Check the Fan Blades

If the blades of your exhaust fan are damaged or broken, you will need to replace them. However, if you have a new blade and it is still not working properly, you will need to contact a company that works with bathroom exhaust fans. 

Some companies offer replacement motors that can help fix your leaking fan problems. Motor replacement kits are easy to install and can easily be found at home improvement stores. 

Step 4 – Turn On the Exhaust Fan and Run Water

Turn on your bathroom exhaust fan and allow it to run for a few minutes. Then, allow the water to run over the blades for a few minutes.

Step 5 – Check the Drain Preventer

If you have a drain preventer, you will want to take it off your bathroom exhaust fan so that all water can drain from your home. 

If you do not have a drain preventer and your fan leaks, you need to replace it once you know how a new one should be inexpensive and easy to install.

Step 6 – Clean the Exhaust Fan Housing

Try cleaning your bathroom exhaust fan every time you use it with soapy water and some elbow grease.

Dripping Noise From the Bathroom Exhaust Fan

Noise From the Bathroom Exhaust Fan

If you hear dripping noise coming from your bathroom exhaust fan, there are a few reasons that this might be happening. 

First, it could mean that your bathroom is not adequately ventilated, and the humidity created in the space is getting trapped in the exhaust ducts. 

Second, if you have an old-style exhaust fan, it might be stuck or only partially opening and closing as it should. 

Finally, suppose you’ve recently installed a new exhaust fan (such as one with a recirculation function). In that case, there may be debris or something blocking the shutter mechanism in the fan housing.

Repairing or Replacing The Fan

If your exhaust fan has been installed properly, but you find it still makes a dripping noise, you may need to replace it. 

If the fan has been on for several hours and there is still humidity in your bathroom, consider making a small smoking hole in one of the ducts leading to the fan. 

This allows moist air to get out of your bathroom instead of trapped in the ducts. It also helps to reduce potential mold growth if you’ve been neglecting proper ventilation.

If you’ve heard a dripping noise from the fan when it’s not in use, there is likely some problem with the shutter mechanism, and you will need to replace it. This typically means the motor is good, but it’s not coordinating well with the shutter.

Why Is Water Dripping From My Bathroom Fan? 

Condensation is the most frequent cause of water leaking from a bathroom fan. If your roof has a vent, you need to climb up on it to ensure it’s functioning properly. 

A flashlight can check the vent for obstructions and look for damage outside the appliance.

Hot Air Coming Through the Bathroom Exhaust Fan

When a bathroom fan blasts air down instead of sucking it in and exhaling it, this is one of the most frequent causes of concern. Here are some of the few reasons why. 

1- Stuck Backdraft Flapper

The backdraft flapper is crucial to how well your bathroom exhaust fan works overall. It makes it easier for air to go from the bathroom’s interior to the vent.

The backdraft flapper, attached to the exhaust fan, allows air to exit the bathroom while it is open but stops it from entering when it is closed.

As a result, when your fan’s flapper gets jammed open, it allows outside air to enter the bathroom.

If the flapper is jammed closed, the fan may still draw in, but if the air cannot flow through the blocked flapper, it will be blown back into the bathroom.

2- Reversed Fan Blades

Inverted fan blades Three components make up your bathroom fan: the motor, the housing or cover, and the fan blades. Your exhaust fan’s performance is greatly influenced by how the fan’s blades rotate.

It is ideal for the blades to rotate counterclockwise to draw air upward. Unfortunately, most bathroom fans have blades that can only revolve in one direction, and makers designed them so that installation cannot be done reverse. 

However, some fans include alternating motors, allowing you to change the blades’ rotational axis. Our fan may be blowing air down since the blade has been turned counterclockwise, which would cause it to rotate that way.

3- Lint Buildup in the Fan

Although exhaust fans are necessary for restrooms, they are rarely given the care and attention they require. 

If they aren’t regularly cleaned and maintained, dirt can accumulate in the fan from all the moisture and air it removes. In addition, your bathroom fan may be blowing air down because of lint buildup in the fan, which can restrict airflow.

4- Dirt and debris blockage in the vent pipes

The vent pipe can become clogged with dirt and debris along with obstruction inside the exhaust fan. When that occurs, your airflow will likewise be ineffective. 

Even though the bathroom fan may be drawing air in properly, a clog in the vent pipes would prevent all of the air from leaving the room. It will therefore be forced back into your bathroom.

5- Damaged vent pipes

Your bathroom fan may be blowing air down in addition to dirt and debris building up in the vent pipes because of a blockage caused by a broken or bent vent pipe.

You’ll feel a reverse air flow if air cannot adequately move through the pipe.

FAQS

What causes a bathroom fan to spill liquid?

There are a few potential explanations for why this is occurring. First, the bathroom fan drips when warm, humid air condenses in an uninsulated or inadequately insulated ventilation duct.u003cbru003eu003cbru003eCondensation starts to trickle back into the bathroom as it gathers on the ventilation duct’s sidewalls.

Why does the fan in my bathroom drip?

Condensation in the cold conduit could be the issue. This is the main offender that you need to take into account first in the majority of cases of bathroom fan water leaks.u003cbru003eu003cbru003eWater may start to drip during or right after you take a shower. There is a considerable likelihood that the duct contains condensation.

What causes a bathroom fan to spill liquid?

There are a few potential explanations for why this is occurring. First, the bathroom fan drips when warm, humid air condenses in an uninsulated or inadequately insulated ventilation duct. u003cbru003eu003cbru003eCondensation starts to trickle back into the bathroom as it gathers on the ventilation duct’s sidewalls.

How do you clean the bathroom exhaust fan?

At the breaker box, shut off the electricity, plug the fan out, and the next few steps are where consulting your manual will be helpful. u003cbru003eu003cbru003eYou’ll want to know the cleaning agents that work best on your particular model.

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