My bathroom fan decided to die at 3 AM last Tuesday

I woke up to a weird humming sound and a total lack of airflow. It's an old NuTone unit from the 90s, and the motor finally gave up. I pulled the cover off and found the bearings were completely shot, which explained the noise. I had to run to the hardware store the next morning for a new motor assembly, which cost me about $45. The swap itself was easy, just two wires and three screws, but finding the right model took forever. Has anyone else had a fan fail in the middle of the night, and did you find a good universal replacement part?

3 comments

3 Comments

casey84313d ago

That 3 AM failure time is classic. The sudden quiet makes the house feel weirdly empty. I always keep a cheap box fan in the hall closet just for these emergencies.

west.wendy13d ago

My buddy had his power go out last summer, right in the middle of the night. He said the worst part was hearing his fridge stop humming. He just laid there in the dark, listening to all the normal house sounds completely vanish. Told me it felt like the whole place was holding its breath. He ended up using the flashlight on his phone to dig out some old camping gear. Found a battery powered lantern that gave off this weak, sad glow, but it was better than nothing.

robert_rodriguez6613d ago

My power went out for 12 hours last winter and that dead fridge sound is so creepy, totally get it. Good call by @casey843 on the box fan, that white noise helps a ton.