Normally the fan motor is easy to replace,the houseing usually require's going into the atic. Remove the grill and if the proceedure isn't self explainatory,call a pro. All depends on one's mechanical aptitude.

You may find a part number on the fan, which may be removable by itself. Google it and you may find it available. I've done this successfully on several items, bathroom fans included.

If this fan is mounted on the bath ceiling. You should be able to replace it by taking off the cover. Unplug. Two screws hold it in place. The hard part is finding a fan that will fit. You may have to change the whole assembly. Either way not difficult. And should be able to do it in the bathroom.

I live in a condo, so there's definitely no attic accessible or cutting of sheetrock possible.

I really hope the developer chose a model that's easily replaceable within the bathroom...

"I really hope the developer chose a model that's easily replaceable within the bathroom..."

I've never seen a bath vent that wasn't desighned so motor is simple to replace. When do you plan to stop fretting and take the grill off to see?

yep. you need to take off the grate/grill and see what you're dealing with. You might be able to buy the exact same fan unit and just use the motor/fan part and throw the new housing away. Short of that, call someone and have it done.

And when it's done, we would be interested to hear what was involved...

What's the brand and model number? There are a few upgrades on the market that only require removing the motor/fan housing.

One example.

Fan Upgrade

OR

Easy Fit

People ask for suggestions and then vanish.

I agree that it's good to hear the outcome of something like this. Sometimes I think people without much experience or who aren't very handy ask questions here and then don't follow through on the projects or take months before they get to them.

I agree,it not only help's advisers hone their skills,a report on the out come can certainly be helpful to those searching arcives for solutions. It seemed to become more common when GW joined forces with houzz. If they don't just wander off after asking advice,they ask for detailed step by step instructions then say they decided to hire it done. A few regulars have thrown in the towel and moved elsewhere. Other regulars don't visit as often as in the past,or at least rarly comment any longer. I also frequent a vintage automobile enthusist forum and a wookworking site. Most people on both ask questions because they incontered a problem during a proceedure or thinking of trying somthing new. It seems a large % of questions on houzz are " I'm new,I don't have the time nor desire to crawl before running,teach me in 25 words or less what it took all of you years to learn".

klem-

I hear you. It does always amaze me at the level of help one can get here, and the lack of even a thank you sometimes. But I'll keep plugging away...and I do appreciate it when there is an update, even if it takes someone a while.

Thanks are cherrys on top,don't you ever wonder if someone mis-understood your advise and screwed things up? Or worse still,you mis-understood,advised them and their property was damaged as a result? What about when you advise useing a liitle glue with lots of attention to detail as they go along and Klem says don't sweat the details, just use a bigger hammer? Wouldn't it be some satisfaction knowing the outcome? Wouldn't it be of some value proving Klem was an idiot for such lame advise? ):

We're in heated agreement. I think I know a fair amount of things about DIY, but feedback on the advice I give helps me learn stuff, too. I think Mark Twain said:

"It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so.

A few months ago I replied to an email inquiry about painting a recently purchased house. I spent hours viewing pictures and detailing every aspect of trouble areas and how to prep those areas before repainting. No reply.

Next time I'll be sure to ask, "have you closed on the property?" before I proceed. :)

What would we do if not for Mark Twain? Boy does it ever sting when I find out something I knew for sure for so long turn's out "just ain't so".

Sorry for the lack of a response everyone. I flew out to Bulgaria for a weeklong business trip on the 30th, then spent the following week on holiday in Switzerland and Italy and just got back home on Sunday. I apologize if I've given the impression that I've abandoned this topic, but please rest assured that I have not and am extremely grateful for your help and advice so far - I'm just extremely behind on things and a bit jetlagged.

I popped off the cover and wrote down the model # just before I left, but I can't seem to find that post-it anymore. I'll pop it off again and take another look and let you folks know.

Thanks for the update. Good luck, and re-post, please, as your project moves along.

we will just continue to amuse ourselves until your next update.

hope you enjoyed your travels.

Great idea rater,could I interest y'all in a game of Chinese whispers?

For everyone's further amusement, underneath the cover the fan is heavily splattered with specks of white paint, to such an extent that most of the label is illegible. Fortunately, the legible portion happens to contain the model number - it's a Carnes VCDK008C. Or at least I think so - I'll let you folks be the judge:

The first time I took off the cover I thought it was simply very dusty,
but then the "dust" wouldn't come off when I rubbed it with my hand. At this point I'm
really wondering what the builders were doing when they built this
place, because the cover itself is completely spotless...

Anyways back on topic, I suppose I'll drop by my local hardware store this weekend and see what my options are. To be honest, I actually think this fan is terrible as the mirror is all fogged up after taking a shower and it takes a good 10-15 minutes afterwards, door closed, to suck up all the moisture, so I'm hoping that there's a better performing model that I can upgrade to. Which brings me to my next question: what should I look out for when comparison shopping?

That white paint speckling is very common when the painters spray paint the walls and ceilings and don't bother to mask everything off. As for what to look for if you are going with another brand, choose something quiet and reliable, and sized appropriately for the bathroom volume. I like: Panasonic bath fan

Do yourself a favor and take 30-60 minutes to view some videos on YouTube about the replacement of bathrooms fans and the specs (not complex). It's quite simple (both).

" take 30-60 minutes to view some videos on YouTube about the replacement of bathrooms fans and the specs (not complex). It's quite simple (both)."

