If you are here, your bathroom fan is noisy and annoying. Waking up family members and disrupting your peace in the house should be a thing of the past once you know how to make quieter and fix loud vibration, humming, or high-pitched noise from a noisy bathroom fan. In this article, we share detailed ways of eliminating the annoying noise and also some of the best bathroom fans with low noise levels.
If you decide to get a specially designed quiet bathroom fan instead of fixing your old noisy one, go for the highly rated Panasonic FV-0811VF5 or Broan-NuTone 765H80LB. Alternatively, if you’re on a tight budget, get the affordable Broan-NuTone 678 Bathroom Fan.
How To Fix A Noisy Bathroom Fan And Make It Quieter: Best Ways In 2024
1. Replace Noisy Bathroom Fan
If you sense that your fan is tired and beyond repair, it is time you replace it with a new and much quieter one. Luckily, many modern fans for the bathroom are designed to be ultra-quiet and efficient in exchanging and cooling the bathroom air. They offer a solution on how to stop noisy bathroom fans.
Panasonic FV-0811VF5 and Broan-NuTone 765H80LB are great options. Or if you want something much more affordable, get the Broan-NuTone 678 Bathroom Fan. Read also our full article: Best Quiet Bathroom Exhaust Fan 2024
2. Clean The Fan And All Moving Parts Thoroughly
Dirt can cause a squeaking fan and removing the dirt before turning on the fan can help make it quiet and allow you to observe the cooling process in a silent environment. All moving parts should be cleaned to remove the dirt and grime built up.
3. Buying The Right Size Of Fan For The Bathroom
If you have a fan that is small for the room, it is likely to overwork. Choosing the right size depends on the CFM of the fan. Measure the size of the room and check on the fan guidelines to ensure it meets the demands for the room.
4. Find The Joists And Duct Then Enlarge The Opening
Find the mounting place on the ceiling joist and check the duct location. You can mark the duct location and afterward enlarge it. An enlarged duct resolved compressed air pressure seen in small duct units that produce a lot of noise.
5. Absorb The Noise With A Very Soft Rubber
Sorbothane rubber is important at this stage. This will help if the cleaning process doesn’t work. Still, add the rubber around the electrical access and the motor section to absorb noise and reduce the vibrations of a noisy bathroom extractor fan.
6. Adjust The Housing Or Fan Blades
If you’ve not serviced your fan after a while, the housing and blades will start making noise. Impact the fan when it is off and move the blades with your finger to find out the worn-out blade.
If the blade is moving differently or it scratches on the fan cover, then adjusting it will eliminate the noise. The entire process will require you to remove the fans for easy fixing.
7. Lubricate The Fan Motor And Blades
Lubrication is another way to make the fan quieter. The moving parts including the motor and blades need lubrication to prevent wear and tear. If not lubricated, the lifespan will decrease due to wear and tear.
Power off the fan then remove the cover. Remove dirt and dust then add lubrication to the moving parts. As you apply the lubricant, spin the blades.
8. Tightening the Mounting Screws
Excess noise and vibration from a loose fan are annoying and you’ll need to check the screws and mounting hardware. Find out the installation style first. Afterward, remove the fan cover and tighten loose screws.
9. Buy a New Motor
Instead of getting a new fan which might be expensive, you can replace the noisy bathroom fan motor. Fixing the motor takes little time.
Types of Bathroom Fan Noises
High Pitched Noise Coming From Bathroom Fan
If you’ve had years with your bathroom fan, then expect a high-pitched bathroom fan sound from the unit. When the motor gets tired, it requires replacement to ensure the annoying high-pitched sound is not available. This kind of noise will disturb your quiet environment and prevent you from enjoying a calming shower.
Bathroom Exhaust Fan Knocking Noise
Obstruction and misaligning of the fan blades is a cause of knocking noise such that your bathroom fan squeals. When the blades spin, you’ll not avoid the knocking noise.
While fitting the fan, you need to be careful with the procedure to attain the exhaust fan noise reduction for durability and reliability. A well-fitted fan will not only last a long time but also eliminate instances of noise. This is common with most bathroom fans.
Vibration Humming Sound
Signs that a motor is beginning to die out will show in vibration humming sound. Also, cheaper fans fitted with low-quality motors will produce this sound.
Vibration comes from poorly mounted fans where the screws were not fitted well. As the screws loosen, they produce variations that turn out to be annoying.
Bathroom Fan Making Grinding Noise
Grinding noise is a result of the build-up of dirt, dust, and grime on your fan. Failing to clean the fan regularly results in this type of noise. As the fan continues to spin, it grinds thus creating wear and tear on important parts of the fan. This reduces the lifespan of the fan.
Rattling Sound
A bathroom fan rattles every time you don’t service it. A loosely mounted fan will move inside the hole where it is mounted. As it operates, the rattling sound is unavoidable. A fan that is out of alignment can also produce a squeaky bathroom fan noise with a knocking effect.
Final Thoughts About Noisy Bathroom Fan
Now that you have the tips and deep understanding on how to make a noisy bathroom fan quieter & fix or reduce loud vibration humming or high-pitched noise, you can go ahead and fix the bathroom fan squealing noise and save on spending on a new fan. Alternatively, you can still buy a specially designed quiet bathroom fan.
Go for the high quality and powerful Panasonic FV-0811VF5, Broan-NuTone 765H80LB, or Broan-NuTone 678 as the best low noise bathroom fans currently available in 2024.
Dave Pearson is a Canadian musician, sound editor, and audiophile. He is also the founder and owner of the website SoundProofGeek. On SoundProofGeek, Pearson offers advice and resources on audio equipment, including how to assess and improve audio quality, how to troubleshoot and repair audio equipment, and how to improve the music listening experience.
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