Sure it's simple,,,,,,IF (A) you are experienced with electrical and recconize when hot and neutral have perviously been reversed,know your way around 3 way switchs and are comfortable extending/splicing wireing when required (B) you know how to make template and cutout for new housing (C) you can tell by fishing around in ceiling cavity if there's ample room for new houseing before cutting hole in drywall (D) own basic tools,keyhole saw,vom,wire cutter/stripper,power screwdriver,fiberglass stepladder,worklight with extension cord,screwdrivers,nut drivers,flat bar,hammer,aviation snips (E) have on hand wire nuts,various screws,12-2wg,14-2wg and possibly 12-3 wg&14-3wg,spare junction box,wire staples(E) 30 to 60 minutes to watch a video refresher course over the piticular model you just bought because there's hundereds out there,each with it's own issues during installation.

This thread begain with OP saying his fan died and asking how hard it might be to replace. Some correctly answered it is usually simply a matter of removeing the cover,unpluging power same as a table lamp,loosen 2 screws,take old unit to appliance parts counter for correct replacement then reverse process to complete. Some also correctly suggested changing houseing would likly be out of OP's skill set judging by his origional questions. As soon as OP found model of fan (a good thing and stroke of luck it was still on unit),he intertain's the idea of upgrading which almost undouptly require's changing houseing. Getterdone.

I have to smile reading how easy it is to change a bath fan.

just thinking back to issues not seen from inside the bathroom

looking up at bath fan. from attic side there are lots of things

that can make an install a pita.

low roof pitch, lots of baths have fans that are on exterior

walls, the closer you get to the exterior wall...the smaller

the access in the attic.

I've never replaced a fan from inside the room. replaced

a few where someone tried, even once repaired sheetrock

mess from cut made from inside the room.

laughed at one an engineer changed...by totally

horking up the sheetrock & instead nailing up plywood

to set the fan into. too funny!!

there are a dozen things that can make even an experienced

installer scratch their head figuring things out.

hey and then...you get to figure out how to vent it!

but for what its worth....seal a penny to the damper

of the back draft damper to help it close all the way.

hopefully by the time you get to the back draft damper,

you'll know what it is.

best of luck.

"Seal a penny to the damper" Finaly,someone with experience installing fans with a tip anyone installing bath fans can use. Beg's the question of why mfgrs don't go ahead and add ballast at the factury. Is it possible they are unaware of floating damper syndrome?

I used a ceiling fan weight on mine and lubricate the hinge pin with WD40 once a year.

I went to the store yesterday. They don't have this particular model in stock, so it'd probably take about 2 weeks if I were to place the order now. When I inquired about the possibility of switching to a different model, the clerk advised against it and recommended that I seek out a professional should I want to do so, then further recommended that I think carefully about it before placing the order as there are no refunds for special orders, only exchanges in the case of defective products.

So now I'm considering whether to save some money and do it myself and put up with this crappy fan, or to spend the money to hire a professional and get a fan I'm happy with...

Upgrading will require a complete redo in most cases. Changing the fan will not.

Location of the fan matters also. If it is in a bad spot it might not hurt to hire someone to change it out and relocate it.

Is that model of the fan motor or is there any other brand listed anywhere else, maybe on the trim?

Broan (NuTone) does have a fan upgrade for their standard housing that is quieter. It basically replaces an older generation of fan motor with a newer fan motor. That is the only case I know of that you can upgrade the fan and not change out the housing.

Raident,Vith talk's like he has changed lots of fans. I'll bet just for the asking he can walk you through the intire process.

Step 1: Remove old fan

Step 2: Install new fan

There, happy? lol

Told you so! Easy peasy. That information could have saved a bunch of deep thinking. We've been at this 1 month as of tomorrow without figuring that out.

@Vith: Yes, that particular sticker in the photo is on the fan motor. There is indeed another sticker on the trim, but it's completely covered in white paint. Googling seems to indicate that this is a warning label/Energy Star sticker.

As for the location, it's pretty much in the middle of my (very small) bathroom, right above the toilet and right beside the shower so I can't complain there.

@klem1: I was quoted $140 + tax for an exact replacement - not cheap, especially seeing as this fan hasn't even reached its 4th birthday yet and I'd hate to have to shell out another $140 + tax again in a few years.

But I suppose you have a point - it might be better to just get it done and over with and forget about it for the foreseeable future.

I just bought 2 nutone heat, vent light fans for $195 each at Lowes.

nice product, 2 sones (very quite) with direction adjustable heat vent

in cover. about 2" larger than existing bath fans.

perfect imo, to just cut the hole a bit larger.

I also installed daylight cfl bulbs.

used hardcast brand mastic tape to seal housing to

cut in sheetrock before installing cover.

also used the mastic tape to install the damper (and penny)

to the housing of the bath fan, and the venting to the damper.

took about an hour per bath fan. not my first rodeo.

I also like panasonic whisper quite fans, but twice the price

of the nutone. never liked nutone before, but saw mostly

elcheepo bath fans that sounded like a 747 taking off.

these were quite nice, and the low sones rating means

that they will be used. I recommend running the fan for

half an hour after shower.

best of luck.

For those still following this topic, there's no updates because I ordered the fan and am now in the process of waiting...

I noticed Broan has recently made a new line called "InVent" and thought of this thread. Bath fan housing for new OR retrofit. Retrofit install cut hole in drywall larger and the tabs bend back to insert. If there is rigid duct, you could attach a short bit of flex for installation. Various CFM/styles available in that line.

http://www.menards.com/main/search.html?search=broan+invent

See retrofit section in instructions

http://cds.a9t2h4q7.hwcdn.net/main/items/media/BROAN001/Install_Instruct/AR80L_Install_99045557C.pdf